Is Bitter Melon Good for Health?

Bitter melon on the plate

Bitter melon is quite abundant in South East Asian countries, It is believed from India originally. The melons also grow well in regions of:

- Africa

- South America

- some parts of Asia

- South East Asia

- The Caribbeans.

The shape and green color look like a cucumber:

- slender

- a little bit long.

Actually, cucumber and bitter melon are the same family, Cucurbitaceae. But, the scientific name for bitter melon is Momordica charantia. 

Bitter melons are sold in the market

The color will change to orange or yellow when ripen. One of bitter, and might be even most bitter vegetable eaten by human.

The ripen the melon the bitter it taste. It is harvested a year round.

Some ethnic shops such as Asian shops and Mexican shops sell the bitter melon in the USA market. 

Cuts of a bitter melon

The melon was eaten (cook) as vegetable and sometimes drink as juice. Nutritional values are good for health.

Just for comparison, bitter melon contains:

- more calcium than spinach

- more potassium than banana

- more beta-carotene than broccoli.

Ready to cook

In addition that bitter melon also rich of:

- vitamin

- magnesium

- iron.

Some people in Asia and other developing country are using bitter melon as traditional medicines for:

- fever

- cough

- improve skin health

- prevent malaria

- chicken fox

- measles.

Moreover, researchers from industry countries are studying possibility to extract bitter melon to preven growing and spreading of breast cancer cells.

But be careful, since bitter taste, thus might problem for some people stomachs. After a while, their stomach might be adjust to bitterness of this vegetable.

Have you tried it?