Bitter melon

scientific name: 

        Momordica charantia 




Egg fossil classification


Kingdom:      Plantae

(unranked):   Angiosperms

(unranked):   The Eudicots

(unranked):    Rosids

Order:            Cucurbitales

Family:           Cucurbitaceae

Genus:            Momordica

Species:          M. charantia


Binomial nomenclature

         Momordica charantia

            Descourt.



The Momordica genus, known in English as Bitter Melon or Bitter Gourd, is a tropical and subtropical vine belonging to the Cucurbitaceae species, such as cucumber. It is widely cultivated in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, the West Indies archipelago, for its edible fruit. Its fruit is the most bitter of all other fruits. There are many varieties that are essentially different in fruit shape and bitterness.


It is a plant in the tropics, but its origin is unknown. It is one of the many varieties of grains that grow in the dormant areas of summer.



Ripe fruit

It is a medicinal-based, cordless, leafless herb that can grow up to five meters. It has simple, 2–8 cm alternate leaves, with 2–6 deeply separated lobes. Each plant has distinct yellow male and female flowers. In the Northern Hemisphere, it blooms from June to July, and bears fruit from September to November.


The outside of the fruit is a knotted nut and is typically rectangular. It is hollow on the side. It is surrounded by large flattened seeds and a relatively thin pulp of a central seed cavity filled with stem. The fruit is usually consumed when it is green, or when it begins to turn yellow. At this stage, the structure of the fruit's pulp is easily broken and contains water. It is very bitter, though similar to cucumber, chayote or green chilli. The outside of the piece is very thin and can be used as a dish. 


As the fruit matures, the pulp becomes thicker, more bitter, and very unhealthy to eat. On the other hand, the pulp becomes very melodic and intense; It can be eaten uncooked at this stage, and is popular with some Southeast Asian salads.


When the fruit is fully ripe, it turns orange and soft, and divides into various parts.


Varieties

Butterflies grow in many shapes and sizes. The clear petioles are 2–2 cm long, the rectangular is rectangular with narrow edging edges, and a pale green with a softly wavy, knotted surface. The most modeled cucumber in India is a narrow shape with sharp edges, and covered with a torn-edged, triangular "tooth" and raised foot. It grows from green to white. There are numerous numbers of intermediate forms between these two opposite species. In some species, the fruit is only 1–2 cm long and can be eaten as a separate vegetable, as well as directly. This medium sized fruit is popular in Southeast Asia and India.


Bittermelonfruit.jpg Bittermelloncloseup.jpg

The Indian subspecies is a characteristic of the Chinese tropics

Edit use in cooking


A small green cucumber  and Okinawan roasted goya champuru (back)

Bitter gourd (boiled, drained, no salt)


Nutritional value per   100 g (3.5 oz)

The spirit of food         79 kJ (19 kcal)

Sugar starch               4.32 g

- Sugar                        1.95 g

- Food fiber                  2.0 g

Fat                              0.18 g

- saturated                  0.014 g

- monounsaturated     0.033 g

- polyunsaturated        0.078 g

Protein                         0.84 g

Water                          93.95 g

Vitamin A equiv.          6 μg (1%)

Thiamine (vit. B1)        0.051 mg (4%)

Riboflavin (vit. B2)        0.053 mg (4%)

Niacin (vit. B3)              0.280 mg (2%)

Vitamin B6                    0.041 mg (3%)

Folate (vit. B9)              51 μg (13%)

Vitamin B12                     0 μg (0%)

Vitamin C                        33.0 mg (40%)

Vitamin E                         0.14 mg (1%)

Vitamin k                        4.8 μg (5%)

Calcium                         9 mg (1%)

The essence of iron      0.38 mg (3%)

Magnesium                  16 mg (5%)

Phosphorus                  36 mg (5%)

Potassium                     319 mg (7%)

Sodium                         6 mg (0%)

Zinc                              0.000


Ingredients

The plant contains several single-form basic compounds that are biologically active. Mainly Momordicin and II, and Cucurbitacin B. [4] Plants include a number of bioactive glycosides (including Mordor Din, Charanthin, Charantosides, Goo Glycosides, Momordicoside), and other terpenoid compounds, including Moormidisin.


collaborative to digest

Other forms of bitter-flavored foods, such as caramel, are said to accelerate food digestion. [Citation needed] However, it is thought to cause chest inflammation and ulcers [citation needed], although these negative effects, as a curative and non-acute inflammatory modulator, are very limited [citation needed].


 labyrinth resistant

It is used as a folk remedy in Togo to treat gastrointestinal diseases. And its juice has been found to be active in vitro against the nematode class of larvae, Caenorhabditis elegans.


Malaria Resistance

It is traditionally considered in Asia to be useful in the prevention and treatment of malaria. Tea made from its leaves is also used for this purpose in Panama and Colombia. Experimental studies have confirmed that certain species of peanuts have anti-malaria, although studies have not yet been fully published.


 anti-virus

In Togo, this species is traditionally used against diseases like smallpox and measles. Tests in leaf juice have been reported to show in vitro activity against the herpes simplex type 1 virus. This is due to the fact that the identified compounds are substituted for mamordicins.


Experimental tests have shown that the compounds in rice are effective in treating HIV infection. In contrast, HIV infection in infected people can be slowed down if they drink raw juice. It is also said that if you consume raw juice, it may have adverse effects on anti-HIV drugs. However, it is clear that this result was only revealed by experiments on viruses in a single species.


 Immunity Modulator

A clinical trial has shown that horseradish improves immune cell function, and thus provides very limited evidence of its beneficial effects on (cancer) cancer and HIV infection. [Citation needed]


 Diabetes

Folk medicine knowledge suggests that cucumber is helpful in preventing or frustrating diabetes mellitus type 1.


Thus, in 3, Lolitkar and Rao extracted the substance Charantin from this plant. This was followed by a hypoglycemic effect on healthy and diabetic rabbits. The study, in 1, found that the daily dose of 1 mg / kg / kg of body weight, equivalent to 2.3 mg / kg of diabetes resistant glibenclamide, was taken twice daily. 


Other compounds have been found to activate AMPK (activated protein kinase). It is a protein that controls glucose uptake (diabetes mitigation).



Likewise, lectin, which has insulin-like activity, also acts as a non-immune response due to a non-protein-specific complement that binds insulin collectively. This lectin lowers blood glucose levels by affecting extracellular cells. This is similar to the effect of insulin on the brain, suppressing appetite. This lectin has important effects as a supplement to the hypoglycemic effect that develops after eating rice. [Citation needed]


Cancer Resistant

There are two compounds in alkali, α-elastomeric acid (from seeds) and 1,-dye hydroxy-1-elastomeric acids (from fruit) that cause auto-apoptosis, such as the destruction of leukemia cells in vitro.