It has been suggested that Foo qua be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Bitter melon
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Violales Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus: Momordica Species: M. charantia
Binomial name
Momordica charantia Descourt.

Momordica charantia is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown for edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all vegetables. English names for the plant and its fruit include bitter melon or bitter gourd (translated from Chinese: 苦瓜; pinyin: kǔguā). The original home of the species is not known, other than that it is a native of the tropics. It is widely grown in India, South Asia, The Philippines, Southeast Asia, China, Africa and the Caribbean. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Bitter melon. ... Flower of Bittermelon Photo by : SEKIUCHI Date : 2004-Aug-03 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families see text Violales used to be an order of flowering plants in the Cronquist classification. ... Genera Abobra Acanthosicyos Actinostemma Alsomitra Ampelosycios Anacaona Apatzingania Apodanthera Bambekea Benincasa Biswarea Bolbostemma Brandegea Bryonia Calycophysum Cayaponia Cephalopentandra Ceratosanthes Chalema Cionosicyos Citrullus Coccinia Cogniauxia Corallocarpus Cremastopus Ctenolepis Cucumella Cucumeropsis Cucumis Cucurbita Cucurbitella Cyclanthera Dactyliandra Dendrosicyos Dicoelospermum Dieterlea Diplocyclos Doyerea Ecballium Echinocystis Echinopepon Edgaria Elateriopsis Eureiandra Fevillea Gerrardanthus Gomphogyne Gurania Guraniopsis... Momordica is a genus of annual or perennial climbing herbs belonging to the order Cucurbitaceae, natives of the tropics, especially Africa, and known in cultivation chiefly as hothouse plants. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Genera Abobra Acanthosicyos Actinostemma Alsomitra Ampelosycios Anacaona Apatzingania Apodanthera Bambekea Benincasa Biswarea Bolbostemma Brandegea Bryonia Calycophysum Cayaponia Cephalopentandra Ceratosanthes Chalema Cionosicyos Citrullus Coccinia Cogniauxia Corallocarpus Cremastopus Ctenolepis Cucumella Cucumeropsis Cucumis Cucurbita Cucurbitella Cyclanthera Dactyliandra Dendrosicyos Dicoelospermum Dieterlea Diplocyclos Doyerea Ecballium Echinocystis Echinopepon Edgaria Elateriopsis Eureiandra Fevillea Gerrardanthus Gomphogyne Gurania Guraniopsis... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... A plate of vegetables Vegetable is a culinary term which generally refers to an edible part of a plant. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... This article is about the geopolitical region in Asia. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... West Indian redirects here. ...

Description

Bitter melons

Also known as Ku gua, the herbaceous, tendril-bearing vine grows to 5 m. It bears simple, alternate leaves 4-12 cm across, with 3-7 deeply separated lobes. Each plant bears separate yellow male and female flowers. Image File history File links Bittermelonfruit. ... Image File history File links Bittermelonfruit. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support and attachment, generally by twining around whatever it touches. ... In botany, the following terms are used to describe the shape of plant leaves: cordate leaf Acicular: slender and pointed Alternate (alternifolia): Arranged alternately Bipinnate (bipinnata): Each leaflet also pinnate Cordate (cordata): Heart-shaped, stem attaches to cleft Cuneate: Triangular, stem attaches to point Deltoid: Triangular, stem attaches to side... A Phalaenopsis flower Rudbeckia fulgida A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ...

The fruit has a distinct warty looking exterior and an oblong shape. It is hollow in cross-section, with a relatively thin layer of flesh surrounding a central seed cavity filled with large flat seeds and pith. Seeds and pith appear white in unripe fruits, ripening to red; they are intensely bitter and must be removed before cooking. The flesh is crunchy and watery in texture, similar to cucumber, chayote or green bell pepper. The skin is tender and edible. The fruit is most often eaten green. Although it can also be eaten when it has started to ripen and turn yellowish, it becomes more bitter as it ripens. The fully ripe fruit turns orange and mushy, is too bitter to eat, and splits into segments which curl back dramatically to expose seeds covered in bright red pulp. Binomial name Cucumis sativus L. The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. ... Binomial name Sechium edule (Jacq. ... Binomial name Capsicum annuum L. For green peppercorns, see Black pepper. ...

