Bitter Gourd (Ampalaya)

Bitter Gourd-Melon (Ampalaya or Amargoso) – Momordica charantia

Well-known for its bitter edible fruit, Ampalaya is a herbaceous, climbing vine growing up to five meters. The plant have heart-shaped leaves and bear green oblong-shaped fruits. Leaves, fruits and roots are used in treating several health disorders.

Medicinal Uses:

• Juice extracted from leaves is effective in easing cough, pneumonia, heal wounds, and combating intestinal parasites.
• Juice from fruits aids in treating dysentery and chronic colitis.
• Decoction of roots and seeds is effective in treating hemorrhoids, rheumatism, abdominal pain, psoriasis and urethral discharges.
• Pounded leaves used for eczema, jaundice, and scalds.
• Decoction of leaves is effective for fevers.

Recent studies have suggested that the bitter fruit contains plant insulin, helpful for its blood sugar lowering effect. Ampalaya is recommended for diabetic individuals to take.

Description of Bitter Gourd-Melon (Ampalaya or Amargoso)

This herbaceous, tendril-bearing vine grows to 5 m. It bears simple, alternate leaves 4–12 cm across, with three to seven deeply separated lobes. Each plant bears separate yellow male and female flowers. In the Northern Hemisphere, flowering occurs during June to July and fruiting during September to November.

The fruit has a distinct warty exterior and an oblong shape. It is hollow in cross-section, with a relatively thin layer of flesh surrounding a central seed cavity filled with large, flat seeds and pith. The fruit is most often eaten green, or as it is beginning to turn yellow. At this stage, the fruit’s flesh is crunchy and watery in texture, similar to cucumber, chayote or green bell pepper, but bitter. The skin is tender and edible. Seeds and pith appear white in unripe fruits; they are not intensely bitter and can be removed before cooking.

As the fruit ripens, the flesh (rind) becomes tougher, more bitter, and too distasteful to eat. On the other hand, the pith becomes sweet and intensely red; it can be eaten uncooked in this state, and is a popular ingredient in some Southeast Asian salads.

When the fruit is fully ripe, it turns orange and mushy, and splits into segments which curl back dramatically to expose seeds covered in bright red pulp. (source verbatim from: wikipedia)

Varieties of Bitter Gourd-Melon (Ampalaya or Amargoso)

Bitter melon comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Chinese variety is 20–30 cm long, oblong with bluntly tapering ends and pale green in color, with a gently undulating, warty surface. The bitter melon more typical of India has a narrower shape with pointed ends, and a surface covered with jagged, triangular “teeth” and ridges. It is green to white in color. Between these two extremes are any number of intermediate forms. Some bear miniature fruit of only 6–10 cm in length, which may be served individually as stuffed vegetables. These miniature fruit are popular in India, Nepal and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

source of information is verbatim from: wikipedia

Culinary uses of Bitter Gourd-Melon (Ampalaya or Amargoso)

Bitter melon is generally consumed cooked in the green or early yellowing stage. The young shoots and leaves of the bitter melon may also be eaten as greens.

Bitter melon is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavor, typically in stir-fries (often with pork and douchi), soups, and also in tisanes. It has also been used in place of hops as the bittering ingredient in some Chinese and Okinawan beers.

It is very popular throughout South Asia. In Northern India, it is often prepared with potatoes and served with yogurt on the side to offset the bitterness, or used in sabzi. In North Indian cuisine, it is stuffed with spices and then cooked in oil. In Southern India, it is used in the dishes thoran/thuvaran (mixed with grated coconut), theeyal (cooked with roasted coconut) and pachadi (which is considered a medicinal food for diabetics). Other popular recipes include preparations with curry, deep fried with peanuts or other ground nuts, and Pachi Pulusu (కాకరకాయ పచ్చి పులుసు), a soup with fried onions and other spices.In Tamil Nadu, a special preparation in Brahmins’ cuisine called pagarkai pitla (பாகற்காய் பிட்லா) a kind of sour koottu (கூட்டு) variety is very popular. Also popular is kattu pagarkkai (கட்டு பாகற்காய்) a curry stuffed with onions, cooked lentil and grated coconut mix, tied with thread and fried in oil. In Konkan region of Maharashtra, salt is added to finely chopped bitter gourd and then it is squeezed, removing its bitter juice to some extent.After frying this with different spices, less bitter and crispy preparation is served with grated coconut.

In Pakistan and Bangladesh, bitter melon is often cooked with onions, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, coriander powder, and a pinch of cumin seeds. Another dish in Pakistan calls for whole, unpeeled bitter melon to be boiled and then stuffed with cooked ground beef, served with either hot tandoori bread, naan, chappati, or with khichri (a mixture of lentils and rice).

