Suggested remedies:
- Take at least one tablespoon of karela juice as the first item in the morning
- Eat this vegetable as part of your daily meal
- Take the juice of three or four bitter gourds daily in between meals for positive results.
Side effects: High dose leads to gastrointestinal discomfort.
Scientific name: Momordica charantia
Scientific reason to cure diabetes:
Compounds present in Bitter Melon, such as vicine, peptides, and polypeptide-p (plant insulin), work together to give Bitter Melon its potency.
The way it controls sugar is two-fold.
First, Bitter Melon acts as a mediator between the body's cells and insulin already produced by the pancreas. Type II Diabetics and most people with high blood glucose levels still produce insulin, but in many cases their bodies have become resistant to it. Bitter Melon blocks the formation of glucose in the bloodstream and breaks down the barrier that prevents cells from using their own natural insulin.
Second, this anti-diabetic supplement has been shown to help increase production of beta cells by the pancreas, thereby improving the body's ability to produce and release insulin, while at the same time it may increase the number and activity of insulin receptors.
Its proven in many scientific investigations that Bitter Melon can improve glucose tolerance and help the body process blood sugars it has become the most widely used traditional remedy for Diabetes. More importantly, this supplement is believed safe and effective in part because it is grown and produced naturally, with no artificial additives or preservatives.
Bitter Melon Produces Sweet Results For Diabetes
Bitter melon contains four bioactive components. These four compounds all appear to activate the enzyme AMPK, a protein well known for regulating fuel metabolism and enabling glucose uptake.
People with Type 2 diabetes have an impaired ability to convert the sugar in their blood into energy in their muscles. This is partly because they don't produce enough insulin, and partly because their fat and muscle cells don't use insulin effectively, a phenomenon known as 'insulin resistance'.
Exercise activates AMPK in muscle, which in turn mediates the movement of glucose transporters to the cell surface, a very important step in the uptake of glucose from the circulation into tissues in the body. This is a major reason that exercise is recommended as part of the normal treatment program for someone with Type 2 diabetes.
The four compounds isolated in bitter melon perform a very similar action to that of exercise, in that they activate AMPK.
There are well known diabetes drugs on the market that also activate AMPK, they can have side effects. The advantage of bitter melon is that there are no known side effects.
The results are published online March 27, 2008 in the international journal Chemistry & Biology.
Nutritional Benefits
Bitter gourds are very low in calories but dense with precious nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, and has high dietary fiber. It is rich in iron, contains twice the beta-carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, and twice the potassium of a banana.Additionally, the department of Health in the Philippines has recommended Bitter Melon as one of the best herbal medicines for treating diabetes.
Health Canada recommends Bitter Melon as a unique new fruit to try for good nutrition on their website under "Treat Your Taste Buds"- "Choosing Vegetables and Fruits"
