Description
Dr MB’s Bitter Melon Extract is a very potent 100% Organic 100:1 Extract.
Each capsule giving 40 grams of raw Bitter Melon Powder
In India, bitter melon is considered one of the most important plants for Ayurvedic “ethnobotanical practices.” In Ayurveda, the fruit has been used to help balance hormones, manage symptoms of diabetes, reduce digestive upset, treat skin disorders or wounds, and also as a natural laxative for treating constipation. Bitter melon has also earned a reputation for acting a natural cough suppressant and protector of respiratory diseases.
Today, bitter melon is still widely used as a vegetable in daily cooking in places like Bangladesh and several other countries in Asia. As it has been for hundreds of years, it’s still used as a medicinal plant for the treatment of various diseases in developing countries (like Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ghana, Haiti, India Mexico, Malaya, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru) due to its availability, low cost and multi-purpose uses. It’s also a popular addition to stir-fries in China, India and Japan and promoted for its digestive-boosting benefits.
7 Bitter Melon Benefits
1. Helps Normalise Blood Sugar Levels
2. Fights Bacterial Infections & Viruses
3. Improves Digestive & Liver Health
4. Can Help Increase Cancer Protection
5. Reduces Respiratory Disorders & Symptoms
6. Helps Treat Skin Inflammation & Wounds
7. May Help Prevent Obesity & Heart Disease
1. Helps Normalise Blood Sugar Levels
Findings from both human and animal studies have demonstrated a hypoglycemic effect of concentrated bitter melon extract, meaning it helps to lower blood glucose (sugar) levels and regulate the body’s use of insulin. In many ways, bitter melon extract acts just like insulin that the body produces naturally. The Journal of Ethnopharmacology reports that “Over 100 studies using modern techniques have authenticated its use in diabetes and its complications.” Diabetic symptoms and complications that bitter melon extract can help to manage include:
- Insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels
- Nephropathy (kidney damage)
- Eye disorders such as cataracts or glaucoma
- Hormonal irregularities and menstrual changes in women
- Heart complications and blood vessel damage
While multiple studies have found that Momordica charantia can be beneficial in normalizing blood sugar and managing diabetes, its effects seem to depend on how it is consumed. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Agricultural Food Studies showed that bitter melon consumed in both raw or juice form helps to lower blood glucose levels in healthy and diabetic animals, although other studies have found that responsiveness differs depending on the individual.
This study analyzed the hypoglycemic effects of bitter melon extract and seeds on mice with either normal or elevated blood sugar levels. The data showed that bitter melon extract (1 g/kg) significantly lowered the blood glucose level of both normal and diabetic mice. It did so primarily by regulating the insulin signaling pathways in muscles and fat cells (adipose tissues), helping cells to take up more glucose from the blood as needed. Bitter melon was shown to target insulin receptor sites and stimulate downstream pathways, leading researchers to conclude it can serve as a beneficial “regulator of glucose metabolism.”
Other research has identified a mixture of active constituents within bitter melon that are responsible for its anti-diabetic abilities. These include: steroidal saponins (known as charantins), insulin-like peptides and alkaloids, which are most heavily concentrated in fruit of the Momordica charantia plant.
2. Fights Bacterial Infections & Viruses
Research has demonstrated that bitter melon contains several forms of antibacterial as well as antiviral agents. These agents are capable of lowering susceptibility to such infections as Helicobacter pylori (a very common bacteria tied to the formation of stomach ulcers when someone’s immune function is low), along with viruses including HIV.
A report printed in the International Journal of Microbiology states that powdered bitter melon has been used in Ayurveda for centuries “for dusting over leprous and other intractable ulcers and in healing wounds, especially when mixed with cinnamon, long pepper, rice, and chaulmugra oil.” In recent years, bitter melon extract has been successfully used against pylorus ligation, aspirin and stress-induced ulcers in rats, showing significant reductions in ulcer symptoms.
Additionally, studies have identified anthelmintic agents within bitter melon, a group of anti-parasitic compounds that help expel parasitic worms and other internal parasites from the body. Anthemintics work by killing parasites internally, without causing significant damage to the host (the person or animal carrying the parasite).
3. Improves Digestive & Liver Health
There’s evidence that bitter melon extract can help reduce stomach and intestinal disorders, decrease kidney stones, help prevent liver disease and improve liver function, help treat parasitic worms that enter the GI tract, reduce symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (including colitis) and improve overall digestive health. Research done at Annamali University in India showed that extract from bitter melon increased levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, helping to improve detoxification and prevent liver damage.
Bitter melon also has natural laxative effects, and therefore helps to relieve constipation. A traditional use of bitter melon was for reducing stomach pains and ulcers. Recently, it has even been discovered that it can help act against Helicobacter pylori bacteria that contributes to ulcer formation.
4. Can Help Increase Cancer Protection
Although study results have been inconsistent, several studies have demonstrated bitter melon’s efficacy in preventing or managing various types of cancers: lymphoid leukaemia, lymphoma, choriocarcinoma, melanoma, breast cancer, skin tumour, prostatic cancer, carcinoma of the tongue and larynx, bladder cancer and Hodgkin’s disease.
How does bitter melon act like a cancer-fighting food?
The Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics at the University of Calcutta states that Momordica charantia has “anti-cancerous, anti-mutagenic, anti-tumourous” properties. While more research is still needed, to date a small group of studies have found that cancer patients using bitter melon in addition to other treatments have shown promising results. Extracts of bitter melon have been shown to increase metal chelating, promote detoxification, prevent lipid peroxidation, and inhibit free radical damage which contributes to cell mutations and tumour growth.
The School of Biomedical Sciences at University of Hong Kong has identified over 20 active components within bitter melon that have anti-tumor properties. On conclusion of their research regarding bitter melon as an “anti-diabetic, anti-HIV and anti-tumor compound,” they stated that bitter melon is “a cornucopia of health and deserves in-depth investigations for clinical application in the future.”
5. Reduces Respiratory Disorders & Symptoms
Through increasing detoxification, improving blood flow, lowering inflammation and decreasing free radical damage, bitter melon is capable of preventing common illnesses such as coughs, colds or the flu.
A strong immune system and well-functioning digestive system are essential for fending off potential infections and diseases, as well as reducing seasonal allergies and asthma. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, juice from bitter melon fruit has been used to treat dry coughs, bronchitis and sore throats for hundreds of years. Studies today show that bitter melon juice, fruit and seeds can be beneficial for preventing respiratory illnesses, coughs, mucus and food allergies.
6. Helps Treat Skin Inflammation & Wounds
Several studies have identified anti-inflammatory compounds within bitter melon that help treat skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Due to its antibacterial properties, traditionally (and sometimes still today) bitter melon has also been used topically on the skin to treat deep skin infections (abscesses) and wounds without the use of antibiotics.
7. May Help Prevent Obesity & Heart Disease
The fruit extract of bitter melon has shown strong antioxidant activities in both human and animal studies. In addition to balancing hormones related to diabetes, there’s potential for bitter melon to act as a therapeutic agent for preventing obesity and other symptoms related to metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease (such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure).
Although more research is still needed, experimental animal and clinical studies show that bitter melon is beneficial in preventing weight gain by way of mediating and inducing lipid and fat metabolising processes, gene expressions that control appetite and body weight, and reducing inflammation.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.