TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USES AND THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF MOMORDICA CHARANTIA LINN
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USES AND THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF MOMORDICA
CHARANTIA LINN
Herbalism has a long tradition of use
outside of conventional medicine. It is becoming more mainstream as
improvements in analysis. According to earlier saying the bitterness in fruits
and vegetables are the sign of medicinal enrichment.
Some of the following proved facts of
medicinal and therapeutic properties of Momordica
charantia
1. Momordica charantia (Bitter melon), a climbing vine whose leaves
and green fruits, although bitter, has been used to fight cancer diabetes and
many infectious diseases. It is also a powerful weapon against HIV/AIDS1
2. Roots are useful in treatment of eye related
diseases. The fruit is bitter, cooling, digestible, laxative, antipyretic,
anthelmintic, appetizer, cures biliousness, blood diseases, anaemia, urinary
discharges, asthma, ulcers, bronchitis etc.2
3. Fruit is very bitter, carminative, tonic,
stomachic, aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, astringent to bowels and useful in
treatment of syphilis, rheumatism, spleen troubles etc.3
4. Regular use of bitter gourd juice boosts body
stamina and prevents chronic fatigue. The beta-carotene content in bitter gourd
helps in controlling eye disorders and enhances eyesight.4
References
1. K.P.Sampath
Kumar1 ,Debjit Bhowmik2
(1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Coimbatore medical college, Coimbatore, TN, India.
2. Karpagam University, Coimbatore, TN,
India.)
2. Ayurveda
(Ancient Indian Medical System)
3. Unani Medical System
4. Leatherdale BA, Panesar RK, Singh
G, et al.
Improvement in glucose tolerance due
to Momordica charantia (karela). Br
Med J (Clin Res
Ed). 1981;282:1823-1824.
Antibacterial activity of Momordica charantia
Bacteria play important roles in our
life. Most of the bacteria help us in surviving, i.e. bacteria present in our intestine help in digesting food. But
some bacteria also harm us many ways, so to prevent them from harming us there
is drug and medicine called Anti-bacterial.
In this part we will study the
antibacterial properties of Momordica
charantia Linn.
1. The phytochemical prospection of the fresh and
dried leaves extracts showed the presence of different classes of secondary
metabolites, as flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins that have demonstrated
antimicrobial action. Fresh and dried leaves presented significantly
anti-microbial activity against all bacterial strains tested, especially Escherichia coli. Ethyl acetate
fractions were effective against Escherichia
coli and Bacillus cereus. The modulatory
activity was significative too.1
2. According to Omoregbe et.al
(1996) aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of M. charantia leaves presented antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella paratyphi, Shigella
dysenterae, Streptomyces griseus and Mycobacterium
tuberculosis.2
3. Prabakar and Jebanesan (2004) have shown that
the leaves methanolic extracts were effective against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae.3
4. The chemical prospection of M. charantia fresh leaves extracts and
fractions have indicated the presence of various secondary metabolites classes
that are known to present different therapeutic applications, for example,
tannins (antimicrobial, antiviral, moluscicidal and anti-tumoral), flavonoids
(anti carcinogenic, antiviral, antihemorrhagic and antioxidant).4
References
1. José
Galberto M. Costa1*, Eidla M. M. Nascimento1, Adriana R.
Campos2 and Fabiola F. G. Rodrigues1
( 1.Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioprospecção
Molecular, Departamento de Química Biológica, Laboratório de Pesquisa de
Produtos Naturais, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Rua Cel. Antônio Luiz 1161,
Pimenta, 63105-000 Crato-CE, Brasil
2.Vice-Reitoria
de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação, Universidade de Fortaleza, Av. Washington Soares 1321,
Edson Queiroz, 60811-905,Fortaleza-CE, Brasil)
2. Omoregbe RE, Ikuebe OM, Ihimire IG.
Antimicrobial activity of some medicinal plants extracts on Escherichia coli, Salmonella paratyphi and Shigella
dysenteriae. Afr J Med Med Sci. 1996; 25:373-5
3. Prabakar K, Jebanesan A. Larvicidal efficacy of
some Cucurbitacious plant leaf extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus (Say). Biores Technol. 2004; 95:113-4.
4. Scalbert, A. Antimicrobial properties of
tannins. Phytochemistry 1991;
30:3875-3883.
Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Momordica Charantia
Inflammation is the type of disorder
in which a body or part of body become swollen, reddened, painful etc. To prevent or treat it we use drug
and medicine called anti-inflammatory. Here we will study the anti-inflammatory
properties of Momordica charantia
.