Bitter Gourd comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. The typical Chinese phenotype is 20 to 30 cm long, oblong with bluntly tapering ends and pale green in color, with a gently undulating, warty surface. The bitter melon more typical of India has a narrower shape with pointed ends, and a surface covered with jagged, triangular "teeth" and ridges. Coloration is green or white. Between these two extremes are any number of intermediate forms. Some bear miniature fruit of only 6 - 10 cm in length, which may be served individually as stuffed vegetables. These miniature fruit are popular in Southeast Asia as well as India. Individuals in the mollusk species Donax variabilis show diverse coloration and patterning in their phenotypes. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Culinary uses

A small green bitter melon (front) and a scoop of Okinawan gōyā champurū stirfry (back)

Bitter melons are seldom mixed with other vegetables due to the strong bitter taste, although this can be moderated to some extent by salting and then washing the cut melon before use. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2400x2000, 728 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bitter melon Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2400x2000, 728 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bitter melon Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner...

Bitter melon is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavor, typically in stir-fries (often with pork and douchi), soups, and also as tea. Chinese cuisine is widely seen as representing one of the richest and most diverse culinary cuisines and heritages in the world. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Douchi (Chinese: &#35910;&#35913;; pinyin: ), also called hamanatto or Chinese fermented black beans, is a flavoring most popular in the cuisine of China, and is used to make black bean sauce. ... Soup is usually a savoury liquid food that is made by combining ingredients, such as meat, vegetables and beans in stock or hot water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth. ... Look up tea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

It is also a popular vegetable in Indian and Pakistani cooking, where it is often prepared with potatoes and served with yogurt on the side to offset the bitterness. Bitter melon fried in oil and then stuffed with other spicy ingredients is very popular in Andhra Pradesh, a south Indian state. Andhra Pradesh  : (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్, Urdu: آندھرا پردیش, IPA: ), is a state in southern India. ...

Bitter melon is rarely used in mainland Japan, but is a significant component of Okinawan cuisine. Okinawan cuisine is the cuisine of the Japanese island of Okinawa. ...

In Vietnam, raw bitter melon slices consumed with dried meat floss and bitter melon soup with shrimp are popular dishes. Fragrance Foodstuff Rousong (Pork Floss) 肉松. Rousong (Traditional Chinese: 肉鬆; Simplified Chinese: 肉松; Pinyin: ròu sōng; literally meat fluff/loose), also called meat floss, pork floss, or pork sung, is a dried Chinese meat item that has a light and fluffy texture similar to coarse cotton. ...

It is prepared into various dishes in the Philippines, where it is known as ampalaya. Ampalaya may also be stir-fried with ground beef and oyster sauce, or with eggs and diced tomato. A very popular dish from the Ilocos region of the Philippines, pinakbet, consists mainly of bitter melons, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various regional vegetables stewed with a little bagoong-based stock. Image:Minced beef USDA.jpg Minced beef in industrial grinder Ground beef, beef mince or hamburger meat, is a meat product, made of beef finely chopped by a meat grinder. ... Oyster Sauce produced by Lee Kum Kee Oyster sauce (&#34461;&#27833; háo yóu ; &#34836;&#27833;) is a viscous sauce prepared from oysters and brine, often with chemical preservatives added. ... Ilocos collectively refers to two provinces in the Philippines: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. ... True pinakbet from the Ilocos region with shrimp Pinakbet or pakbet is a popular Ilocano dish, from the northern regions of the Philippines, although it has become popular throughout the archipelago. ... Bagoong is shrimp paste, commonly eaten by Filipinos. ...

The young shoots and leaves may also be eaten as greens; in the Philippines, where bitter melon leaves are most commonly consumed, they are called dahon (leaves) ng ampalaya. The seeds can also be eaten, and give off a sweet taste, but have been known to cause vomiting and stomach upset. Leaf vegetables, also called greens or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. ...

