Botanical Name:   Memordica Charantia Linn.
Family Name:       Cucurbitaceae
Common Name:    Karela

 Parts Used: Whole Plant, Fruit, Seed.

 Origin of Herbs

Karela grows in tropical areas, including parts of the Amazon, east Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, and is cultivated throughout South America as a food and medicine. It's a slender, climbing annual vine with long-stalked leaves and yellow, solitary male and female flowers borne in the leaf axils. The fruit looks like a warty gourd, usually oblong and resembling a small cucumber. The young fruit is emerald green, turning to orange-yellow when ripe. At maturity, the fruit splits into three irregular valves that curl backwards and release numerous reddish-brown or white seeds encased in scarlet arils. The Latin name Momordica means "to bite," referring to the jagged edges of the leaves, which appear as if they have been bitten. All parts of the plant, including the fruit, taste very bitter.

Healing Power

Being a relatively common food item, karela was traditionally used for an array conditions by people in tropical regions. Numerous infections, cancer and diabetes are among the most common conditions it was purported to improve. The leaves and fruit have both been used to make teas or to season soups in the Western world.

High Blood Sugar: At least three different groups of constituents in karela have been reported to have hypoglycemic (blood-sugar lowering) actions of potential benefit in diabetes. These include a mixture of steroidal saponins known as charantin, insulin-like peptides and alkaloids.

Ayurvedic supplements that contains Karela