Balsamina o melón amargo

Culinary uses

A small green bitter melon (front) and a scoop of Okinawan stir-fried gōyā chanpurū (back)

Bitter gourd pods
boiled, drained, no salt

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	79 kJ (19 kcal)
Carbohydrates	4.32 g
- Sugars	1.95 g
- Dietary fiber	2 g
Fat	0.18 g
Protein	0.84 g
Water	93.95 g
Vitamin A equiv.	6 μg (1%)
- beta-carotene	68 μg (1%)
- lutein and zeaxanthin	1323 μg
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.051 mg (4%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.053 mg (4%)
Niacin (vit. B3)	0.28 mg (2%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.193 mg (4%)
Vitamin B6	0.041 mg (3%)
Folate (vit. B9)	51 μg (13%)
Vitamin C	33 mg (40%)
Vitamin E	0.14 mg (1%)
Vitamin K	4.8 μg (5%)
Calcium	9 mg (1%)
Iron	0.38 mg (3%)
Magnesium	16 mg (5%)
Manganese	0.086 mg (4%)
Phosphorus	36 mg (5%)
Potassium	319 mg (7%)
Sodium	6 mg (0%)
Zinc	0.77 mg (8%)
Link to USDA Database entry Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Bitter melon is generally consumed cooked in the green or early yellowing stage. The young shoots and leaves of the bitter melon may also be eaten as greens.
Bitter melon is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavor, typically in stir-fries (often with pork and douchi), soups, and also in tisanes. It has also been used in place of hops as the bittering ingredient in some Chinese and Okinawan beers.^[4]
It is very popular throughout South Asia. In Northern India, it is often prepared with potatoes and served with yogurt on the side to offset the bitterness, or used in sabzi. In North Indian cuisine, it is stuffed with spices and then cooked in oil. In Southern India, it is used in the dishes thoran/thuvaran (mixed with grated coconut), theeyal (cooked with roasted coconut) and pachadi (which is considered a medicinal food for diabetics). Other popular recipes include preparations with curry, deep fried with peanuts or other ground nuts, and Pachi Pulusu (కాకరకాయ పచ్చి పులుసు), a soup with fried onions and other spices.In Tamil Nadu, a special preparation in Brahmins' cuisine called pagarkai pitla (பாகற்காய் பிட்லா) a kind of sour koottu (கூட்டு) variety is very popular. Also popular is kattu pagarkkai (கட்டு பாகற்காய்) a curry stuffed with onions, cooked lentil and grated coconut mix, tied with thread and fried in oil. In Konkan region of Maharashtra, salt is added to finely chopped bitter gourd and then it is squeezed, removing its bitter juice to some extent.After frying this with different spices, less bitter and crispy preparation is served with grated coconut.
In Pakistan and Bangladesh, bitter melon is often cooked with onions, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, coriander powder, and a pinch of cumin seeds. Another dish in Pakistan calls for whole, unpeeled bitter melon to be boiled and then stuffed with cooked ground beef, served with either hot tandoori bread, naan, chappati, or with khichri (a mixture of lentils and rice).

A soft drink made from bitter melon

Bitter melon is a significant ingredient in Okinawan cuisine, and is increasingly used in mainland Japan. It is popularly credited with Okinawan life expectancies being higher than the already long Japanese ones.
In Indonesia, bitter melon is prepared in various dishes, such as gado-gado, and also stir fried, cooked in coconut milk, or steamed.
In Vietnam, raw bitter melon slices consumed with dried meat floss and bitter melon soup with shrimp are popular dishes. Bitter melons stuffed with ground pork are served as a popular summer soup in the south. It is also used as the main ingredient of "stewed bitter melon". This dish is usually cooked for the Tết holiday, where its "bitter" name is taken as a reminder of the poor living conditions experienced in the past.
In the Philippines, bitter melon may be stir-fried with ground beef and oyster sauce, or with eggs and diced tomato. The dish pinakbet, popular in the Ilocos region of Luzon, consists mainly of bitter melons, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various regional vegetables altogether stewed with a little bagoong-based stock.
In Nepal, bitter melon is prepared as a fresh pickle called achar. For this, the bitter gourd is cut into cubes or slices and sautéed covered in oil and a sprinkle of water. When it is softened and reduced, it is minced in a mortar with a few cloves of garlic, salt and a red or green pepper. It is also sautéed to golden-brown, stuffed, or as a curry on its own or with potatoes.
In Trinidad and Tobago bitter melons are usually sauteed with onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper until almost crisp.

