Bitter Melon supplement
Himalaya Herbal company
Dietary
Supplement
Bitter Melon has been used for centuries for its broad health benefits.
Get a FREE bottle of Diet Rx
Bitter
melon is a plant eaten and used
medicinally in much of Asia. Bitter melon, also known as balsam pear
or bitter gourd, is
traditionally used for the treatment of diabetes
in Asia, Africa, and South America. Bitter melon is also a medicinal plant used in the Ayurvedic system
of medicine for various conditions, including blood sugar control. In the
Philippines, bitter melon is known as Ampalaya, and widely used and advertised
for its blood sugar lowering benefits. The botanical name of bitter melon is
Momordica charantia.
I have formulated a highly effective appetite suppressant with
bitter melon called Diet Rx. By taking Diet Rx capsules, you are likely to
consume less food. By eating less, your blood sugar is less likely to rise as
high and therefore you will have better blood sugar management.
Bitter Melon supplement
Himalaya Herbal company
Dietary
Supplement
Bitter Melon has been used for centuries for its broad health benefits.
Get a FREE bottle of Diet Rx
Herbal Promise Cinnamon 6 with bitter melon- 750 mg
Cinnamon is one of the oldest remedies used in traditional Chinese herbalism. Recent studies show cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum) supports healthy blood sugar levels when used as part of your diet, by activating insulin and glucose transport and improving glucose metabolism.
Additional herbs involved in sugar management include gymnema, prickly pear, fenugreek, and bitter melon.
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Supplement
Research Update newsletter. Twice a month you will receive an email with
a review of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics --
including bitter melon and herbal extracts -- and
their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Cinnamon
6 Supplement Facts:
Amount Per
9
Tablets:
Chromium picolinate - 450 mcg
Proprietary blend 6750 mg:
Cinnamon herb,
Gymnema Sylvestre
leaves (Gumar), Nopal (prickly
pear), American
ginseng herb, fenugreek,
and bitter melon extract.
All the herbs
used in this product are either organic, wild harvested, non-fumigated,
non-irradiated, pesticide free and/or non-genetically altered.
High Quality products formulated by a medical
doctor
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Bitter melon mechanism of
action
Bitter melon is known in South-East Asia as pare. There are
several dozen active substances in bitter melon fruit. Compounds
in this plant activate the enzyme AMPK, a protein that regulates the
body's metabolism and affects glucose uptake. One of the compounds
increases fatty acid oxidation and glucose disposal in the body.
Dr. Mon-Jia Tan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai isolated several compounds from bitter melon known as cucurbitane triterpenoids, and tested their effects on glucose (sugar) and
fat metabolism in cells and in mice. When tested in muscle and fat cells
the compounds stimulated the glucose receptor GLUT4 to move from the cell
interior to the cell surface, thus promoting more effective glucose
metabolism. Several of the tested compounds had effects comparable to
those of insulin. Tests in mice of two of the compounds found that they
promoted both glucose tolerance and fat burning, and one was particularly
effective in promoting glucose tolerance in animals consuming high fat
diets. Chemistry and Biology, March 2008.
Antidiabetic Activities of Triterpenoids
Isolated from Bitter Melon Associated with Activation of the AMPK Pathway.
Chemistry and Biology. 2008 March. Tan Mon Jia, Ye JM, Turner N, Hohnen-Behrens C,
Ke CQ, Tang CP, Chen T, Weiss HC, Gesing ER, Rowland A, James DE, Ye Y.
State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia
Medica, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
Four cucurbitane glycosides, momordicosides Q, R, S, and T, and karaviloside XI, were isolated from the
vegetable bitter melon Momordica charantia. These compounds and their
aglycones exhibited a number of biologic effects beneficial to diabetes
and obesity. In both L6 myotubes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes, they stimulated
GLUT4 translocation to the cell membrane-an essential step for inducible
glucose entry into cells. This was associated with increased activity of
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key pathway mediating glucose
uptake and fatty acid oxidation. Furthermore, momordicoside(s) enhanced
fatty acid oxidation and glucose disposal during glucose tolerance tests
in both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant mice. These findings
indicate that cucurbitane triterpenoids, the characteristic constituents
of bitter melon, may provide leads as a class of therapeutics for diabetes
and obesity.