1. Wild bitter gourd in diets promoted lipid
metabolism, reducing fat accumulation, and improving low blood glucose in
sepsis. Addition of wild bitter gourd can reduce inflammation biochemical
markers or indicators and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body, hence
improving the inflammation responses in mice with sepsis.1
2. Wild bitter gourd in diets facilitates lipid
metabolism, reducing blood lipid concentration and body weight. Group H shows
most significant results. Adding wild bitter gourd to diets of sepsis-induced
mice reduced expression of proteins COX-2, iNOS, and NF.B, all associated with
inflammation. It reduced secretions of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other
substances, hence improved the inflammation responses in sepsis mice. Its
numerous health benefits include reducing blood lipids, improving blood
glucose, and combating inflammation. In the future, with active ingredients
purified, isolated, and identified, this common crop can be used clinically as
nutritional supplement to improve acute endotoxin induced septicemia.1(conclusion)
3. Its anti-inflammation property is thus linked
to categorization as a “cooling food” in traditional/folk medicine.2
References
1. Che-Yi Chao 1,*, Ping-Jyun Sung 2,3,
Wei-Hsien Wang 3,4 and Yueh-Hsiung Kuo 5,6,*
( 1. Department of Health and Nutrition
Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, 41354, Taiwan 2. Graduate Institute of Marine
Biotechnology and Department of Life Science and Institute of Biotechnology,
National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung 94450, Taiwan;
3. National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung 94450,
Taiwan
4. Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun
Yat-sen University Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
5. Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine
Resources China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
6. Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan)
2. Hsu, C.; Tsai, T.H.; Li, Y.Y.; Wu, W.H.;
Huang, C.J.; Tsai, P.J. Wild bitter melon (Momordica
charantia Linn. var. abbreviata Ser.)
extract and its bioactive components suppres Propionibacterium
acnes-induced inflammation. Food Chem.
2012, 135, 976–984.
Anti-cancer
Properties of Momordica charantia Linn
The study of
cancer is called oncology. Cancer is the leading cause of death in today’s
world.
In this part
we will study the effect of Momordica
charantia as anti-cancer properties in human having lung cancer.
1. M. charantia, which has been popularly used among cancer
and diabetic researchers. Commonly known by the locals as either bitter gourd
or bitter melon, it is being described as the food of medicine.1
2. Cisplatin had a better potency compared to the
extracts in inducing apoptosis. As cisplatin is the standard drug for non-small
cell lung cancer, it induces apoptosis by increasing the ROS via the intrinsic
pathway of apoptosis. The antiproliferative effects of CHA in A549 cells were
associated with mitochondria disruption, and induction of apoptosis by
increasing ROS and caspase-3/7 .CHA is an effective natural product for the
treatment of lung cancer through the activation of ROS-mediated mitochondria
injury.2(conclusion)
References
1. E. Middleton, C. Kandaswami, and T. C.
Theoharides, “The effects of plant flavonoids on mammalian cells: implications
for inflammation, heart disease, and cancer,” Pharmacological Reviews, vol. 52,
no. 4, pp. 673–751, 2000.
2. Siroshini Thiagarajan ,1 Daryl J.
Arapoc,2 Nurul Husna Shafie,3 Yong Yoke Keong ,1
Hasnah Bahari ,1 Zainah Adam ,2 and Thandar Ei 1
1.
Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of
Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
Serdang,Selangor, Malaysia
3.
Malaysian Nuclear Agency,
Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
4.
Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine
and Health Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Analgesic and antipyretic activities of Momordica
charantia
Linn. Fruits
Analgesic type of drugs are that type
of drug which are used in relieving pain of bones and skeletal muscles which
include muscle spasm, muscles cramps etc.
Anti-pyretic type of drugs are used in
lowering fever these type of drugs are mostly OTC (over-the-counter) means,
these type of drugs are sold without prescription. Mechanism of these drugs
override hypothalamus (part of brain, that control body temperature etc) to
lower the production of prostaglandin.
1. Plant Momordica
charantia Linn. Belongs to family Cucurbitaceae. It is known as bitter
gourd in English and karela in Hindi. Earlier claims show that the plant is
used in stomachic ailments as a carminative tonic; as an antipyretic and
antidiabetic agent; and in rheumatoid arthritis and gout. The fruit has been
claimed to contain charantin, steroidal saponin, momordium, carbohydrates,
mineral matters, ascorbic acid, alkaloids, glucosides, etc. The ethanolic
extract of the fruit showed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, glycosides,
steroids, proteins, and carbohydrates. The present study was carried out using
acetic acid-induced writhing and tail-immersion tests in mice, while
yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. The ethanolic extracts (250 and 500 mg/kg, po.)
showed an analgesic and antipyretic effect, which was significantly higher than
that in the control rats. The observed pharmacological activities provide the
scientific basis to support traditional claims as well as explore some new and
promising leads.1(abstract)
References
1. Roshan Patel, Naveen Mahobia, Nitin Upwar,
Naheed Waseem, Hetal Talaviya, Zalak Patel
(Shree Leuva Patel Trust Pharmacy
Mahila College, Amreli, Gujarat, India)
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