Local names

In some English texts, the plant or the fruit may be called by its local names, which include kugua (Chinese: 苦瓜, pinyin: kǔguā, "bitter gourd"); parya (Ilokano), pare or pare ayam (Javanese and Indonesian), pavayka or kayppayka (Malayalam:പാവയ്ക്ക, കയ്പ്പക്ക bubulu ), goya (Okinawan: ゴーヤー) or nigauri (Japanese: 苦瓜; although the Okinawan word goya is also used in Japanese), paakharkaai (Tamil: பாகற்காய்), hāgalakāyi (Kannada: ಹಾಗಲಕಾಯಿ), ma'reah (Khmer: ម្រះ), kaakarakaya(Telugu: కాకరకాయ), করলা (korola) (Bengali), ampalaya (Tagalog), muop dang (Vietnamese: mướp đắng) or kho qua (Vietnamese: khổ qua). It is also known as caraille or carilley on Trinidad and Tobago, carilla in Guyana, cundeamor is a small variety very common in Puerto Rico (actually is the Momordica balsamina), "asorosi" or assorosie" in Haiti, and cerasee or cerasse in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean, including parts of South America (although is known in Portuguese as melão de São Caetano - and Spanish-speaking areas, however is known by the Okinawan or Japanese names in others regions). It is karela in Hindi- and Urdu-speaking areas, कारले (karle) in Marathi. It is known as तीते करेला (tite karela) in Nepali, tite means bitter and karela is the fruit. In Suriname, it is known as sopropo. The fruit is called kudhreth narhy (kudret narı) in Turkey, faaga in Maldives, and karavila කරවිල in Sri Lanka(Sinhala). Additional local names include hagala kayi(ಹಾಗಲ ಕಾಯಿ) in Kannada, karla in Marathi, karela (કારેલા) in Gujarati, kakarakaya (కాకరకాయ) in Telugu, paakal-kaai (பாகற்க்காய்) in Tamil, and kalara in Odia.^[5]
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http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/bitter-gourd.html
Bitter gourd (melon) nutrition factsBitter 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.
Botanically it belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae, of the genus: Momordica and is a member of the same family of squash, watermelon, cantaloupes, cucumber, etc. Scientific name: Momordica charantia. Some of the related varieties are balsam pear, cundeamor, la-kwa, etc.

Bitter melons (Momordica charantia). Oriental variety. Note for the uneven pebble like longitudinally arranged ridges. The ends are round and blunt.
Bitter melons hanging down in a vine. a variety commonly found in Indian subcontinent. Note for pointed ends.






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.

See the table below for in depth analysis of nutrients:

Bitter gourd or Bitter melon (Momordica charantia),
fresh, raw, Nutritive value per 100 g
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)

Principle	Nutrient Value	Percentage of RDA
Energy	17 Kcal	<1 td="">
Carbohydrates	3.70 g	3%
Protein	1.00 g	2%
Total Fat	0.17 g	0.5%
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
Dietary Fiber	2.80 g	7%
Vitamins
Folates	72 µg	18%
Niacin	0.400 mg	2.5%
Pantothenic acid	0.212 mg	4%
Pyridoxine	0.043 mg	3%
Riboflavin	0.040 mg	3%
Thiamin	0.040 mg	3.5%
Vitamin A	471 IU	16%
Vitamin C	84 mg	140%
Electrolytes
Sodium	5 mg	<1 td="">
Potassium	296 mg	6%
Minerals
Calcium	19 mg	2%
Copper	0.034 mg	4%
Iron	0.43 mg	5%
Magnesium	17 mg	4%
Manganese	0.089 mg	4%
Zinc	0.80 mg	7%
Phyto-nutrients
Carotene-ß	190 µg	--
Carotene-α	185 µg
Lutein-zeaxanthin	170 µg	--

Selection and storage

Fresh pods are available in the market year around. When you buy bitter melons, look for the fresh, bright pods that feature dark-green color, without any cuts, or blemishes on their surfaces. Choose young, tender and immature pods. Immature-fruits are least bitter; and their bitterness rises as the pods mature.

