Ampalaya or Bitter Gourd

Ampalaya or Bitter Gourd, The Natural MedicinePosted in Agri By Mixph On May 29, 2015

Perhaps not too many people know that there are natural weapons against diseases which can
be grown right in the garden or farm. One such weapon is the wrinkly green vegetable with a
distinctive bitter taste called ampalaya. Known in the science world as ‘Momordica charantia,’ it
is called bitter gourd or bitter melon.

In terms of nutritional contents, the fruits and leaves of the ampalaya are reportedly rich in
minerals and vitamins, notably iron, calcium, phosphorus and Vitamin B. In the Philippines, it is
prepared into various dishes: it be stir-fried with ground beef and oyster sauce, or with eggs
and diced tomato. A very popular dish from the Ilocos region is the “pinakbet” which consists
mainly of ampalaya, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various
regional vegetables stewed with a little bagoong-based stock.

Philippine traditional medicine attributes many medicinal properties to ampalaya. Books and
articles on Philippine medicinal plants list several diseases where ampalaya is apparently
beneficial. Reportedly, the extract from the leaves or roots shrinks hemorrhoids. The leaf juice
is supposedly a good antitussive (i.e., it stops cough), antipyretic (i.e., for fever), purgative and
anthelmintic (i.e., against roundworms).

Ampalaya is also used to treat sterility in women and it can supposedly alleviate liver problems.
Likewise, it is claimed that ampalaya has some antimicrobial activity and can help infected
wounds.

“Commonly known as ampalaya in the Philippines, researchers refer to it as a vegetable, fruit,

or herb,” wrote Frank Murray in his book, ‘Ampalaya: Nature’s Remedy tor Type 1 and Type 2
Diabetes.’ “It is indigenous to Asia, but is cultivated around the world, where it goes by almost
90 different names.”

Yes, ampalaya has been considered as nature’s answer to diabetes. Today, almost 100 studies
have demonstrated the blood sugar lowering effect of this bitter fruit. Dr. A. Raman and Dr. C.
Lau, who reviewed over 150 pre-clinical and clinical studies on amplaya’s anti-diabetes
properties and phytochemistry, concluded that, “Oral administration of fruit juice or seed
powder (of bitter melon) causes a reduction in fasting blood glucose and improves glucose
tolerance.”
In the Philippines, Dr. William Torres, former director of Bureau of Food and Drugs, came up
with this conclusion after reviewing several studies done on ampalaya: “Ampalaya fruits, leaves,
seeds and other parts, when used as dry powders, extracts, decoctions, fresh or cooled, have
clearly demonstrated hypoglycemic activity.”

Researchers have identified the key compounds present in ampalaya, notably polypeptide-P, a
plant insulin found only in the ampalaya. Similar to animal insulin, polypeptide-P lowers
elevated blood sugar levels. Dr. Torres maintains that ampalaya, when taken regularly, helps to
increase glucose tolerance and “potentiate insulin.”

Even ampalaya leaves have some blood sugar lowering effect among diabetics, according to Dr.
Eduardo G. Gonzales, of the College of Medicine at De La Salle University. “This effect is
noticeable regardless of how the leaves are prepared — boiled then eaten, or in the form of
extract, tea, capsule or tablet.”

Dr. Gonzales, however, warned diabetics not to be “overly enthusiastic in replacing their
proprietary medicines with ampalaya teas, capsules or tablets.” As he wrote in his column
published in a national daily: “None of the studies so far conducted on ampalaya and diabetes n
be labeled conclusive. All were done can using a very limited number of human subjects, and
most are not controlled.”

He further cautioned: “Ampalaya should be considered, at best, just an adjunct in the treatment
of type 2 diabetes mellitus that could possibly reduce the dose of antidiabetic drugs that
responsive patients need. It should not be regarded as a stand-alone treatment that can take
the place of established medicines.”

Recently, the Bureau of Food and Drugs approved the first ampalaya tea in the country —
Charantia Ampalaya Tea — as ideal for diabetics’ special dietary needs. However, diabetics who
wish to try ampalaya need not spend money on the tablet, capsule or tea forms of the plant.
They can cultivate the plant or buy it from the market and make their own preparation.

To prepare ampalaya extract, the Department of Health says the following steps should be
followed: Wash and finely chop leaves. Add six tablespoons of the chopped leaves in two
glasses of water. Boil the mixture for 15 minutes in an uncovered pot. Cool down and strain.
Drink 1/3 cup of the solution 3 times a day. Alternately, ampalaya tops can be steamed and
eaten (1/2 cup 2 times a day).
But the Philippines is not the only country promoting ampalaya against diseases. China, too, is
doing several studies. In the book, ‘Zhong Yao Da Ci Dian (Great Dictionary of Chinese
Medicines),’ ampalaya (or ‘ku gua’) is described as bitter and cold and entering the heart,
spleen, and stomach channels, or, alternatively, the heart, liver, and lung channels.

“Its traditional functions are that it clears summer heat and flushes heat, brightens the eyes,
and resolves toxins,” the book states. “It has been traditionally indicated for heat disease
vexatious thirst leading to drinking, summer heat stroke, dysentery, red, painful eyes, welling
abscesses, swellings, and cinnabar toxins, and malign sores.”

In China, several studies have shown that ampalaya have cholesterol-lowering effects. In one
study, elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels in diabetic rats were returned to normal after
10 weeks of treatment. In another study, results showed that bitter melon extract reduced
triglyceride and low-density lipid (LDL) levels, and increased high-density lipid (HDL) levels.

In yet another Chinese study, HDLs (the so-called good cholesterols) were consistently elevated
by dietary bitter melon both in the presence and absence of dietary cholesterol, indicating an
ability of bitter melon to prevent or protect against atherosclerosis.

Though it has been claimed that ampalaya’s bitterness comes from quinine, no evidence could
be located supporting this claim. Ampalaya is traditionally regarded by Asians, as well as
Panamanians and Colombians, as useful for preventing and treating malaria. Laboratory studies
have confirmed that various species of the bitter fruit have anti-malarial activity, though human
studies have not yet been published.

Recently, laboratory tests suggest that compounds in ampalaya might be effective for treating
HIV infection. As most compounds isolated from bitter melon that impact HIV have either been
proteins or glycoproteins lectins, neither of which are well-absorbed, it is unlikely that oral
intake of ampalaya will slow HIV in infected people. It is possible oral ingestion of ampalaya
that could offset negative effects of anti-HIV drugs, if a test tube study can be shown to be
applicable to people. In one preliminary clinical trial, an enema form of ampalaya extract
showed some benefits in people infected with HIV.

“It is only now that modern science is beginning to investigate the plant’s many medicinal
uses,” Lito Abelarde, president of the Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines Inc., told
a national daily.
author: Henrylito D. Tacio, Marid Digest, photo from gotouring.com