The scientific name of Karela is Momordica charantia; commonly called bitter gourd is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit.
Bitter gourd is a tropical vine that belongs to the gourd family and is closely related to zucchini, squash, pumpkin, and cucumber.
It’s cultivated around the world for its edible fruit, which is considered a staple in many types of Asian cuisine. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit.
Indian Bitter Gourd known as Karela in Hindi, is among the most bitter culinary vegetables, and is a bit of an acquired taste. It is one of favorite vegetables, because when cooked with spices and onions, the result is a mouthwatering combination of bitter, sweet, sour and spicy flavors.
It controls blood sugar, boosts the immune system, and guards against parasites, in addition to being a wonderful source of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial ,anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties. Before getting on to the Karela bitter gourd benefits, let's first understand its nutritional value.
100 grams of raw bitter melon provides::
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
Bitter melon is especially rich in vitamin C, an important micronutrient involved in disease prevention, bone formation, and wound healing .
It’s also high in vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes skin health and proper vision .
It provides folate, which is essential for growth and development, as well as smaller amounts of potassium, zinc, and iron .
As a rich source of antioxidants, flavonoids, and other polyphenolic compounds, bitter gourd may help to reduce your risks for a number of health issues. Bitter gourd is packed with polyphenols. These compounds are known for their ability to lower inflammation in the body.
The potential mechanisms for the beneficial effects of karela on fatty liver involve reducing inflammation, eliminating oxidative stress, and suppressing apoptosis as confirmed one study.
It is safe to drink karela juice everyday. Karela contains many nutrients and bioactive compounds. It might have the potential to help with high blood sugar, inflammation, cancer, etc. However, further studies are required to establish its health benefits for humans.
Having a glass of bitter gourd juice helps to keep the blood sugar level in check. It stabilizes the blood sugar level, which is necessary for weight management. Karela juice activates the insulin, which in turn, prevents the storage of sugar in the body as fat. All this ultimately help in the weight loss process.
There are several health benefits of Bitter Melon (Bitter Gourd) and Its extract.Bitter melon is high in vitamins A and C and other nutrients. It contains compounds that may have health benefits. But it may cause some side effects.
In addition to its sharp flavor and distinct appearance, bitter melon has been associated with several impressive health benefits.
•Packs several important nutrients:
Bitter melon is a great source of several key nutrients.
•Bitter melon is a good source of catechin, gallic acid, epicatechin, and chlorogenic acid, too powerful antioxidant compounds that can help protect your cells against damage .
•Plus, it’s low in calories yet high in fiber fulfilling approximately 8% of your daily fiber needs in a single one-cup (94-gram) serving.
•Studies also show that extract of bitter melon also helps in inhibition of breast cancer cell growth and can be used as a dietary supplement for prevention of breast cancer.
•Diabetes patients are advised to include bitter gourd in their daily diet for its several benefits.
It's also used in natural medicine to help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. One 4-week study found that consuming 2,000 mg of dried, powdered bitter melon every day significantly lowered blood sugar levels in people with diabetes yet not as much as a conventional diabetes drugs.
Karela contains three active substances polypeptide, vicine and charantin that have anti-diabetic effects. These have been confirmed to have insulin-like properties and blood sugar-lowering effects.The bioactive phytochemicals in Karela primarily include polysaccharides, saponins, and phenolics.It has significant antidiabetic as well as hypolipidemic activity so that it can be used as an adjuvant along with allopathic treatment of medicine to treat diabetes as well as to delay the late complications of diabetes.
Karela or Bitter gourd (L. Momordica charantia) contains a lectin that has hypoglycemic effect which develops after eating bitter guard by acting on peripheral tissues and suppressing appetite, it's similar to insulin's effects in the brain.
The fruit contains at least three active substances with anti-diabetic properties, including charantin, which has been confirmed to have a blood glucose-lowering effect, vicine and an insulin-like compound known as polypeptide-p. These substances either work individually or together to help reduce blood sugar levels.
Charantin is a typical cucurbitane type tri terpenoid in M. charantia and is a potential substance with antidiabetic properties. Pitiphanpong et al. demonstrated that charantin could be used to treat diabetes and can potentially replace treatment.
