Karela (200 gm)

Research

Karela, commonly referred to as bitter gourd, bitter melon, and balsam pear. Its fruit is also used for the treatment of diabetes and related conditions amongst the indigenous populations of Asia, South America, India and East Africa. Abundant pre-clinical studies have documented in the anti-diabetic and hypoglycaemic effects of M. charantia through various postulated mechanisms.

Karela is also traditionally known for its medicinal properties such as anti-inflammation, antivirus, and cholesterol lowering effects. It contains many phenolic compounds that may have the potential as antioxidant and antimutagen. The fruit, stems, leaves and roots of bitter melon have all been used in traditional medicine to help treat ailments such as hyperlipidaemia, digestive disorders, microbial infections and menstrual problems (1).

Studies have also shown that bitter melon has anti-carcinogenic properties and can be used as a cytotoxic agent against many types of cancer (2).

1. Dhillon NPS, Sanguansil S, Schafleitner R, Wang Y-W, McCreight JD. Diversity Among a Wide Asian Collection of Bitter Gourd Landraces and their Genetic Relationships with Commercial Hybrid Cultivars. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science J Amer Soc Hort Sci. 2016;141(5):475-84.
2. Sur S, Ray RB. Bitter Melon (Momordica Charantia), a Nutraceutical Approach for Cancer Prevention and Therapy. Cancers (Basel). 2020;12(8):2064.