At home, fresh bitter gourd pods are placed in the plastic zip pouch and stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, where they stay afresh for up to a week.

Preparation and serving methods

Wash bitter gourds thoroughly in the running water before cooking. Fresh pods as well as young leaves of can be used for cooking. Bitterness can be reduced by marinating in salted spice mixture and dried in sunlight. There are several local traditional methods to reduce bitterness like boiling in salt water for 5-10 minutes and then discarding the water or marinating in yogurt for about 30 minutes.

Although its pith and seeds are discarded due to their higher alkaloid content, they have also eaten in some Asian regions without any reservations.

Here are some serving tips:

Goya chanpuru. A okinawan dish prepared with bitter melon, tofu, egg and onion.

• In India where it is popularly known as karela used in variety of recipes either stir-fried or stuffed with garam masala, tomato, onions, green chilies, garlic and curry leaves.
  
• Goya chanpuru, Okinawan stir-fry with bitter melon, onion, tofu, pork, and eggs, is a special dish of health-conscious island inhabitants.
  
• Known as ampalaya in Philippines, it has been widely used in special dishes like Pinakbet Ilocano, prepared with shrimp paste and mixed with vegetables like eggplant (aubergine) and okra.
  
• Dried, and ground whole bitter gourd has been used in the preparation of iced or milk tea in some East Asian regions.
  
• Bitter gourd is also been used in the pickle preparations.
  

• - What is Bitter Melon
• Bitter Melon for Diabetes Management - Bitter Melon and Diabetes
• Bitter Melon Safety and Effectiveness
• Bitter Melon Recipes - Information and Recipes About Bitter Melon
• Karela Chips - Bitter Gourd Chips - Bitter Melon Chips

Safety profile

Bitter gourd may contain alkaloid substances like quinine and morodicine, resins and saponic glycosides, which may be intolerable by some people. The bitterness and toxicity may be reduced somewhat by parboiling or soaking in salt water for up to 10 minutes. Toxicity symptoms may include excessive salivation, facial redness, dimness of vision, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscular weakness. (Medical disclaimer)

Why Do People Use Bitter Melon?
Bitter melon is used primarily for type 2 diabetes, although studies are needed to prove its effectiveness.
Side Effects and Safety
Bitter melon is considered to be quite safe, as it's widely consumed as a food in Asia.
Side effects may include stomach pain and diarrhea.
Possible Interactions
Bitter melon may decrease blood sugar and insulin levels, so it shouldn't be combined with diabetes medication or any other medication that affects blood sugar unless under a doctor's supervision.============================
http://www.herbalextractsplus.com/bitter-melon.html

Botanical:  Momordica charantia
Family:  Cucurbitaceae (gourd/squash)
Other common names:  Balsam Pear, Bitter Cucumber, LaGua, Cerasee, Bitter Gourd, Bitter Squash, Karela, Leprosy Gourd, Momordica, Wild Cucumber

Bitter Melon is an important food and medicinal staple in tropical parts of the world.  Perhaps more importantly, Bitter Melon has demonstrated great promise in recent studies for the treatment of diabetes and may have great potential in the treatment of other serious malignant diseases, including leukemia (although there is no definitive evidence to prove this last claim).  Traditional herbalists have long used it as a male aphrodisiac, a treatment for certain malignancies and infections and even a remedy for bad breath.  Extracts of Bitter Melon (often called Balsam Pear) may also be more effective than popular prescription drugs for destroying certain strains of herpes viruses.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein by Herbal Extracts Plus is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

