Bitter melon

Bitter melon is not a melon but is definitely bitter. It is a vine belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, a relative of the cucumber, squash, and pumpkin. Its exterior is bumpy and warty, while its interior is dry with a bunch of hard yellow seeds encased in white fluffy lining. Nothing much can be said of bitter melon’s taste, except that it is deserves the adjectival part of its name that it is difficult to keep your face straight once you taste it. Although not mouth-watering, the health benefits of bitter melon are enough reasons to suffer the flavor and ingest the fruit itself.
What is bitter melon good for? Why bother eating this strange-tasting ‘vegetable’? The most popular benefit is the bitter melon’s ability to lower blood sugar level. It has hypoglycemic compounds and natural insulin-like substances which are much needed by people with diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus disrupts the production of glucose, thereby weakening the muscles. It is a debilitating disease. Bitter melon contents activate enzymes that in turn activate cells, tissues and muscles. It has been traditionally known in many countries around the world that bitter melon is good for diabetic patients.  The American Association of Naturopathic Physician also reports that bitter melon (also known as bitter gourd) lowers blood sugar level just like insulin.  Furthermore, a study conducted by the Philippine Department of Health in 2007 determined that a daily dose of 100 mg of bitter melon is like taking the anti-diabetes drug, glibenclamide, which is taken twice a day.
Other bitter melon health benefits include boosting the immune system, improving digestion and detoxifying blood, which allows the bitter gourd to treat related illnesses such as psoriasis, piles, hemorrhage, indigestion, jaundice, and cholera. It is also believed to treat hypertension, breast cancer, and, recently, has been under research for its ability to possibly stop the spread of HIV-AIDS. It’s a tall order, although its confirmation would be a great boon to humanity.
Bitter gourd has long been popular in China, India and Southeast Asia as a medicinal plant. The Chinese believe that a vegetable is more nutritious when more bitter, so it is not short of fans in China, specifically. The bitter taste of this unique Asian vegetable is what makes it an effective digestive aid. It is used to treat dyspepsia and constipation. However, it is said to cause heartburn and ulcer.

The substance quinine is what’s producing the bitter taste. It is believed around Asia that quinine is useful in preventing and treating malaria. While this has also been a traditional belief in the Caribbean for centuries, it is just now recently confirmed by laboratory research that bitter melon has anti-malarial contents.
In other parts of the world, the bitter gourd is used to treat chicken pox, measles and herpes simplex.  Other benefits of bitter gourd involve possible help for those suffering from cancer, dysentery, fever, burns, menstrual pains, scabies and other skin problems.
While there are so many health advantages of bitter gourd, people should be careful not to ingest its toxic seeds, although some people believe them to be edible. Children and pregnant women should avoid eating bitter melon seeds and too much of its fruits.
Although superlatively bitter, bitter melon is cooked and prepared in many creative ways to make it easier for people to ingest it. There are so many health benefits of bitter melon that people should try to eat it at least once.