Karela

Glycemic control from nature

Karela (Bitter Melon/Bitter Gourd/Momordica charantia) offers a host of medicinal benefits and is a key herb in Ayurvedic medicine.

Recent medical studies have indicated that Karela contains a ‘plant-insulin’ which helps in lowering blood sugar levels. The juice of the plant is helpful in treating alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity.

Karela is commonly eaten in Asia. In fact, Health Canada recommends eating Karela on their website under ‘Treat Your Taste Buds’, suggesting Karela as an unique, new nutritious food to try (Choosing Vegetables and Fruits, Health Canada, February 2008).

Karela is a tropical, bitter vegetable mainly cultivated in a few Asian and African countries.

Active constituents:

The fruit and seed contain a polypeptide, p-insulin, which is considered similar structurally and pharmacologically to bovine insulin (Fitoterapia, 60, 1989, Chemical Abstract 112, 1990).

The seed and fruit contain an inhibitor of HIV, MAP-30 (momordica an