Thread: Does Bitter Melon work for you?

I'm just curious: has anyone actually tried Bitter Melon for diabetes, and does it work for you?

Also, how do you use it: just eat the whole vegetable, the juice or the tea? Or maybe powdered capsules?

The reason I ask is because I recently had a meeting with some researchers (at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, who are working with the Garvan group) who think they have discovered the "active ingredient" in Bitter Melon.

And, apparently, there is a huge variation in how much of this stuff is present in a given Momordica charantia Hybrid.

They said that they tested many samples which had no measurable activity at all.

Also, some of what they told me leads me to believe that maybe Bitter Melon juice wouldn't be very effective, so I am curious if anyone has had any positive results with that (or any Bitter Melon.)

I have not tried it either but according to what I read, you should drink the juice of about 4 or 5 bitter melon every morning on an empty stomach. The seeds could also be included to food in a powder form.

There has been a lot of health supplements using bitter melon as the main ingredient to avoid or fight diabetes. I like better melon when cooked . It really is bitter but has lots of health benefits. It doesn't only help lower the blood glucose levels in patients. It is also high in anti-oxidants that fight off free radicals.

I have read that bitter melon has indeed lots of benefits. Aside from the antioxidant properties and the fact that it may also have benefits of lipid-lowering activities. However if there are benefits, there are also side effects. Some of the reported side effects are hypoglycemic coma and convulsions in children, a favism-like syndrome, and headaches. Bitter melon may also have additive effects when taken with other glucose-lowering agents.

So far I haven't observed any side effects yet. My mom loves it so much and usually stir fry it with meat. It's delicious actually. You can try it.

How do you prepare a bitter melon exactly? I have not tried that before. As the name of the fruit says it's bitter. How can one enjoy it then if it's bitter.

Here are some tips on preparing the bitter melon:

Cut in half and discard the seeds and fibrous core. To reduce the bitterness,
blanch in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. The skin is edible and the melon is
not typically peeled. The seeds are also edible, unless very hard, and are
included in some recipes. Bitter melon is commonly stuffed, curried or pickled.
It can also be used in stir-fry and soups and may be steamed. Garlic or chili peppers are often added to recipes with bitter melon to offset the bitter taste.

Thanks! I have not tried bitter melon too and I am curious of how it tastes. I'll try stir frying them with some meat