Medicinal uses

Bitter melons have been used in various Asian traditional medicine systems for a long time [1]. Like most bitter-tasting foods, bitter melon stimulates digestion. While this can be helpful in people with sluggish digestion, dyspepsia, and constipation, it can sometimes make heartburn and ulcers worse. The fact that bitter melon is also a demulcent and at least mild inflammation modulator, however, means that it rarely does have these negative effects, based on clinical experience and traditional reports. The term traditional medicine is used with two main meanings. ... Demulcent herbs often have a high content of mucilage, making them ideal to soothe and protect irritated or inflammed internal tissues of the body. ...

Perhaps the best substantiated use to date is that of bitter melon for people with diabetes mellitus. Several preliminary (non-randomized, non-blinded) clinical trials suggest this benefit, though controlled trials are necessary for confirmation [2]. In the Philippines, bitter melon tea is used in blood sugar control for poor people as exemplified in the very successful Operation Diabetes [3]. For a detailed review of studies involving bitter melon and diabetes, see Abascal and Yarnell 2005.

In ayurvedic medicine, bitter melon is popularly seen as a "plant-insulin." It has been demonstrated that bitter melon contains a protein similar to bovine insulin, sometimes referred to as p-insulin or polypeptide-p (Baldwa, et al. 1977). When purified and injected subcutaneously into patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), it acted very similar to slow-acting animal insulins and was able to sustain patients [4]. One child in this small study who previously had many side effects from bovine insulin was able to use p-insulin exclusively for 5 months with no sign of problems. This represents the potential for a vegetarian alternative to animal insulin for patients with IDDM, as well as a potentially more sustainable source of insulin, and should be further developed. It is not possible to substitute eating bitter melon for taking insulin. Shirodhara, one of the techniques of Ayurveda Ayurveda (Devanagari: ) or Ayurvedic medicine is a practice in use primarily in the Indian subcontinent, which advocates argue assists with health and healing. ...

Though it has been claimed that bitter melon’s bitterness comes from quinine,[5] no evidence could be located supporting this claim. Bitter melon 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 bitter melon have anti-malarial activity, though human studies have not yet been published [6]. Quinine (IPA: ) is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic (fever-reducing), antimalarial, analgesic (painkilling), and anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. ... The term Asian can refer to something or someone from Asia. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. ...

Laboratory tests suggest that compounds in bitter melon might be effective for treating HIV infection [7]. As most compounds isolated from bitter melon that impact HIV have either been proteins or glycosproteins (lectins), neither of which are well-absorbed, it is unlikely that oral intake of bitter melon will slow HIV in infected people. It is possible oral ingestion of bitter melon could offest negative effects of anti-HIV drugs, if a test tube study can be shown to be true in people [8]. In one preliminary clinical trial, an enema form of a bitter melon extract showed some benefits in people infected with HIV (Zhang 1992). Clearly more research is necessary before this could be recommended. Species Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections). ...

The other realm showing the most promise related to bitter melon is as an immunomodulator. One clinical trial found very limited evidence that bitter melon might improve immune cell function in people with cancer, but this needs to be verified and amplified in other research [9]. If proven correct this is another way bitter melon could help people infected with HIV.

Names in other languages

Bitter melons being cooked in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Austronesian languages Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1200x801, 221 KB) The Hybrid Jumbo variety of bitter melon. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1200x801, 221 KB) The Hybrid Jumbo variety of bitter melon. ... The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. ...

• Chavacano:amargozo
• Ilocano: pariya
• Malay and Indonesian: peria, pare, or parai
• Tagalog:ampalaya

Dravidian languages Chavacano (as a proper noun, as a derivative of the Spanish adjective chabacano, and as it is generally accepted in literature, the broadcast media, and Zamboangueños) or Chabacano (as the Spanish adjective) is the common name for the several varieties of the Philippine Creole Spanish spoken in the Philippines. ... Ilocano, also Iloko and Ilokano, refers to the language and culture associated with the Ilocano people, the third largest ethnic group in the Philippines. ... The Malay language, also known locally as bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who reside in the Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau islands, and parts of the coast of Borneo. ... Tagalog (pronunciation: ) is one of the major languages of the Republic of the Philippines. ... The Dravidian family of languages includes approximately 73 languages[1] that are mainly spoken in southern India and northeastern Sri Lanka, as well as certain areas in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and eastern and central India, as well as in parts of Afghanistan and Iran, and overseas in other countries such...

