Health Benefits of Ampalaya (Bittergourd)

Bitter Melon, bitter gourd, ampalaya: This tropical plant which goes by many names, is commonly grown for its edible fruit, which is probably among the most bitter of all vegetables on earth. Bitter gourd predominantly grows in tropical areas, including parts of Asia, East Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, where it is used both as food as well as a medicine. The plant's fruit truly lives up to its name, because it really tastes bitter. Although the seeds, leaves, and vines of this fruit have different uses, the fruit is considered as the safest and most predominantly used part of the plant in traditional herbal medicine.

There has been much research done on the effectiveness of using Momordica Charantia in the treatment of diabetes. It has been shown to increase production of beta cells by the pancreas, thereby improving the body’s ability to produce insulin. It has been recommended by the Department of Health of the Philippines, as one of the best herbal medicines for it’s ability to help with liver problems, Diabetes and HIV.

Ampalaya Is Now Used In Herbal Medicine

Until recently, bitter gourd has been noted to be a potent herbal medicine for a lot of ailments, particularly in treating diabetes. The Philippine variety is known for its more potent anti-diabetic components.

This fruit is composed of a mixture of flavonoids and alkaloids which make the pancreas produce insulin that controls the blood sugar levels in diabetics. Aside from its touted medicinal value, it's also a very wonderful source of vitamins A, B and C, iron, folic acid, phosphorous and calcium. Ampalaya is a common herb used in Chinese herbology too.

The fruit's leaves are often used for children's coughs and are utilized in the treatment of skin diseases, sterility in women, as a parasiticide, an antipyretic, as well as a purgative. Like most bitter-tasting fruits and vegetables, bitter gourd stimulates digestion and can be very potent in people with dyspepsia and constipation.

Herbal Benefits of Ampalaya:

Ampalaya is noted to be an effective component in herbal medicine, and the fruit is known to help treat, or alleviate the symptoms of rheumatism and gout and ailments of the spleen and liver. It also is effective in helping lower the body's blood sugar and blood pressure levels. Below are among many of the beneficial aspects of using bitter gourd:

• Helps to disinfect and heal cuts, wounds & burns
• Is useful as a cough & fever remedy
• Used in the treatment of intestinal worms and diarrhea
• Helps prevent some types of cancers
• Helps enhance the body's immune system to ward off infections
• Serves as an effective antioxidant, antibacterial & antipyretic agent

How To Prepare A Herbal Ampalaya Mixture.

As the bitter fruit is famous for its many medicinal attributes, there are also other unique ways in preparing mixtures, drinks or solutions made from ampalaya. For cough, fever, worms, diarrhea, diabetes, drink a spoonful every day of grounded and juiced ampalaya leaves. For other health conditions, the fruit and leaves can both be juiced and taken orally. For wounds, burns and other skin diseases, you may apply the fruit's warmed leaves to the affected area.

Aside from the benefits mentioned above, bitter gourd is also an effective digestive agent that works by properly stimulating the secretion of gastric juices. It also aids in stimulating the liver for proper secretion of bile juices that are essential for the metabolism of body fat.

Taking juice made from bitter gourd also helps in the treatment of constipation, which is mainly caused by unhealthy eating habits and daily dietary practices. This fruit not only is good at relieving an indigestive condition, but also aids in treating constipation, by improving the movement of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as improving absorption in the intestines.
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