Bitter melon and blood
lipids
Momordica charantia ( bitter melon ) reduces plasma apolipoprotein B-100
and increases hepatic insulin receptor substrate and phosphoinositide-3
kinase interactions.
Br J Nutr. 2008 Mar 5; Nerurkar PV, Lee YK, Motosue M, Adeli K,
Nerurkar VR. Laboratory of Metabolic Disorders and Alternative Medicine,
Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, College of
Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa,
Honolulu, HI 96816, USA.
Bitter melon juice is a potent inhibitor of apoB secretion and TAG synthesis and secretion in human hepatoma cells,
HepG2, that may be involved in plasma lipid- and VLDL-lowering effects
observed in animal studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
effects of bitter melon juice on plasma apoB levels and hepatic insulin
signalling cascade in mice fed high-fat diet (HFD). Female C57BL/6 mice
(4-6 weeks old) were randomized into three groups receiving regular rodent
chow, HFD and HFD+BMJ. The data indicate that bitter melon juice not only
improves glucose and insulin tolerance but also lowers plasma apoB-100 and
apoB-48 in HFD-fed mice as well as modulates the phosphorylation status of
IR and its downstream signalling molecules. Investigating the biochemical
and molecular mechanisms involved in amelioration of diabetic
dyslipidaemia by bitter melon juice may lead to identification of new
molecular targets for dietary / alternative therapies.
Bitter Melon plant research
update
Reduced Adiposity in Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Fed Rats Is
Associated with Increased Lipid Oxidative Enzyme Activities and Uncoupling
Protein Expression1
American Society for Nutrition J. Nutr. 135:2517-2523, November
2005
To further explore the antiobesity effect of freeze-dried bitter melon
juice, activities of mitochondrial lipid oxidative enzymes as well as the
expression of uncoupling proteins and their transcription coactivator peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptor-{gamma} coactivator-1 {alpha} (PGC-1{alpha})
were determined in diet-induced obese rats. Rats were fed high-fat
diets to induce obesity, and the effect of bitter melon was assessed at doses of
0.75, 1.0, or 1.25% (wt:wt). In a dose-response experiment, bitter melon
-supplemented rats had lower energy efficiency (g weight gained /kJ consumed),
visceral fat mass, serum glucose, and insulin resistance index, but higher
plasma norepinephrine than unsupplemented rats. The present results suggest that
decreased adiposity in bitter melon -supplemented rats may result from lower
metabolic efficiency, a consequence of increased lipid oxidation and
mitochondrial uncoupling.
Ethnomedicinal uses of Momordicacharantia (Cucurbitaceae) in Togo and
relation to its phytochemistry and biological activity.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Jan 4;96(1-2):49-55.
Beloin N, Gbeassor M, Akpagana K, Hudson J, de Soussa K, Koumaglo
K, Arnason JT.
Biology Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont., Canada
Investigation of the traditional uses of Momordica charantia (Cucurbitaceae)
- bitter melon - in Togo (West Africa) showed that it is one of the
most important local medicinal plants both for ritual and ethnomedical
practices. There was a high degree of consensus (>50%) for bitter melon
use in the treatment of gastrointestinal and viral disease among 47 groups
of village informants in the general population, while 19 traditional
healers reported a larger and broader set of bitter melon uses. The use by
informants in Gaur and Kwa language groups was not significantly
different. Lyophilized bitter melon extracts prepared from accessions
collected in Togo showed high antiviral activity (<5 microg/ml) against
Sindbis and Herpes simplex type 1 viruses and anthelmintic activity
against Caenorhabditis elegans at 500 microg/ml. Presence in the bitter
melon leaves of the triterpene glycosides momordicins I and II follows
biological activity of the plant extracts. However, momordicins were found
to be anthelmintic but not antiviral. Traditional healers collected bitter
melon plants in dry areas where momordicin content is greater.
