In contrast to the bitter taste, the benefits of bitter melon turned out to be very sweet

Apart from its bitter taste, bitter melon has become part of Indonesia's culinary wealth. This bitter-flavored fruit was allegedly has many health benefits. The benefits of bitter melon are even thought to be able to prevent the growth of cancerous cells, bacteria, and harmful viruses. Because it has a history of being considered a healer for a long time, a lot of research has been done to prove the health benefits of bitter melon. Pare itself is rich in various complex compounds. Various vitamins, including A, B vitamins, folate, and vitamin C, are in this fruit. Other minerals contained in fruit which in English are called bitter melon, are potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. This fruit is also a good source of fiber. Pare also contains carbohydrates, but low in calories and almost does not contain fat. From a medical perspective, various studies highlight the high antioxidant properties associated with phenols, flavonoids, isoflavones, anthroquinone, and glucosinolates they have.

Health Benefits of Bitter Melon

Listed below are some of the potential benefits of bitter melon, a fruit called Latin Momordica charantia:

• Reducing blood sugar

For diabetics, consuming bitter melon might help manage the illness. This is very possible considering bitter melon contains charantin, vicine, and polypeptide-p which are antidiabetic active substances. One function of charantin is to reduce blood sugar levels in the body. Meanwhile, polypeptide-p is known as an insulin-like compound. The three substances above have an effect to help the body reduce blood sugar levels. Although it looks promising, some clinical research that has been done turns out to show that the benefits of bitter melon in controlling blood sugar levels are still inconsistent and insignificant. Further research is still needed to find out exactly how bitter melon can help diabetics. And one thing is certain, the benefits of bitter melon have not been able to replace or equal the effectiveness of antidiabetic drugs, such as insulin and oral antidiabetic drugs.

• Fighting cancer cells

One other alleged benefit of bitter melon is related to its ability to fight cancer cells. Research has revealed that bitter melon has anticancer properties and has the potential to be used as an agent for eradicating various types of cancer, such as breast, colon, prostate, liver and blood cancer. However, this research is only limited to research in the laboratory. Anticancer effects in the benefits of bitter melon have not been widely studied clinically so that its efficacy as a cancer fighter in humans still needs to be studied further.

• HIV antibacterial and antiviral

Some diseases caused by bacteria and viruses might be overcome by consuming bitter melon. Bitter melon extract has antibacterial abilities, especially infections caused by bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Streptobaccilus. Bitter melon extract is also seen to be deadly one of them is the HIV virus. However, the benefits of bitter melon until now can not be used as an antibiotic or antiviral clinically, given the lack of research that supports these data.

Important for you to know, the benefits of bitter melon to fight cancer cells and HIV have not been studied in humans. Similarly, for the benefits of bitter melon as an infection treatment, research is still limited to studies conducted on animals. This means, further research is still needed to prove the same effect on humans. But it never hurts to add bitter melon to the daily diet because of the diverse nutritional content. The benefits of bitter melon are indeed tempting, but you are still advised to consult a doctor before using the benefits of bitter melon as medicine. In addition, bitter melon is also not recommended for pregnant women, related to the alleged alleged side effects of bitter melon that can harm the womb.