Bitter gourd (melon) is perhaps the secret
vegetable of the Okinawa Islander longevity! Although the bitterness of
Bitter-melon might turn some people away from, it can really sweeten
your health because of its disease preventing and health promoting
phyto chemical compounds.
Bitter melon is the immature pod vegetable, popular in many Asian countries. This widely grown as edible pod is, in fact, among the most bitter of all culinary vegetables.
Bitter melon is a temperate /tropical vegetable probably originated in South-East Asia. Like other members of the Cucurbitaceae family, this plant is a fast-growing, trailing or climbing vine with thin stems and tendrils and requires trellis to support the climbing vine.
The pods are characterized by smooth lengthwise ridges and uneven pebbly surface. Depending upon the cultivar type, immature pods are light to dark green and have oblong or oval shapes with a pointed tip at the blossom end. Internally, the flesh is white with rough edged seeds, somewhat similar to ridge gourd seeds. As the fruits begin to mature, they gradually turn yellow or orange.
Bitter melon is the immature pod vegetable, popular in many Asian countries. This widely grown as edible pod is, in fact, among the most bitter of all culinary vegetables.
Bitter melon is a temperate /tropical vegetable probably originated in South-East Asia. Like other members of the Cucurbitaceae family, this plant is a fast-growing, trailing or climbing vine with thin stems and tendrils and requires trellis to support the climbing vine.
The pods are characterized by smooth lengthwise ridges and uneven pebbly surface. Depending upon the cultivar type, immature pods are light to dark green and have oblong or oval shapes with a pointed tip at the blossom end. Internally, the flesh is white with rough edged seeds, somewhat similar to ridge gourd seeds. As the fruits begin to mature, they gradually turn yellow or orange.
Health benefits of Bitter gourd
-
The vegetable is very low in calories,
providing just 17 calories per 100g. Nevertheless, its pods are rich in
phytonutrients like dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants.
-
Bitter melon notably contains phyto-nutrient, polypeptide-P; a
plant insulin known to lower blood sugar levels. In addition, it
composes hypoglycemic agent called charantin.
Charantin
increases glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in the cells of liver,
muscle and adipose tissue. Together, these compounds are thought to be
responsible for reduction of blood sugar levels in the treatment of
type-2 diabetes.
-
Fresh pods are an excellent source of folates,
contain about 72 µg/100g (Provides 18% of RDA). Folate helps reduce
the incidence of neural tube defects in the newborns when taken by
mothers during early pregnancy.
-
Fresh bitter melon is an excellent source of
vitamin-C (100 g of raw pod provides 84 mg or about 140% of RDI).
Vitamin-C, one of the powerful natural antioxidants, helps the body
scavenge deleterious free radicals one of the reasons for cancer
development.
-
It is an excellent source of health benefiting
flavonoids such as ß-carotene, α-carotene, lutein, and zea-xanthin. It
also contains a good amount of vitamin A. Together; these compounds
help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals
and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers
and various disease processes.
-
Bitter melon stimulates
easy digestion and
peristalsis of food through the bowel until it is excreted from the
body. Thus, helps in relieving indigestion and
constipation problems.
-
In addition, the vegetable is an also good
source of niacin (vitamin B-3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5),
pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium,
manganese and magnesium.
-
Early
laboratory tests
suggest that compounds
in bitter melon might be effective for treating HIV infection.
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