Bitter Melon

Bitter Melon May Sweeten Life for Type 2 Diabetics

Filipinos call it Ampalaya.

Chinese people call it Ku Gua. I

n India it is called Karela.

Your diabetic patients may soon be calling it "good news."

A mainstay of Asian herbal medicine, and also a beloved table vegetable, Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia), has promise as a safe adjunctive therapy for diabetes. These bright green, oblong, ridgy vegetables, widely cultivated throughout Southern Asia, contain three compounds with insulin-like actions.

A host of preclinical work with lab animals shows that Bitter Melon decreases intestinal absorption of glucose, and stimulates insulin release. It also increases glucose absorption in muscle, stimulates lipogenesis, and suppresses hepatic enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis. The three purported active antiglycemic compounds are a polypeptide known as p-insulin, a mixture of steroids collectively known as charantin, and a pyrimidine nucleoside called vicine.
Technically a squash, Bitter Melon is most commonly consumed as a food (great in stir fries, or pickled and served in salads), but it is also used as a tea, especially in the Philippines. A recent clinical trial showed daily use of Ampalaya tea reduced glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting blood glucose (FBG).

Reynaldo Rosales, MD, at the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at St. Luke's Medical Center, Quezon City, Philippines, compared a standardized Ampalaya tea against ordinary Lipton tea (Camellia sinensis) in 27 adults with Type 2 Diabetes.

The patients were all on anti-glycemic medications, and had FBGs in the range of 126–180 mg/dl. They were divided into two groups: the first began the trial by drinking 1 glass of Ampalaya tea (3 grams of dried, ground fruit, brewed in 650 ml hot water, for 5 minutes), after each of their three daily meals. The second group began with standard Lipton tea according to the same schedule. After an initial 12 weeks, the groups crossed over, and continued for another 12 weeks.

The investigators measured FBG, hemoglobin A1C, and liver enzymes at 2-week intervals. Patients were given their tea supply at each bi-weekly clinic visit. Twenty-three of the 27 patients completed the full 24-week trial.

While taking the Ampalaya tea, patients had a mean reduction of hemoglobin A1C of 0.63%. They also showed a mean decrease in FBG of 2.96 mg/dl. No such changes when they drank only the Lipton tea (Rosales RF, Fernando RE. Phil J Internal Medicine. 2001; 39: 213–216).
Overall, Ampalaya tea was safe and well tolerated. Adverse effects were few, minor, and mild; they included diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and increased frequency of bowel movements. There were no changes in hemodynamics or liver function. The investigators concluded that Ampalaya tea is a useful adjunct for treatment of Type 2 diabetes. They also noted that one of the "side effects"—increased bowel frequency—may benefit patients that are constipated. Further study is needed to determine if it has a role as a drug alternative.

Fresh Ampalayas are readily found in Asian groceries. Beyond glucose-lowering compounds, they are rich in iron, calcium, β-carotene, vitamins B, C, and phosphorus, making them a good addition to patients' green vegetable rosters. The bitterness, which many Asians love, owes to high quinine content. Some chefs recommend parboiling or salting it before cooking, to reduce bitterness. Older, riper, yellowish Ampalayas are less bitter than younger, greener ones.

Recently, an Ampalaya tea called Charantea was introduced into the US market as a nutritional adjunct for diabetes. The product is 100% dried, ground Bitter Melon fruit, contained in teabags. The dehydration process alleviates much of the bitterness, making it a pleasant, caffeine-free alternative to tea or coffee. Charantea is a popular anti-glycemic adjunct in Europe. It offers a pleasant way to augment the antiglycemic effects of medications and other dietary interventions.

For Asian patients with diabetes, Charantea has the added benefit of being in synch with cultural and culinary preferences. It is also available in 500 mg capsule form, for ease of use in situations that do not allow for a leisurely beverage.

To learn more about Charantea, visit www.charanteausa.com

For information about other botanical medicines for diabetes, a recently published book called Traditional Medicines for Modern Times: Antidiabetic Plants, offers a wealth if interesting material. The book was edited by Amala Soumyanath, PhD, a neurologist at the Oregon Health Sciences University, summarizes scientific studies on traditional botanicals for diabetes from across the globe. Get the book at: www.crcpress.com

https://holisticprimarycare.net/topics/topics-h-n/herbal-medicine/542-bitter-melon-may-sweeten-life-for-type-2-diabetics

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