• Kannada: hāgala kāyi
• Malayalam: kaipakka or pavakkya
• Tamil: parikkai or pavakka
• Telugu: kākara kāyi

Indic languages Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ ) is one of the major Dravidian languages of southern India and one of the oldest languages in India. ... Malayalam ( ) is the language spoken predominantly in the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... Telugu (తెలుగు) is a Dravidian language primarily spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. ... The Indo-Aryan languages form a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian languages, thus belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. ...

• Bengali: করল্লা kôrolla
• Gujarati: કારેલું kāreluṃ
• Hindi/Urdu: करेला ﻛﹷﺮﻳﻼ karelā
• Marathi: karla
• Punjabi: karaila
• Sinhalese: karawila
• Trinidad Hindi: karailī

Japonic languages Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit. ... is an Indo-Aryan language, part of the greater Indo-European language family. ... Hindi (Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is one of the official languages of the Union government of India. ... (اردو), historically spelled Ordu, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch, belonging to Indo-European family of languages. ... Marathi (मराठी ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western India (Maharashtrians). ... Punjabi (also Panjabi; in Gurmukhī, in Shāhmukhī, in transliteration) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Punjabi people in India, Pakistan and other parts of the world. ... Sinhala (also referred to as Sinhalese; earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... The Japonic languages or Japanese-Ryukyuan languages constitute a language family that is agreed to have descended from a common ancestral language known as Proto-Japonic or Proto-Japanese-Ryukyuan. ...

• Japanese: nigauri (苦瓜, nigauri^?), tsurureishi (蔓茘枝, tsurureishi^?), usually gōya (ゴーヤ, gōya^?)
• Okinawan: gōyā

Sino-Tibetan languages Okinawan (Okinawan Uchinaaguchi) is a Ryukyuan language spoken in Japan on the southern island of Okinawa, as well as the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kume-jima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller islands located to the east of the main island of Okinawa. ... Sino-Tibetan languages in red. ...

• Mandarin: 苦瓜 kǔ guā
• Taiwanese: 苦瓜 ko guai'
• Burmese: kyethinkhathee

Other languages Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zh&#333;ngw n) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (&#27721;&#35821;/&#28450;&#35486;, &#21326;&#35821;/&#33775;&#35486;, or &#20013;&#25991;; Pinyin: H ny&#468;, Hu y&#468;, or Zh&#333;ngw n) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... Taiwanese (pe̍h-oē-jī: Tâi-oân-oē or Tâi-gí; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Táiyǔ, Táiwānhuà) is a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken by about 70% of Taiwans population. ...

• Arabic: Hanzal
• Portuguese: melão-de-são-caetano
• Thai: มะระจีน marajin or มะระ mara
• Vietnamese: khổ qua

Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ...

Trivia

• A "bitter Gourd face" (苦瓜臉) is a common Chinese description for an angry or serious face.

References

• Abascal K, Yarnell E (2005) "Using bitter melon to treat diabetes" Altern Complemen Ther 11(4):179-184

• H.K.Bakhru (1997). Foods that Heal. The Natural Way to Good Health. Orient Paperbacks. ISBN 81-222-0033-8. 

• Baldwa VS, Bhandari CM, Pangaria A, Goyal RK (1977) “Clinical trial in patients with diabetes mellitus of an insulin-like compound obtained from plant source” Upsala J Med Sci 82:39-41.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Momordica charantia

• Rain-tree
• Research on Bitter Melon and other vegetables as treatment for Diabetes / Glucose level reduction
• ITIS report
• Ampalaya (Momordica Charantia)
• Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) Herb
• The National Bitter Melon Council
• Bitter Melon Studies
• Detailed botanical description
• Nutrition facts