Monday 13 April 2009
Momordica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Momordica | ||||||||||||
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 Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) | ||||||||||||
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| Species |
Momordica is a genus of about 45 species of annual or perennial climbing herbaceous or shrubby plants belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae, natives of tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia and Australia. Most species produce floral oils and are visited by specialist pollinators in the apid group Ctenoplectrini.
Cultivation and uses
Some Momordica species are grown in cultivation for their fleshy fruit, which are oblong to cylindrical in shape, orange to red in colour, prickly or warted externally, and in Momordica charantia burst when ripe, generally with elastic force, into irregular valves.
Momordica charantia [ku gua 苦瓜] is native to Africa but has been used in Chinese folk medicine for centuries as a 'bitter, cold' herb, and has recently been brought into mainstream Chinese medicine as well as natural medical traditions around the world.
Recent research has shown that the immature fruit might have some antibiotic, anticancer, and antiviral properties, particularly well suited for use in treatment of malaria, HIV, and diabetic conditions (the use of Momordica fruit is contraindicated in a number of conditions, especially pregnancy - all Chinese medicinals should be used only under the supervision of a trained herbalist of Traditional Chinese Medicine).
| “ | The effect of Momordica charantia on glucose and insulin concentrations was studied in nine non-insulin-dependent diabetics and six non-diabetic rats. These results show that it might improve glucose tolerance in diabetes but much more research is needed. Doctors supervising Asian diabetics should be aware of the fruit's hypoglycemic properties.[1] | ” |
The leaves and seeds have additional medical applications.
- Selected species
- Momordica balsamina
- Momordica cardiospermoides
- Momordica charantia (Bitter melon)
- Momordica cochinchinensis
- Momordica diocia
- Momordica foetida
- Momordica involucrata
- Momordica rostrata
- Siraitia grosvenorii was formerly labeled Momordica grosvenorii, but is now in the genus Siraitia (a genus of four species from Southeast Asia).
- 1: J Ethnopharmacol. 2004 Jul;93(1):123-32.
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Pharmacological actions and potential uses of Momordica charantia: a review.
Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110049, India. jkgrover@hotmail.com
Since ancient times, plants and herbal preparations have been used as medicine. Research carried out in last few decades has certified several such claims of use of several plants of traditional medicine. Popularity of Momordica charantia (MC) in various systems of traditional medicine for several ailments (antidiabetic, abortifacient, anthelmintic, contraceptive, dysmenorrhea, eczema, emmenagogue, antimalarial, galactagogue, gout, jaundice, abdominal pain, kidney (stone), laxative, leprosy, leucorrhea, piles, pneumonia, psoriasis, purgative, rheumatism, fever and scabies) focused the investigator's attention on this plant. Over 100 studies using modern techniques have authenticated its use in diabetes and its complications (nephropathy, cataract, insulin resistance), as antibacterial as well as antiviral agent (including HIV infection), as anthelmintic and abortifacient. Traditionally it has also been used in treating peptic ulcers, interestingly in a recent experimental studies have exhibited its potential against Helicobacter pylori. Most importantly, the studies have shown its efficacy in various cancers (lymphoid leukemia, lymphoma, choriocarcinoma, melanoma, breast cancer, skin tumor, prostatic cancer, squamous carcinoma of tongue and larynx, human bladder carcinomas and Hodgkin's disease). There are few reports available on clinical use of MC in diabetes and cancer patients that have shown promising results.
Bitter gourd (Momordica Charantia): A dietary approach to hyperglycemia.
Department of International Nutrition, Institute of Nutritional Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany. michael.krawinkel@uni-giessen.de
Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is a vegetable with pantropical distribution. It contains substances with antidiabetic properties such as charantin, vicine, and polypeptide-p, as well as other unspecific bioactive components such as antioxidants. Metabolic and hypoglycemic effects of bitter gourd extracts have been demonstrated in cell culture, animal, and human studies. The mechanism of action, whether it is via regulation of insulin release or altered glucose metabolism and its insulin-like effect, is still under debate. Adverse effects are also known. Nevertheless, bitter gourd has the potential to become a component of the diet or a dietary supplement for diabetic and prediabetic patients. Well-designed interdisciplinary research by nutritionists, medical doctors, and agronomists is needed before a dietary recommendation can be given and a product brought to the market.
[Triterpenes and steroidal compounds from Momordica dioica]
[Article in Chinese]
Department of Chemistry, Yunnan Education College, Kunming 650031.
Three triterpenes and two steroidal compounds were isolated from the dry root of Momordica dioica. Their structures were elucidated by spectral analyses (MS, IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR and DEPT) and chemical methods.
These compounds are
alpha-spinasterol octadecanonate(I)
alpha-spinasterol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(II)
3-O-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl gypsogenin(III)
3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl gypsogenin(IV)
3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl hederagenin(V).
Constituent III is a new compound. The CHCl3 extract of Momordica dioica roots and five isolated constituents showed anticancer activity in pharmacologic testing on cancer cell(L1210). The growth inhibitory index(%) of compound II was shown to be 50%, at the dose of 4 micrograms.ml-1.
PMID: 12016945 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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