Bitter Melon and Diabetes ... Bitter melon (also known as Momordica charantia or bitter gourd) is a plant that gets its name from its taste. It becomes ...NutritionEvidenceBased6BenefitsofBitterMelon(BitterGourd)andItsExtractWrittenbyRachaelLink,MS,RDonFebruary20,2019Bittermelon—alsoknownasbittergourdorMomordicacharantia—isatropicalvinethatbelongstothegourdfamilyandiscloselyrelatedtozucchini,squash,pumpkin,andcucumber.It’scultivatedaroundtheworldforitsediblefruit,whichisconsideredastapleinmanytypesofAsiancuisine.TheChinesevarietyistypicallylong,palegreen,andcoveredwithwart-likebumps.Ontheotherhand,theIndianvarietyismorenarrowandhaspointedendswithrough,jaggedspikesontherind.Inadditiontoitssharpflavoranddistinctappearance,bittermelonhasbeenassociatedwithseveralimpressivehealthbenefits.Hereare6benefitsofbittermelonanditsextract.ShareonPinterest1.PacksSeveralImportantNutrientsBittermelonisagreatsourceofseveralkeynutrients.Onecup(94grams)ofrawbittermelonprovides(1):Calories:20Carbs:4gramsFiber:2gramsVitaminC:93%oftheReferenceDailyIntake(RDI)VitaminA:44%oftheRDIFolate:17%oftheRDIPotassium:8%oftheRDIZinc:5%oftheRDIIron:4%oftheRDIBittermelonisespeciallyrichinvitaminC,animportantmicronutrientinvolvedindiseaseprevention,boneformation,andwoundhealing(2).It’salsohighinvitaminA,afat-solublevitaminthatpromotesskinhealthandpropervision(3).Itprovidesfolate,whichisessentialforgrowthanddevelopment,aswellassmalleramountsofpotassium,zinc,andiron(4).Bittermelonisagoodsourceofcatechin,gallicacid,epicatechin,andchlorogenicacid,too—powerfulantioxidantcompoundsthatcanhelpprotectyourcellsagainstdamage(5).Plus,it’slowincaloriesyethighinfiber—fulfillingapproximately8%ofyourdailyfiberneedsinasingleone-cup(94-gram)serving.SummaryBittermelonisagoodsourceofnutrientslikefiber,vitaminC,folateandvitaminA.2.CanHelpReduceBloodSugarThankstoitspotentmedicinalproperties,bittermelonhaslongbeenusedbyindigenouspopulationsaroundtheworldtohelptreatdiabetes-relatedconditions(6).Inrecentyears,severalstudiesconfi