Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is cultivated in Asia, Africa and South America. It has biologically active substances which have been shown to exhibit antiviral effect.

Bitter Melon and Herpes Cure

Herpes is an infection that is caused by a herpes simplex virus. This virus usually causes infections of the skin and mucous membranes. Sometimes it can cause more important infections in other parts of the body. HSV-1 (herpes simplex virus 1) is the main cause of herpes infections that occur on the mouth and lips. HSV-2 (herpes simplex virus 2) is the main cause of genital herpes. Bitter melon extract has been shown to possess strong antiviral activities stimulate the immune system and activate the body’s natural killer cells to help fight off viruses such as herpes simplex virus 1. In a 1982 study of the effects of bitter melon on the herpes simplex virus-1, MAP30 inhibited the reproduction of the virus,
as well as reducing its capability to form plaques.  According to certified nutritional consultant Phyllis Balch, Momordica charantia extracts are more effective than the drug acyclovir at killing strains of herpes virus that are not resistant to acyclovir.

Bitter Melon and HIV Treatment

Since the early 1980’s, bitter melon fruits and seeds have been investigated in vitro and in vivo as an efficacious treatment for HIV. Scientists have found that Momordica charantia contains some proteins that can inhibit HIV in the test-tube. These proteins, known collectively as ribosome-inactivating proteins are alpha-momorcharin, beta-momorcharin and MAP-30. MAP30 is an anti-HIV plant protein. It is capable of acting against different stages of the viral life cycle, on acute infection as well as replication in chronically infected cells. In addition to antiviral action, MAP30 furthermore possesses topological inactivation of viral DNA, inhibition of viral integrase and cell-free ribosome-inactivation effects.

In lab experiments, bitter melon extracts inhibit the ability of  HIV to insert its DNA into the chromosomes of human cells. In vitro antiviral effect has been showed with bitter melon and its inhibitory effects on HIV integrating into host cells. In vitro research has demonstrated decreased, rates of T lymphocyte infections with HIV-1 and decreased viral replication in infected cells. Scientists at the “New York University School of Medicine” explained that MAP 30 protein is able to slow down HIV-1 infection in T-lymphocytes and monocytes as well as replication of  HIV-1 in infected cells. In one experiment, HIV-infected cells treated with alpha- and beta-momorcharin demonstrated a almost complete loss of viral antigen while normal cells were unaffected. According to study published in June 2001 edition in the Planta Medica; protein extracted from the ripe seed and fruit  decreased viral protein in HIV-infected cells by 82% and inhibited one process involved in viral replication by 50%.

Bitter melon (Momordica Charantia) is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. Bitter melon contains a number of natural compounds with biological activity, including alkaloids, glycosides and triterpenoids. MAP30, a protein isolated from bitter melon extract, has been reported to possess anticancer effect.

Bitter Melon Cancer Prevention and Treatment

In vitro and animal-based studies indicate anticancer activity. Bitter melon displays cytotoxic effect against leukemic cells in vitro and has a cytostatic activity on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells xenografted into mice.

Different in vitro studies have showed the anticancer effect of bitter melon against various cell lines, including liver cancer, human leukemia, solid sarcomas and melanoma. A University of Colorado Cancer study reported in the journal “Carcinogenesis” shows that bitter melon juice restricts the ability of pancreatic cancer cells to metabolize glucose. The cell cultures were treated with bitter melon juice while the mice were fed lyophilized bitter melon juice for a period of 6 weeks. Scientists evaluated bitter melon juice’s effects on pancreatic cancer cells in mice, and found that the mice that were given the juice had a 60% lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared with control mice.

Bitter melon, exerts a important impact against breast cancer cell growth and may become a chemopreventive agent against this form of cancer. According to research published in the journal” Cancer Research“; bitter melon extract, can be utilized as a dietary supplement for the avoiding of breast cancer. In study, used human breast cancer cells, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, and primary human mammary epithelial cells as an in vitro model to assess the efficacy of bitter melon extract as an anticancer agent. Bitter melon extract treatment of breast cancer cells resulted in a significant decrease in cell proliferation and induced apoptotic cell death. When cell death was measured by looking at cell membrane integrity, 80% of the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells had died within 48 hours of therapy with 2 parts bitter melon extract to 100 parts cell culture medium. The scientists found that cell division was partially halted when treated with bitter melon extract for 24 hours. “Our findings suggest that bitter melon extract modulates several signal transduction pathways, which induces breast cancer cell death,” explained scientist Ratna B. Ray, professor in the Department of Pathology at Saint Louis University.

Bitter melon (Momordica Charantia), as it is sometimes called, are grown in Asia, East Africa and South America. Some researches show that bitter melon extract improves glucose tolerance, reduces blood sugar levels, and lowers HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes. In studies the fresh fruit, its freshly squeezed juice and the homogenized suspension of bitter melon have led to important  diminution in both fasting and postprandial blood glucose. Bitter melon is not like most chemical medications, which are efficacious just in one target organ or tissue; rather, it influences glucose metabolism all over the body.

Bitter Melon and Diabetes Treatment

Bitter melon may have blood-sugar-lowering properties that could help treat diabetes. Bitter melon contains the constituents vicine, charantin and polypeptide-P which are thought to be responsible for bitter melon’s properties in reducing blood sugar levels. Together they enhance glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue and improve glucose tolerance. In a study published in the March 2008 edition of the International Journal of Chemistry and Biology, scientists discovered that bitter melon contains compounds that activate the enzyme AMPK, which enhances glucose uptake by cells. Bitter melon main components interact with the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), this enzyme regulates fuel metabolism and facilitates glucose uptake. This protein, known as AMPK, is normally activated in the body through exercise. Although there are drugs that can  activate this protein, this plant provides the same result with no adverse effects.

A study reported in the journal “Phytomedicine” in 1996 found that bitter melon helped to decrease blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes. Another clinical trial reported in 1999 found that taking bitter melon reduced blood sugar levels in people with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. A study, reported in a 1999 edition of the “Bangladesh Medical Research Council Bulletin“, used an aqueous suspension of bitter melon vegetable pulp in 100 participants with type 2. The researchers examined the effect at one hour after bitter melon was administered and then 2 hours after a 75-gr oral glucose tolerance test. The average blood glucose was 222 mg/dl, which was lower than the previous day’s 2-hour value of 257 mg/dl.

In the “Journal of Medicinal Food“,  scientists analyzed the effect of  Momordica charantia extracts in diabetic and healthy rats. As a result, bitter melon strongly reduced glucose levels in diabetic rats and showed favorable effects in the regulation of blood glucose in normal rats. In 2007, a study by the “Philippine Department of Health” determined a daily dose of 100 mg per kilogram of body weight is comparable to 2.5 mg/kg of the antidiabetes medication glibenclamide used twice per day.  In Jan 2011, the findings of a 4-week studies were reported in the Journal of  “Ethnopharmacology“, which demonstrated that a 2000 mg daily dose of bitter melon significantly reduced blood glucose levels among patients with type 2 diabetes. Egyptian researchers develop bitter melon tablet to fight diabetes. Insulin is administered through injection because it is broken down by stomach enzymes if taken orally. The novelty of the bitter melon tablet is that “the fruit’s active ingredients have a specific coating that prevents hydrolysis of this substance by enzymes,” explains Dr. Souad al-Gengaihi.