The homo-sapiens in their search for a panacea to keep themselves young and in perfect health, have not spared even the sour pungent plants as a source of cure for their
health problems.
Bitter-gourd (MomanLica charantia Linn.),an important member of the tucurbitaceae
family, is a vegetable known . It is widely cultivated in the Asian,South American and African countries. Some of the well-known koreta-growing countries are China, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, etc. The plant thrives in hot and humid climates, in sandy to sandy-loamy soils. Its fruit and leaves are used in various cuisines and are also used in medicine, especially to keep blood and urine sugar within permissible limits in diabetics.
Bitter-gourd is cooked in many ways, most popularly with minced meat, gram pulse or
stuffed with a generous amount of onions,garlic, green chillies, aniseed, cumin, caraway, coriander and other spices. It is also used to make pickles. Bitter-gourd juice helps reduce body toxins and blood disorders like boils and itching due to toxaemic conditions.
Since it is so hitter, most people rub tableCu salt on it after removing the outer skin and
leave it in the sun for 15-20 minutes to make it palatable. Some housewives boil
bitter-gourd in water with a few sprigs of tamarind leaves for 10-15 minutes to reduce
the bitterness.
Bitter-gourd is nutritive and has a low calorific value. It is also a rich source of
vitamins like A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and vitamin C, and also contains minerals like magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, iron and calcium. The dietary fibre in
hitter-gourd prevents constipation,obesity, diabetes mellitus and bowel
cancet According to nutritionists, hitter gourd contains twice the beta-carotene of
broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach and twice the amount of potassium of
a banana.
Bitter-gourd is recognised in herbal, Ayurvedic and Tibb-i-Linani systems of treatment. It stimulates digestion and peristalses — the normal movement of the intestines
which moves the food along the digestive tract — and helps in dyspepsia,
dysentery and constipation. It is anti-malarial,anthelmintic, purgatory, emetic and antirheumatic. Laboratory tests have indicated bitter-gourd can combat HIV infections, cancer,improve diabetes, toxaemic conditions and blood disorders, but these. claims have yet to be confirmed in human beings.
In the Philippines, a food supplement has been prepared for diabetics under the trade name of 'Charantin', which is also exported to some countries. It is suggested that if 'bitterness is an impediment in popularising bittergourd as a cure, the recommended dose can be put in gelatine capsules and swallowed in one go without its bitterness coming to surface.
Despite its benefits excessive use of bittergourd should be avoided as it can cause toxic
effects such as mild abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Two ounces of hitter-gourd or two
bitter-gourd a day will suffice.
Expectant mothers, especially in advanced stage of pregnancy, should be careful with their intake of bitter-gourd powder or its extract as it may cause mild abdominal pains or diarrhoea or lead to premature birth. Diabetics should consult their doctor instead of reliance on mere hearsay about the usefulness of hitter-gourd or its fresh juice in normalising blood sugar.Diabetes is spreading like wild fire and there is urgent need to develop new anti-diabetic drugs that are effective, cheap and in digenous for a diabetic to live a healthy, happy and tension-free life.
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Bitter-Melon
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Ditulis oleh:
Unknown - Saturday, 7 January 2012