Effect of Momordica charantia on lipid profile and oral
glucose tolerance in diabetic rats.
Phytother Res. 2004 Nov;18(11):954-6. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University
of Botswana, Gaborone, Private Bag 0022, Botswana
In this study, the methanol extract of bitter melon fruit extract
was administered to diabetic rats to assess the long term effect of the
extract on the lipid profile and the oral glucose tolerance test.
Treatment for 30 days showed a significant decrease in triglyceride, low
density lipoprotein and a significant increase in high density lipoprotein
level. A significant effect on oral glucose tolerance was also noted.
Chronic administration showed an improvement in the oral glucose tolerance
curve. The effect was more pronounced when the test was done in rats fed
the extract on the day of the test compared with tests done in rats which
were not fed the extract on the same day.
The effects of bitter melon (Momordica
charantia) extracts on serum and liver lipid parameters in hamsters fed
cholesterol-free and cholesterol-enriched diets.
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2004 Aug;50(4):253-7.
The hypolipidemic effect of dietary methanol fraction extracted from
bitter melon (Koimidori variety), at the levels of 0.5% and 1.0%, was
examined in male golden Syrian hamsters fed diets supplemented with and
without cholesterol. The feeding of bitter melon at 0.5% and 1.0% levels
in the diets for 4 wk tended to reduce food intake and growth, although
there was no difference in food efficiency (weight gain/food intake). An
effect of dietary bitter melon on serum triglyceride was not seen in
hamsters fed diets free of cholesterol, while hypertriglyceridemia induced
by dietary cholesterol was significantly lowered in a dose-dependent
manner in those fed diets containing the bitter melon Serum total
cholesterol concentration also tended to decrease in a dose-dependent
manner following feeding of increasing amounts of bitter melon in the
presence and absence of cholesterol in the diet. The effects of dietary
bitter melon on liver triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were
marginal, although dietary cholesterol caused a marked accumulation of
these lipid molecules in the liver. These results suggest that the bitter
melon contains some components that could ameliorate lipid disorders such
as hyperlipidemia.
Ethnomedicinal uses of Momordicacharantia (Cucurbitaceae)
in Togo and relation to its phytochemistry and biological activity.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Jan 4;96(1-2):49-55.
Beloin N, Gbeassor M, Akpagana K, Hudson J, de Soussa K, Koumaglo
K, Arnason JT.
Biology Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont., Canada
Investigation of the traditional uses of Momordica charantia (Cucurbitaceae)
- bitter melon -
in Togo (West Africa) showed that it is one of the most important local
medicinal plants both for ritual and ethnomedical practices. Lyophilized
bitter melon extracts prepared from accessions collected in Togo showed
high antiviral activity (<5 microg/ml) against Sindbis and Herpes simplex
type 1 viruses - oral
herpes.
Bitter melon
extract availability by herbal suppliers
Bitter melon extract is sold in a number of concentrations and extract
potencies including a 10 to 1 extract concentration.
Bitter Melon questions
Q. Are bitter melon capsules standardized for MAP 30 content? If yes, what
is MAP concentration per capsule or dose of the Himalaya Herbal bitter
melon supplement product?
A. The Himalaya Herbal bitter melon product is not standardized to a MAP
extract. There is, as of yet, no human research with bitter melon extract
supplements for any length of time. Therefore standardization to any
particular compound or substance within bitter melon does not seem to make any practical sense if there are
no human studies to indicate one extract is better than another extract
for standardization purposes, or better than the whole bitter melon herb.
Q. Is bitter melon a cure for HIV? I take
the following prescriptions for HIV: Kaletra and Didanose.
A. We have not seen any human research
regarding the use of bitter melon supplements as a treatment for HIV.