The major chemical constituents are classified as cucurbitane- type triterpenoids, cucurbitane- type triterpene glycosides, phenolic acids, flavonoids, essential oils, fatty acids, amino acids, sterols, saponins and proteins; among those, the cucurbitane- type triterpenoids are the most prevalent .
Charantin, polypeptides and vicine are the main bioactive compounds of Bitter Gourd, which are responsible for its anti-diabetic effects (Joseph & Jini, 2013).
It might either control the release of insulin or may change the metabolism of glucose. Karela contains a few chemicals, including glycoside, charantin, vicine, karavilosides, and polypeptide-p (plant insulin).
The predominant phenolic compounds were gallic acid, followed by caffeic acid and catechin. The present study demonstrated that the water extract fractions of bitter gourd have different responses with different antioxidant methods.
Bitter gourd contains bioactive compounds called saponins and terpenoids. These compounds are responsible for the vegetable's bitter taste, but may also play a role in lowering blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
The glycemic index of bitter gourd is just 18 categorising it as a low-GI food. The low bitter gourd glycemic index states that consuming it will not increase sugar levels. The Glycemic load of bitter gourd is also very low. Therefore it is safe to consume for diabetes patients.
Bitter gourd exerts proven blood glucose- and body weight-lowering effects. To develop an effective and safe application, it is necessary to identify the bioactive compounds and biochemical mechanisms responsible for these effects in type II diabetes.
This plant has antibacterial properties possessed by the leaf extract. These antibacterial properties are derived from the 32% alkaloid compounds, 22% flavonoids, 1.37 mg / 100gr tannin, 1.6% terpenoids and 5.2% saponins contained in the leaves of bitter gourd.
Bitter gourd contains a lectin that has hypoglycemic effect which develops after eating bitter guard by acting on peripheral tissues and suppressing appetite, it's similar to insulin's effects in the brain.
While some people find karela juice delicious, others may find its bitter taste unpalatable. In addition, it may not be good to drink too much of this juice, as doing so can lead to adverse effects like stomach pain, diarrhea, and an upset stomach.
Some bitter gourds taste extremely bitter. To reduce the bitter taste, you may sprinkle salt to the chopped or sliced pieces and rest aside for 30 minutes. Later squeeze them in between your palms to extract some of the juice. The bitter taste reduces but also note that the medicinal values are reduced in the karela.
Always make sure that the seeds of the bitter gourd are removed before using it in recipes.
Karela sabji,Onion karela sabji,Karela masala fry, Karela cury,Bharelan karela, Gujarati Karela potato sabji, Punjabi karela sabji are the Indian dishes prepared from Karela
Karela can be eaten raw provided you like its taste. Karela is really very very bitter. It has great nutritional value.
Karela juice, karela jamun juice,jamun neem karela juice,Karela amla juice, karela khera dudhi juice are popular.
Karela juice is safe for most when consumed in moderation, but those who have diabetes, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding should consult their healthcare provider.
How to make bitter gourd or Karela juice?
1. Peel the bitter gourd with the help of a knife.
2. Slice the bitter gourd to the centre.
3. Once you are done slicing, scoop out the white flesh and the seeds of the vegetable.Now, take the bitter gourd and cut them into tiny pieces. Soak the pieces in cold water for about 30 minutes.
4. Add bitter gourd pieces to a juicer and add half teaspoon salt and lemon juice. Blend the ingredients well till you get a fine consistency.
5. Take a strainer or cheese cloth, place it on your glass or tumbler and pour the juice from the blender into the glass.
It is advisable to prepare fresh bitter gourd juice at home rather than consuming commercially available one.
Pro tip: If it gets too bitter for your palate, you can sprinkle a bit of chaat masala into your juice too.
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Kerala has significant effect on blood sugar level so adjust the dose of antidiabetic drugs and/ or insulin to prevent hypoglycemia.It is personal experience of author that Kerala is very much potential in lowering blood sugar level.
करेला कड़वा होता है किन्तु काफी फायदेमंद है। Enjoy sabji of thisvegetable with cury or curd or butter milk.
Information compiled by Dr Bhairavsinh Raol