History:
Bitter Melon is a fast-growing annual vine that is native to southern Asia and also cultivated in the tropical and subtropical climates of Africa, Asia and other warm-weather regions of the world, where it grows in savannas and bush.  This fast-growing climber that was naturalized in the Americas, reaches a height of six feet and bears deeply lobed leaves, yellow flowers and orange-yellow fruit.  The plant is grown as a crop in rich, well-drained soil in full sun in a minimum of about sixty degrees Fahrenheit.  Although the seeds, leaves and vines of Bitter Melon have all been used in traditional herbal medicine throughout the world, the fruit, which resembles a cucumber with bumps, is the primary part of the plant used medicinally.  Bitter Melon has been used in China for centuries as a vegetable and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM); and practitioners of Chinese medicine have used it for hundreds of years as a powerful treatment high blood sugar.  Its actions were described as "bitter in taste, non-toxic, expelling evil heat, relieving fatigue and illuminating" in the famous Compendium of Materia Medica by Li Shizhen (1518-1593), one of the greatest physicians, pharmacologists and naturalists in China's history.   Balsam Pear-Bitter Melon was introduced to Europe in 1710, and was recorded as a garden plant in France in 1870.  It has long been used as an important medicinal herb and as a food plant in tropical Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and South America.  In India, it is eaten as a vegetable or in curries (after it has been soaked to remove its bitterness), and it is an important ingredient in Chinese cuisine for its bitter flavor.  Bitter Melon has also been an ingredient in teas and beer or added to season soups and stews.  Active chemical constituents in Bitter Melon include a mixture of steroidal saponins known as charantin, insulin-like peptides (polypeptide-b) and alkaloids.  It is still unclear which of these is most effective or if all three work together when used to reduce blood glucose.   An unidentified constituent in Balsam Pear also appears to inhibit the enzyme guanylate cyclase, which may be of benefit to people with psoriasis.

Beneficial Uses:
Bitter Melon is a considered a "cooling" tonic that is used to generally cool the body and reduce fever.  It is also said to soothe irritated tissues.

Considered an herbal laxative and a diuretic, Bitter Melon is reputed to cleanse toxins from the system.  In traditional herbal medicine, the herb was a remedy for dysentery and a treatment for colitis.

There is growing evidence that Bitter Melon may be helpful in the treatment of Type-2, adult-onset diabetes.  In clinical and lab tests, the herb showed some ability to reduce rises in blood sugar after eating.  Constituents, charantin and polypeptide-b, appeared to help reduce blood sugar and urine glucose levels in subjects with diabetes mellitus; and by improving utilization of carbohydrates, there was also a decrease in the frequency of urination, but it is important to remember that diabetics should always consult with a physician before embarking on a regime of Bitter Melon supplements.  Charantin is also thought to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin.  The March, 2008, issue of the international journal, Chemistry & Biology, reported that scientists at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica found four compounds in Bitter Melon that appear to activate the enzyme AMPK, a protein well known for regulating fuel metabolism and enabling glucose uptake, with the advantage that Bitter Melon has no known side effects.

Bitter Melon is said to be a useful agent for treating infections associated with retroviruses, including HIV.  Extracts of Balsam Pear are also thought to be more effective than popular prescription drugs for destroying strains of herpes viruses (it is believed to kill acyclovir-resistant herpes viruses), including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Bitter Melon is said to be an effective anthelmintic that destroys parasites and expels worms from the intestinal tract, and it is also considered a laxative herb that soothes irritated tissues of the intestinal tract.

Bitter Melon has been used in traditional herbal and folk remedies to help treat infections and some malignant diseases, including leukemia, but no clinical trials have as yet proven these claims.  Preliminary research from the University of Colorado (2010) suggests that extracts from Bitter Melon may interfere with chemical pathways involved in cancer growth.  The extracts turned off signals telling the malignant breast cells to divide and switched on signals encouraging them to commit suicide. The findings, which were published in the journal, Cancer Research, indicated that although promising, trials were still needed to establish its value without side effects.

For external use, Bitter Melon has been known to relieve hemorrhoids, skin eruptions, chapped skin, psoriasis and burns; and when added to a salve, it helps to soothe skin irritations and reduce the itching of poison ivy.  In years past, a salve made from the fruit was a popular remedy with quilters for healing sore and pricked fingertips.

Contraindications:
Pregnant women should avoid this product, as it may stimulate uterine contractions.  Bitter Melon Herbal Supplement should never be used by those who suffer with hypoglycemia, since it may possibly worsen or trigger low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).  Also, diabetics who take prescription hypoglycemic drugs or insulin should not take Bitter Melon unless under a physician's direction.  Do not use Bitter Melon if you have cirrhosis of the liver or a medical history of hepatitis or HIV infection compounded by liver infection.

It is recommended that Bitter Melon should be used for four weeks only, and then discontinued for four weeks before beginning regimen again.