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Bitter melon

Pura Vida

Well-Known Member
Messages
753
Location
CANADA YYC
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Anyone using Bitter Melon to control BG?


Good for…What bitter melon good for

Bitter melon contains a chemical that acts like insulin to help reduce blood sugar levels. People commonly use bitter melon for diabetes, osteoarthritis, athletic performance, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
 

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Not me.
Without “good scientific evidence to support these uses” even if I had heard of it before, which I haven’t, I probably wouldn’t spend money on it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention though.
 
So it doesn't 'act like insulin'.

The way insulin acts is quite well understood and can be measured. If it acted like insulin there would be scientific evidence.
If this chemical would act like insulin, it would only work when being injected or inhaled, not when it's taken by mouth.

So whatever this bitter melon does or doesn't do, not this.
I don't know what your source is, but I wouldn't trust it if they write this kind of nonsense.

Do you have experience with bitter melon yourself? Did you find a difference in your BG?
 

I take supplement and it does help.
 
Whenever I have eaten it (in soup or stir-fry) I have found my blood sugar was lower than it otherwise would be.
 
Where do you buy bitter melon I can't say I've ever seen it .
 
Last time I saw my doctor she mentioned that many of her patients have taken it and get great results with bitter melon. I had never heard of it. She certainly wasn’t telling them not to take it.
 
That's interesting. No, I haven't used it, I'd heard of it, but never seen it or so I thought. I didn't know it could be so useful either.
Actually, thank you, as I have seen it, on a smashing veg stall in the city that sells great produce with some unusual fruit & veg. I have asked twice what that nobbly courgettey thing is & both times, the guys couldn't tell me. Now I know! Depending on the weather, I'm hoping to go in tomorrow, so I'd best look it up & what you do with it.

ETA I do like trying different things no matter what they may or may not do.
 
Well, I did get there, but...it was the one thing they didn't have. There were loads of fresh, good looking plantain though, which of course, I didn't buy. So, next time!
 
I've never heard of it and laughed when i first read Bitter Melon as i thought it a typo error and should be bitter lemon which i am fond of with a gin.....lol
 
I’ve not used it in a medicinal sense but an Indian restaurant I used to go to where I lived before used to make a cracking curry with it in, it give a bit of a bitter taste and sort of a “dry” finish on the palate, you can definitely taste it in a curry and I would say it’s an acquired taste
 
Bcgirl said:
Last time I saw my doctor she mentioned that many of her patients have taken it and get great results with bitter melon. I had never heard of it. She certainly wasn’t telling them not to take it.
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Hi @Bcgirl. Is this the same doctor that reckons some of her patients get good results using berberine? If so, she's not like any doctor I've encountered here in the UK.
 

I use bitter melon at least twice a week. Slightly peel top, take the seeds out. Clean and dry. Cut into small pieces. Steam with very little olive oil in covered pan for about 10 minutes. Add chopped red onions. Steam another minute or so. I add salt and peppers. You can add any seasoning you want.
 
Pura Vida said:
i have been using it for years it does help to keep my BG down
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I have been using it for years too, just like I use any cruciferous vegetable, not sure if it keeps my BG down. Thanks for sharing!
 
You will find it in Asian or Chinese grocery stores. Fresh or sometimes frozen. Sainsbury’s in the UK sells it in the Asian section of the frozen food section. There are two types. The smaller dark green knobbly one is super bitter. The other one is larger and looks like a light green wrinkled cucumber and is less bitter. In Asia it’s used in some juices, but typically in China it’s stir fried with egg or cooked with beef and black bean sauce.
 

Lately I have been eating bitter melon 2-3 times a week. I use the small dark green one. Slightly peel the top, cut and take the seeds out, wash and dry. Cut them in small pieces. Stir fry with very little olive oil and cover it on low heat for 10 minutes or so till they are soft. Add some red onion, cook for another 3-4 minutes. Along with some tandoori chicken and a half slice of sourdough bread. I think now it helps lower my blood glucose.
 

I've seen it in local stores but didn't know how to cook it properly)
 
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