Diabetes in the United States it is estimated to afflict 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the population. Diabetes is a group of diseases that affect how your body regulates blood sugar. Type II diabetes is the most common subtype of diabetes and is most commonly associated with uncontrolled high blood sugar. Long term complications of diabetes include cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, foot damage, skin conditions, hearing impairment, and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
More than 800 different plants from south Asia have been reported by scientists to have blood sugar lowering properties. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is one of the more popular plants and is widely available. Other names for this plant include ‘bitter gourd’ or ‘bitter squash’.
A new study published in Nutrition Journal tested the ability of bitter melon to reduce high blood sugar and cholesterol in patients recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In these patients fasting blood sugars were between 126-240 mg/dL with 95 subjects participating in the studies. A normal fasting (no food for eight hours) blood sugar level is between 70 and 99 mg/dL.
Patients were randomized to the three following groups:
- Group 1: 2 grams of bitter melon in capsules (32 people)
- Group 2: 4 grams of bitter melon in capsules (33 people)
- Group 3: 2.5 milligrams of the prescription drug glibenclamide tablet (30 people)
On average Hemoglobin A1c at the beginning and end of study were:
- Group 1: 8.25 to 7.4
- Group 2: 8.30 to 7.15
- Group 3: 8.45 to 6.90
To attempt to replicate these results in further studies it may be helpful prepare the product the same way each time. In this research study the preparation of the bitter melon was done the following way
- Unripe bitter melons 3-5 inches long were collected and the seeds were removed.
- Fruit pulps were dried by a hot air oven at 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) for 24 hours.
- The fruit extract was standardized to 0.04–0.05% (w/w) of charantin by high performance liquid chromatography.
Take away message: Bitter melon when prepared by drying and standardizing the extract to charantin, a phytochemical in bitter melon, in this study reported a significant reduction with hemoglobin A1c. This regulation in blood sugar could be extremely beneficial for those trying to manage elevated blood sugars.
Nutrition Journal. 2015 January 26; Volume 14: Page 13-19.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Blood sugar, Plant Medicine
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