Bitter Melon: Exploring its Uses and Benefits

Bitter Melon, commonly known as Bitter Gourd or Karela in Hindi may not be a favorite of all, but this vegetable offers remarkable health benefits. Despite its bitter taste, enjoy the abundance of antioxidants and nutrients that Karela provides.

Bitter melon looks like a cucumber with light green, warty, wrinkled skin. Its bitter taste is caused by quinine, which has medicinal qualities. Soaking, blanching, or salting reduces the melon’s bitterness. Mature melons can be cooked unpeeled, but their seeds and pith should be removed. Bitter melon is often stuffed with meat or seafood, used in curries, or added to stir-fries. Its an acquired taste worth experimenting with.

Jamaican Cerasee leaves and stem are usually boiled or drawn into a tea and taken for a number of ailments including hypertension, diabetes, parasitic worms, abdominal pains, and purging/detoxing the body and blood. Cerasee is also used for constipation and it is sometimes given to children for fevers and colds.

Bitter Gourd controls diabetes, boosts immune system and is an excellent source of anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic properties. 

Growing Bitter Melon

Bitter melon is a beautiful plant with deeply lobed leaves and eye-catching fruit that shifts from green to yellow to orange as it ripens. The unique characteristics of bitter melon make it a visually appealing addition to any garden or landscape. The taste is an acquired one for most people. It's more bitter than an unripe grapefruit or very dark chocolate. For most individuals, the first taste is a mouth-puckering experience. But once you acquire the taste, don't be surprised if you become addicted to this melon's strong flavor.

A member of the squash family, bitter melon is native to southern China. Fruits are oblong and warty, usually about 8 inches long. The flesh has a watery, crunchy texture, similar to a pepper or cucumber. The bitter flavor is due to the melon's quinine content. In many countries, bitter melon is consumed as a treatment for malaria.

This melon serves a nutritional punch, offering iron, twice the beta carotene of broccoli, twice the potassium of bananas, and twice the calcium of spinach. It also contains high amounts of fiber, phosphorous, and Vitamins C, B1, B2, and B3.

Note: While we do not currently carry this variety, we offer this information for gardeners who wish to grow it.

Soil, Planting, and Care

1. Soak the seeds overnight, starting in warm water.
2. Once soaked, plant seeds 3/4-inch/2cm deep in small pots or a seed tray on a heated mat. A heated mat is essential for germination. If not available, place pots/seed trays above a warm radiator. Cover with plastic lids or a bag to maintain humidity.
3. After soaking, place the seeds in a single layer on a damp (not soaking wet, or seeds will rot) paper towel. Fold it over to encase the seeds.Place into a zip-lock bag, seal shut, and place in a consistently warm area (60°F+/16°C+). Check each day to see if seeds have begun germination.  Once they have, you can plant them into small pots as usual.  They will still require warmth, but can withstand more temperature fluctuation at this point.
4. Once the danger of frost has passed, you can harden off the seedlings in a cold frame or other protected outdoor space for about a week.As with other squash varieties, bitter melon generates vines that can reach lengths of 13 to 16 feet. Ensure bitter melon is placed in a location with a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight. In Southern regions, it's okay to site seedlings in a spot with light shade, as long as vines can ramble into full-sun areas.

Soil should be fertile, but well-drained, with a pH of 5.5 to 6.7. Adding composted manure or compost to enrich soil results in good yields.

This plant thrives in heat and humidity, and as summer temperatures rise, vines grow quickly. Fruits have a tendency to rot on moist soil, so it's best to trellis vines. You can do this on a fence or evenly spaced supports. Not only does trellising reduce disease outbreaks on fruit, it also makes harvesting easier. When planting along a fence, space seedlings 9 to 10 feet apart.

TIP: We usually plant our bitter melon plants right up against our garden fences, so we don’t have to put any additional trellis in place.

Trellised vines produce hanging fruit, which grows long and straight. If you don't trellis vines, be sure to mulch soil beneath vines. Use loose mulch, like straw, which helps keep soil moist but won't promote fruit rot.

For trellised vines, as stems reach the top of the support, remove the growing tip along with a few lower lateral branches. This pruning causes vines to branch near the growing tip. These upper branches will yield strongly. If you're not trellising vines, prune vines when the first female flowers appear.

Maintain soil consistently moist. Similar to other squashes pumpkin or melons, bitter melon fruits develop optimally with even soil moisture.Enhance soil nutrition and texture by incorporating compost or Performance Organics All Purpose In-Ground Soil before planting. Also add a continuous-release vegetable fertilizer. Water the bitter melon plants consistently to maintain soil moisture levels. Incorporate compost or Performance Organics All Purpose In-Ground Soil to improve soil nutrition and texture. Additionally, apply a continuous-release vegetable fertilizer for optimal growth.

