Momordica charantia: THE FRABJOUS PLANT

Bitter melon with fruit

Bitter melon or Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is a tropical vegetable plant. It is also known as Balsam pear or Karelia. It is referred to as Ejirin in Yoruba land. It is a plant commonly used in folk medicine as a remedy for diabetes. The word momordica means ‘to bite' in Latin (This is referring to the jagged edges of the leaf, which appear as if they are bitten). All the parts of the plant, including the fruit, taste very bitter as it contains a bitter compound called momordicin that is believed to have a stomachic effect. It is widely distributed in China, Malaysia, India and Tropical Africa.

CONSTITUENTS OF BITTER MELON

The main constituents of bitter melon (Karela) are triterpene, protein, steroid, alkaloid, inorganic, lipid, and phenolic compounds. 

Momordica charantia (Karela) consists the following chemical constituents which are alkaloids, momordicin and charantin, charine, cryptoxanthin, cucurbitins, cucurbitacins, cucurbitanes, cycloartenols, diosgenin, elaeostearic acids, erythrodiol, galacturonic acids, gentisic acid, goyaglycosides, goyasaponins, guanylate cyclase inhibitors, gypsogenin, hydroxytryptamines, karounidiols, lanosterol,  lauric acid,  linoleic acid, linolenic acid, momorcharasides,  momorcharins, momordicillin, momordicinin, momordenol, momordicosides, momordin, momordolo, multiflorenol, myristic acid, nerolidol, oleanolic acid, oleic acid, oxalic acid, pentadecans, peptides, petroselinic acid, polypeptides,  proteins, ribosome-inactivating proteins, rosmarinic acid, rubixanthin, spinasterol, steroidal glycosides, stigmastadiols, stigmasterol, taraxerol, trehalose, trypsin inhibitors, uracil, vacine, v-insuline, verbascoside,  vicine, zeatin, zeatinriboside, zeaxanthin, zeinoxanthin Amino acidsaspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, thscinne, alanine, gamino butyric acid and pipecolic acid, ascorbigen, bsistosterol-d-glucicide, citruline, elasterol, flavochrome, lutein, lycopene, pipecolic acid.

Fruits consists glycosides, saponins, alkaloids, reducing sugars, resins, phenolic constituents, fixed oil and free acids.

Fruit of Ejirin

Leaves are nutritious  and have been reported as a source of calcium (1%), magnesium (4%), potassium (7%), phosphorus (5%), and iron (3%); fruits and leaves are great source of B vitamins; Thiamine (vit.B1) 4%, Riboflavin (vit.B2) 4%, Niacin (vit.B3)2%, vit.B6 3%, Folate (vit.B9)13%.

WORLDWIDE ETHNOBOTANICAL USES 

Brazil: Abortifacient, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, burn, catarrh, colic, dermatosis, diabetes, diarrhea, eczema, emetic, emmenagogue, emollient, fever, febrifuge, hemorrhoids, hepatitis, hypoglycemic, inflammation (liver), leprosy, leucorrhoea, leukemia, malaria, menstrual colic, pain, pruritus, purgative, rheumatism, scabies, skin, tumor, vaginitis, vermifuge, wound

China: Aphrodisiac, cancer (breast), diabetes, food, glucosuria, halitosis, hematuria, polyuria, refrigerant

Colombia: Bite (snake), malaria 

Cuba: Anemia, colitis, emmenagogue, fever, hepatosis, hypoglycemic, kidney (stone), sterility (female), vermifuge 

Ghana: Aphrodisiac, dysentery, fever, gonorrhea 

Haiti: Anaemia, appetite stimulant, dermatosis, eye, fever, insecticide, laxative, liver, skin, rage, rhinitis 

India: Abortifacient, anthelmintic, bite(snake), contraceptive, diabetes mellitus, dysmenorrhea, eczema, emmenagogue, fat loss, fever (malarial), galactagogue, gout, hydrophobia, hyperglycemia, jaundice, kidney (stone), laxative, leprosy, leucorrhea, liver, piles, pneumonia, psoriasis, purgative, rheumatism, scabies, skin, tonic, vegetable

Mexico: Aphrodisiac, burn, diabetes, dysentery, purgative, scabies, sore, vermifuge 

Malaya: Abdomen, asthma, burn, dermatosis, diarrhea, headache, scald, sprue, stomachache, vermifuge, 

Nicaragua: Ache, ache (head), anemia, blood, childbirth, cold, cough, diabetes, fever, hypertension, infection, malaria, pain, pain (belly), pain (menstrual), pregnancy, purgative, rash, lung, skin, tonic 

Panama: Cold, emmenagogue, diabetes, fever, gallbladder, hypertension, insecticide, malaria, pruritus

Peru: Colic, contusions, diabetes, diarrhea, emetic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, hepatitis, inflammation, lung, malaria, measles, purgative, skin (sores), suppurative, vermifuge, wound 

Trinidad: Diabetes, dysentery, fever, hypertension, malaria, rheumatism, vermifuge

Other places: Abdomen, abortifacient, allergy, amoeba, anemia, anthelmintic, appetite stimulant, arthritis, asthma, astringent, antibiotic, aphrodisiac, boil, burn, bilious, bladder, cancer, cancer (breast), carminative, cold, colic, colitis, cough, catarrh, cicatrizant, chilblain, childbirth, constipation, contraceptive, depurative, diabetes, diarrhea, dyspepsia, dysentery, dysmenorrhea, earache, emetic, emmenagogue, eruption , eye (veterinary), fever, flatulence, flu, food, gout, halitosis, headache, heart, hemorrhoids, hepatitis, hyperglycemia, hypertension, hypoglycemic, itch, indigestion, infection, inflammation, insecticide, jaundice, kidney (stones), lactagogue, laxative, leprosy, liver, malignancy, night blindness, pain (intestine), phlegm, pile, poison, pruritus, psoriasis, purgative, pyrexia, malaria, menstrual abnormalities, menstrual suppression, refrigerant, rheumatism, ringworm, roundworms, skin, skin (fungal), snakebite, soap, sore, sore (mouth), spleen, splenitis, stomachache, stomachic, stone, styptic, throat (sore), thrush, tiredness, tonic, ulcer (malignant), ulcer (peptic) urethritis, vermifuge, wound.

References:

Kumar, D.S., Sharathnath, K.V., Yogeswaran, P., Harani, A., Sudhakar, K., Sudha, P. and Banji, D. (2010). A medicinal potency of Momordica charantia. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, 1(2):95-100.

Leslie, T.(2002). Technical Data Report for Bitter Melon. 2nd edition. Sage press. Pp 2-6