Bitter melon is a significant ingredient in Okinawan cuisine, and is increasingly used in mainland Japan. It is popularly credited with Okinawan life expectancies being higher than the already long Japanese ones.

In Indonesia, bitter melon is prepared in various dishes, such as gado-gado, and also stir fried, cooked in coconut milk, or steamed.

In Vietnam, raw bitter melon slices consumed with dried meat floss and bitter melon soup with shrimp are popular dishes. Bitter melons stuffed with ground pork are served as a popular summer soup in the south. It is also used as the main ingredient of “stewed bitter melon”. This dish is usually cooked for the Tết holiday, where its “bitter” name is taken as a reminder of the poor living conditions experienced in the past.

In the Philippines, bitter melon may be stir-fried with ground beef and oyster sauce, or with eggs and diced tomato. The dish pinakbet, popular in the Ilocos region of Luzon, consists mainly of bitter melons, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various regional vegetables altogether stewed with a little bagoong-based stock.

In Nepal, bitter melon is prepared as a fresh pickle called achar. For this, the bitter gourd is cut into cubes or slices and sautéed covered in oil and a sprinkle of water. When it is softened and reduced, it is minced in a mortar with a few cloves of garlic, salt and a red or green pepper. It is also sautéed to golden-brown, stuffed, or as a curry on its own or with potatoes.

In Trinidad and Tobago bitter melons are usually sauteed with onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper until almost crisp.

source of information copied verbatim from: wikipedia

Home remedy to cure your diabetes once and for all

• Source:http://www.lazmihealth.com/simple-home-cure-for-diabetes/

By Anne Johnson

Are you one amongst those who’s slacking the rope between too little sugar and too much sugar in the bloodstream? Do you often wonder if there could be a natural treatment for diabetes?

Well, you’re not alone. There are millions across the globe who are suffering from diabetes and are forced to pop lifelong pills or take insulin injections to remain stable. However, these medical treatments can only manage diabetes and not cure it.

That being said, let’s quickly take a dig at how you can cure diabetes with food. And you don’t necessarily need to eat that food! Bitter gourd (or bitter melon) water/juice: Nature cure for diabetes

Soak your feet in bitter gourd water/juice everyday for about a month and say goodbye to diabetes

For all those who find it difficult to cure diabetes with food and lifestyle changes or are having a hard time administering medicines, herbs and injections, should opt for this natural treatment for diabetes.

So, without wasting any time further, let’s see how soaking your feet in bitter gourd water/juice can make a difference in your lives:

Materials Required:

• Bitter gourd (also called bitter melon)

• Blender to coarse-grind bitter gourd

• A tub to soak feet

Procedure

Step 1: Cut 6-8 fresh bitter gourds into medium sized pieces.

Step 2: Place in blender, add some water and coarse-grind.

Step 3: Transfer the ground bitter gourd content into a medium-sized tub.

Step 4: Then, soak your feet in the tub containing bitter gourd water or juice. Add water as required so that the soles of the feet are totally submerged.

Step 5: Now, move your feet around slowly in bitter gourd water/juice for about 25 minutes.

After a certain length of time, you will notice your tongue turn bitter. While some people experience the bitterness reaching the tongue within 10-15 minutes, others take as long as 30 minutes.

Step 6: As soon as you taste the bitterness on your tongue, remove your feet from the tub and wash up with plain clean water.

Repeat this procedure everyday for about a month.

For a long time diabetics have been well-advised to drink bitter gourd juice but most people find it difficult to do this owing to the bitterness of the concoction. But soaking the feet in the juice solves this problem. There’s nothing bitter to swallow. Just sit back and read a book while you soak your feet. The good bitterness of bitter melon is absorbed by the body via the pores in the soles of the feet. In about a month you should be free of diabetes. What makes this home remedy for diabetes so unique?

Unlike other treatments that do no good to a diabetic person, this home remedy is a sure-shot way to treat and cure diabetes. Not only it’s natural but it’s inexpensive as well. Moreover, since it’s a natural treatment for diabetes, it does not have any side effect.

So, all you need is a handful of bitter gourds and you can cure this dangerous disease effortlessly.

Things to know

Certain things you should take care of while practicing this nature cure for diabetes:

• Eat healthy

• Do physical exercise

• Abstain from sugar

• Replace sweets with fruits or honey

So, what are you waiting for? Switch to this natural treatment for diabetes and get rid of this life-taking disease forever!