Bitter gourd or Bitter melon also known as Karela has multiple health benefits and uses. It is recommended for PCOS or PCOD, female infertility, and Diabetes. It helps in weight loss (to get rid of obesity ) and is the best ayurvedic liver detox
Related article Natural Ayurvedic Remedies for Diabetes
Table of content
Improves the Health of the Digestive System
Helps in the management of diabetes
Helps to improve sexual function in men
Effective in PCOS / PCOD and female infertility.
Bitter gourd or Karela in ayurveda
Bitter gourd – Chemical constituents
Ayurvedic Properties of Bitter gourd / melon or Karela
Heals Wounds
Ayurveda acharyas recommend using the juice of leaves of this plant on wounds that are taking a long time to heal. It is praised as “krumihara” or anti-microbial.
A very good Weight Loss Diet
Both fruit and leaves of this plant can be used in a weight loss diet. Karela acts as a drying agent. It dries up fat tissues and boosts fat metabolism. This vegetable and its plant parts suppress appetite. With these two qualities it acts as an excellent weight loss herb and Ayurveda acharyas recommend this in obesity.
The leaves are a storehouse of nutrients like potassium, sodium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, manganese, and copper. Also, these leaves contain vitamins like carotene, tocopherol, folic acid, cyanocobalamin, and ascorbic acid. Hence ayurveda acharyas recommend these leaves as “pathya” which means a diet for specific health conditions. But people with pitta dosha as the main constituent should use these leaves with caution as they increase pitta dosha. This vegetable is also considered as best ayurvedic liver detox diet.
Improves the Health of the Digestive System
The fruit of this plant, when consumed improves the process of digestion and boosts metabolism ( deepana ). It improves appetite, digestive juices secretion and has an anti-parasitic effect. Especially leaf juice is recommended for intestinal worms ( krumihara). It paves way for the absorption of nutrients, hence recommended in diseases that occur due to nutrition deficiency.
Relieves Constipation
The fruits of this plant are rich in fiber. According to the principles of Ayurveda, these fruits break the hard and dry fecal matter ( bedhana) and ease the process of evacuation. Hence this is recommended for people who suffer from constipation.
Improves skin health and glow
Since bitter gourd acts as a blood purifier ( Rakta shodhaka) , its use is recommended for skin diseases like psoriasis, acne, and pimples. This ayurvedic plant is also praised as the best liver detox herb. Since it eliminates body toxins by relieving constipation and purifying blood, this can be included in a diet for a skin detox.
Helps in the management of diabetes
Ayurveda practitioners recommend Karavellaka or bitter melon for diabetes. It effectively controls blood sugar levels. This can be used in the form of capsules, juice, and in diet.
Helps to improve sexual function in men
This fruit is not recommended in ayurveda vajikarana therapy, as it is “avrushya” or non-aphrodisiac. Still, it can be helpful in rectifying klaibya or erectile dysfunction associated with some lifestyle diseases.
Usually, men with diabetes suffer from erectile dysfunction. Regular consumption of bitter melon helps in the management of blood sugar levels and also improves erectile dysfunction in diabetes.
Elevated blood cholesterol level also leads to Erectile Dysfunction and Premature Ejaculation. When the bitter gourd is used regularly it helps to bring down blood cholesterol levels and improves the sexual health of men
Obesity is another main reason for ED in men. Karela aids in weight loss and helps to improve sexual energy and stamina in men.
Bitter melon controls two major conditions which cause erectile dysfunction in men. It improves diabetes and helps in weight loss. Hence it is very useful in conditions like erectile dysfunction in diabetes and erectile dysfunction due to obesity.
Effective in PCOS / PCOD and female infertility.
Various research has shown that women with PCOS or PCOD usually have elevated blood glucose levels and they tend to develop diabetes. In this condition, body cells fail to respond to insulin. Karela or bitter melon helps to reduce blood sugar levels and also improves the sensitivity of cells to insulin.
Obesity is another cause of PCOS. The vicious cycle between PCOS and weight gain has to be braked to improve the condition. Bitter melon helps to reduce obesity and aids in weight loss. Thus regular use of this fruit brings the PCOS condition under control.
