Health…. Bitter Melon: The Diabetes-Fighting, Cancer-Curing Alternative To Drugs

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Bitter Melon: The Diabetes-Fighting, Cancer-Curing Alternative To Drugs

 

Written by: JD Lara Off-Grid Foods

Fight Diabetes The All-Natural Way With Bitter Melon
Image source: MyFeedZone.com
I once saw a guy on YouTube ranting on camera, complaining why doctors never told him about bitter melon and how it could help treat his diabetes. Indeed, lots of scientific findings have been surfacing lately, pointing to the hypoglycaemic effects of that acrid fruit.
Unfortunately, so many diabetics still have little knowledge of, nor have much choice about, any alternative treatments for their condition other than conventional medicine. In the United States, the diabetes drug industry was worth around $35 billion in 2013, and was estimated to hit $58 billion by 2018. So it’s not surprising that very few, if only a handful of mainstream physicians, are talking about natural remedies such as those offered by bitter melon.
Around the world, the number of diabetes cases continues to grow, with an estimated 381 million diabetics worldwide. Here in the Philippines, it’s also a major health problem. But good thing we have ampalaya, the local name for bitter melon. It has already been endorsed by our health department as a herbal medicine for diabetes. Though awareness and scientific evidence of its hypoglycaemic properties only circulated here probably 10 or so years ago, bitter melon has long and widely been used in Filipino cooking. It’s traditionally included in vegetable stews, omelettes and eaten raw in salad.
Bitter melon, or momordica charantia, goes by many names: bitter gourd, bitter squash, balsam pear and balsam apple in most English-speaking countries; karavel in India; and goya in Japan. It’s a perennial vine that grows in hot, humid climates like Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Its long, cucumber-like fruit has either a spiky or wrinkled, warty skin that looks totally unappealing. And its taste is just as unpleasant, especially if you’re the type who can’t stomach anything slightly bitter.
The gourd’s flesh is crunchy and watery like a chayote. It is often eaten unripe, while yet green, as its bitterness becomes even harsher as the fruit ripens and turns yellow-orange. How it earned its place in many cuisines around the world, I don’t know. But I do know that the pith inside the fruit, soft and white, and the pulp surrounding the seeds, which turn red when ripe, are also edible and much more palatable. The shoots and young leaves of the vine are also used as vegetables.
Across Asia and the Caribbean, bitter melon is enjoyed stir-fried, thrown into soups, stewed in spices or coconut milk to cover its bitter taste, or par-boiled then stuffed with ground meat. In China and Japan, it is used in place of hops as a bittering agent for beer. It is also consumed as herbal tea.
Medicinal benefits
In Japan where it plays a significant role in Okinawan cuisine, bitter melon is said to be the reason why many Okinawans live longer, healthier lives than the rest of the Japanese.
True enough, bitter melon has a long and impressive history of medicinal use in the East. Aside from diabetes, it aids in treating high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diarrhea, stomach cramps, hemorrhoids, fever, skin infections,painful menstruation, kidney stones, colic, malaria and glaucoma. It is known for its antiviral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties — which means it’s helpful in treating problems like measles, psoriasis, ringworm and gout pain. Natural healers also recognize the fruit for its ability to boost energy, strengthen immunity, heal wounds, balance hormonal levels, improve sleep, enhance libido, detoxify the liver and blood, improve circulation, promote milk flow, and alleviate respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis and pharyngitis. It is also known as a mild laxative.
But in recent years, much research has been focused on its ability to treat both Type I and Type II diabetes……MORE HERE

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