Bitter Melon: Cheap Alternative Medicine for Type 2 Diabetes

By >> Ryan Acosta

One of the most recognizable symbols of Taiwan is the iconic half-kilometer tall Taipei 101 tower. Billed as the second highest man-made structure in the world, the skyscraper has been shown countless of times in television programs, discussed over the radio for how many umpteenth hours, and featured in numerous articles.

Yet Taipei is not just the 101 tower. The city also has other equally interesting facets: its culture, people, and food. When you talk about Taipei, you can't ignore the food. Taipei has been known for being a hub for those seeking exotic gastronomic treats, such as, rich and succulent steamed chicken feet, spicy balls of rooster's testicles, and deep fried bitter melons.

Haven't heard of bitter melons yet? Well, the name says it all: its wrinkled oblong-shaped fruit is one of the bitterest vegetables in the world. A native of the tropics, bitter melon (Momordica charantia), is commonly used in Asian cuisine for its unique bitter flavor. And Asians don't just love to eat it: they also love it because of its very efficacious medicinal properties.

The great ancient Chinese physician Li Shizen included bitter melon in his well known pharmaceutical text Compendium of Materia Medica (circa 1603) and listed the fruit as an effective remedy against extreme heat and fatigue. Indeed, it has been used by ancient Asian cultures other than the Chinese to relieve constipation and dyspepsia and to treat chronic conditions like diabetes. Then mainstream Western medicine came and overshadowed traditional Asian folk remedies.

So, bitter melon was largely ignored as an effective treatment for diabetes--until now.

A research conducted by Chinese and Australian scientists last 2008 have revealed that there is a solid scientific basis to use M. charantia to treat diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, a form which affects about 90% of 285 million diabetes patients. In type 2 diabetes, glucose level in the blood is abnormally high because of deficient production of insulin, the hormone that stimulates liver and muscle cells to take glucose from the blood.

The four cucurbitane glycosides compounds (momordicosides Q, R, S, and T) that were isolated from M. charantia have been shown to increase activity of AMPK (Activated Protein Kinase), the enzyme that controls cellular glucose regulation. When AMPK activity is stepped up, the removal of glucose in the blood is also increased.

The repercussion of this finding is really significant for people with type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that the cost of treating type 2 diabetes ranges from $1,000 to $15,000 a year per patient. Such a price is not a burden to those who earn huge paychecks. But for the vast majority of low-income patients, treating type 2 diabetes using regular pills and other suggested Western medicine-based therapy is quite burgeoning to the pocket.

In contrast, a bottle containing 100 capsules of bitter melon extract may only cost $11 to $15. If you want to save more money, then you may also opt to cultivate the bitter vine yourself. The price of M. charantia seed is relatively cheap. You can order five fresh bitter melon seeds in eBay for only $1.29.

Diabetes is considered by the World Health Organization as a global pandemic because of its prevalence. Right now, usual treatment regimens for type 2 diabetes are really expensive. Yet scientists and ordinary people alike are now realizing that there's a cheap way to treat the disease through a somewhat exotic and bitter-tasting vegetable.

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