Apart from this texts of Ayurveda recommend this fruit for blood purification. It expels toxins from the body and purifies the blood. It also rejuvenates the lever and controls the production of cholesterol. When we use this fruit regularly we can see an improvement in blood cholesterol levels. Bitter gourd is the best ayurvedic food for PCOS.
Juice of karela is very effective in PCOS. Karela juice has to be consumed in the morning on an empty stomach when you plan to address PCOS. Karela can be used in the PCOS diet along with soy or soybean.
Texts of Ayurveda eulogize the benefits of Bitter gourd in female infertility. Ayurveda acharyas recommend using this herb along with other herbs like Ashoka, Lodhra, Jasad Bhasma or zinc, Turmeric, Shilajit, and Cinnamon (dalchini). Hence qualified experienced doctors at Ayurhelp have combined bitter gourd with all these herbs.
Keeping all these benefits in view doctors at Ayurhelp have added the herb as the main ingredient in CAPSULES to treat PCOS and Female infertility in an ayurvedic way. The ayurvedic treatment for PCOS and female infertility will be very effective when these capsules are used with fertility boosting capsules. This combo has to be used for 3 months to completely get rid of PCOD or PCOS.
Texts of Ayurveda recommend this fruit to regularise the menstrual cycle and also purify breast milk. Bitter melon helps in pcod or pcos by improving the insulin sensitivity of cells. It also aids in weight loss and improves female fertility.
How to consume bitter melon?
Make thin slices of Karela (remove seeds) and blend in a mixer to extract its juice. Diabetics can consume 10 – 30 ml per day. Even you can consume boiled bitter melon.
Dosage of bitter melon
– Fresh juice 10-20 ml. per day
But consult a qualified ayurvedic physician before trying any ayurvedic home remedy.
Bitter gourd or Bitter melon or Karela in Ayurveda
This fruit belongs to Cucurbitaceae family and its plant has a botanical name Momordica Charantia. This plant is a climber that bears oblong-shaped fruits. These fruits are very bitter to taste. Recipes of this vegetable are liked by everyone in India (except kids). This is recommended by Ayurveda vaidyas for the treatment of skin diseases like acne, pimple, psoriasis, etc. This also helps to detoxify rakta dhatu or blood.
Bitter gourd is known as Karela in Hindi and is a very popular vegetable of the Indian household. This vegetable is known by various names in the regional languages of India.
It is ‘Kakarakaya‘ in Telugu, ‘Pavakkai‘ in Tamil, ‘Pavakka‘ in Malayalam, ‘Hagalkai‘ in Kannada, ‘Karela‘ in Gujarati, ‘Karle‘ in Marathi, and ‘Korola‘ in Bengali. Texts of Ayurveda refer to this vegetable as Karavellaka.
Bitter gourd – Chemical constituents:
Karela contains 5-hydroxytryptamine, charantin, diosgenin, lanosterol, and betasitosterol. Its bitter principles are cucurbitacin glycosides. The fruits and seeds contain polypeptide insulin called as p- insulin, alpha, and beta glycoproteins. Especially seed contains hypoglycemic constituent vicine.
Ayurvedic Properties of Bitter gourd/melon or Karela
Texts of Ayurveda describe the properties of this fruit as follows.
It is very bitter (tikta rasa) to taste and has katu rasa (pungent taste) . It retains a pungent taste even after digestion. This vegetable is light to digest (laghu). On consumption of this vegetable, the moistness of tissues gets absorbed and leaves them dry (rooksha) . Hence drinking a good amount of water is very essential when you consume this vegetable. It has hot potency (ushna Veerya) and increases appetite. Leaf and fruit are used for medicinal purposes.
Bitter melon normalizes Kapha dosha and pitta dosha. It does not allow vata dosha to get vitiated.
Bitter gourd is used as a remedy for various health conditions. Ancient texts of Ayurveda explain it as follows.
(WhatsApp Dr.Savitha Suri @+ 91 6360108663/ to know more about ayurvedic treatments and remedies )
Author: Dr.Savitha Suri , Consultant Ayurvedic Physician
Reference : Antidiabetic effects of Momordica charantia (bitter melon) and its medicinal potency
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