Harvest and Storage

Bitter melon offers few clues on when to harvest. Gardeners usually pick green or slightly yellow fruits.Fully yellow fruits are over-ripe with spongy flesh. Bitter melon growers often harvest by fruit size. Young and tender fruits are roughly 4 to 6 inches long.

Harvesting Tips

Bitter melon is a highly abundant crop, in ideal conditions. With a consistently warm summer and fertile soil, expect frequent bitter melon harvests.

Monitor the fruit's development as it transitions from young to mature to over-ripe. An over-ripe bitter melon will show signs of yellow and orange coloration, becoming slightly mushy.

Once melons start to ripen, pick fruits regularly, approximately every two to three days. The more you pick, the more fruits will form.

Bitterness varies with maturity and individual fruit. Immature melons are usually more bitter. Just as individual chili peppers from the same plant can offer different degrees of heat, so different bitter melons from the same vine can contain differing degrees of bitterness. For newcomers to bitter melon, slightly overly mature fruits may prove more palatable, since the bitterness will be somewhat lessened.Store melons in a paper or plastic bag in the refrigerator. Use within 3 to 5 days of harvest.

Health Benefits of Bitter Gourd

1. Controls Diabetes

The presence of significant levels of charntin (peptides that resemble insulin) and alkaloids in Bitter Gourd function as a vital ingredient in managing diabetes. It tames down the sudden spike in blood sugar levels besides regulating metabolism. It acts as a potent hypoglycaemic agent and rich in soluble fiber, making it an ideal choice of vegetable for diabetics. It is important to note that Bitter Gourd offers a natural and effective solution for individuals looking to manage diabetes through its powerful components like charntin and alkaloids.

2. Blood Purifier

 Bitter Gourd possesses potent antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that aid in blood purification and promote skin health. It is effective in treating skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

3. Boosts Immunity

Bitter Gourd is rich in antioxidants and aids in combating various infections in the body. These antioxidants target free radicals and harmful compounds produced during metabolism, neutralizing them to prevent illness.

Adding Bitter Gourd in your diet enhances your chances of fighting against various diseases, including heart disease, kidney damage and liver problem.

4. Improves Respiratory Health

Numerous studies prove that Bitter Gourd provides relief from respiratory conditions like asthma, bronchitis, and rhinitis. It’s anti-histamine, suppressant, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and anti-viral properties make it a perfect booster for respiratory health.

5. Hemorrhoid Relief

The strong anti-inflammatory properties in Bitter Gourd make it a good lotion for the painful condition of piles. A paste made from the root of the Bitter Gourd plant can be applied externally to reduce the inflammation, relieve pain and bleeding. Further on, drinking Bitter Gourd juice provides instant relief from hemorrhoids.

6. Promotes Skin Health

Regular intake of Bitter Gourd helps in maintaining skin radiance and free from blemishes. The blood purifying properties of Bitter Gourd prevent acne and treats skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis and other skin infections.

Additional Benefits:

Protects Cells Against Damage

Bitter gourd is a good source of gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin and chlorogenic acid. All these powerful antioxidants help to protect the body cells against various damages.

Promotes Eye And Bone Health

An extremely high source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, zinc and potassium, bitter gourd helps disease prevention, bone formation, heals long term wounds and augments eye vision.

Augments Liver Health

Bitter gourd is a detoxifying agent which makes it quite beneficial for the liver. By cleansing the gastrointestinal tract of body, gut health and overall digestive system is greatly benefitted.

Treats Urinary Tract Infections

Diuretic in nature, bitter gourd increases urinating frequency. Through urine, body flushes bad bacteria and toxins that reduces potential risks of urinary tract infections. 

Keeps Body Hydrated

Ninety percent of bitter gourd is water. Water helps the body stay hydrated, keeps every body part cool and free of toxins which enhances overall health.

Bitter Gourd Nutrition

Bitter gourd is an impressive source of vital nutrition that delivers umpteen health incentives for the system. It is low in calories and high in dietary fibre providing 8% of daily needs in a serving that regulates diabetes and promotes the digestion process.

Nutrition in 100 grams of raw bitter gourd

Calories: 21

Carbs: 4 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Vitamin C: 99% of the Daily Value (DV)

Vitamin A: 44% of the DV

Folate: 17% of the DV

Potassium: 8% of the DV

Zinc: 5% of the DV

Iron: 4% of the DV

*As per the USDA

Bitter gourd packs ample amounts of vitamin C, a vital micronutrient that shields the system from diseases, promote bone formation and speeds up wound healing. It’s also abundant in vitamin A which augments skin health and promotes good eyesight.

Rich in folate bitter gourd aids in proper growth and development, as well as it contains fair amounts of potassium, zinc and iron.

Bitter gourd is endowed with a storehouse of antioxidants such as catechin, gallic acid, epicatechin and chlorogenic acid that can help safeguard the cells from free radical damage and lower the risk of chronic disease.

 Disclaimer:

Informational purposes only. Consult healthcare provider for medical advice. Reliance does not endorse specific information.