Products
Nutritional supplements are commercially available in Germany (e.g., Sanakine).
Stem plant
Bitter melon from the cucurbit family is a perennial climbing plant native to the tropics. It is found in Asia, Africa and South America, for example. Its fruits resemble cucumbers and pumpkins.
Ingredients
Ingredients include water, lipids, proteins, fatty oil, vitamins, minerals, alkaloids (the bitter momordicin), and glycosides. Possible active ingredients include charantin, vicin, and polypeptide-P.
Effects
Bitter melon has antidiabetic (hypoglycemic) properties.
Indications for use
On the one hand, bitter melon is used as a food and vegetable. Medicinally, it is applied to a number of diseases. Of particular interest is its potential use in diabetes mellitus type 2. However, according to the literature, there are too few data for this to date. In 2010, a Cochrane review concluded, “There is insufficient evidence to recommend momordica charantia for type 2 diabetes mellitus” (Ooi et al., 2010).
Adverse effects
Possible adverse effects include hypoglycemia, headache, digestive disorders, liver disorders, and hematologic disorders. Bitter melon is possibly abortifacient and should not be used during pregnancy or lactation.