36 • Probe •Vol LXII • No. 4 • Sep–Dec 2023 Herbal Notes Momordica charantia Sanskrit name Karavallaka, Karela English name Bitter Gourd Habit and Habitat Momordica charantia is a slender, monoecious vine that grows in tropical regions such as India, China, Bangladesh, Africa, Thailand, and the Middle East. The plant comprises simple or alternate leaves with tendrils; yellow, shallow flowers in solitary cymes; and ovoidal, cucumber-like, ellipsoidal, ridge-surfaced fruits filled with ovate, flat seeds.1 Pharmacologic Actions M charantia is a medicinal plant. The seeds, leaves, berries, and fruit peels of M charantia are a rich source of phytochemicals such as charantin; momordin; stigmasta-5; momordicin; momordicoside G; and momordicosides F1, F2, I, K, and L. The plant has hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Traditionally, the plant parts are also used to cure gout, rheumatism, colic, parasitic infections, and liver and spleen conditions.1 A clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of M charantia to improve impaired glucose metabolism in prediabetic patients. The 12-week randomized clinical study enrolled 78 prediabetic patients (100–125 mg/dL fasting blood glucose [FBG] or 5.6%–6.4% glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c]) aged 18 to 80 years. Dried, unripe M charantia fruit was extracted with 70% ethanol and powdered. The treatment group (n = 39) was instructed to consume 2.4 g/d of the powder, TID, and the placebo group (n = 37) was given a matching placebo tablet. FBS, HbA1c, insulin, glucagon, C-peptide, 75 g oral glucose tolerance (OGT), and lipid profile were evaluated after 12 weeks of the treatment.2 Analytical results revealed that the treatment with M charantia extract reduced the glucose level through glucagon suppression after OGT test. Thus, Momordica charantia is the only ingredient of Himalaya Karela. the study proved the antihyperglycemic potential of M charantia in prediabetes.2 A preclinical study was conducted to evaluate the antihyperglycemic effect of M charantia fruit in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM)–induced male Wistar rats. T1DM was induced in rats by intraperitoneally administering 5 doses of 40 mg/kg body weight of streptozotocin, after overnight fasting. The rats whose blood sugar level was > 1.5 g/L were considered for the study. A dried residue of the green fruits of M charantia was prepared by drying and maceration. The dried residue was orally administered to diabetic rats at a dosage of 10 mg/kg body weight for 28 days starting from the seventh day of diabetes induction. Diabetic and nondiabetic controls did not receive the dried residue. Blood and pancreatic tissue samples were collected for biochemical and histological analyses.3 The results showed that the treatment with M charantia green fruit dry residue lowered hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia, increased high-density lipoproteins, improved kidney function, and lowered both acute and chronic inflammation in T1DMinduced rats. Thus, the study confirmed the antihyperglycemic effect of M charantia fruits.3 References 1. Chekka SV, Mantipelly NK. GSC Biol Pharm Sci. 2020;12(2):129–135. 2. Kim B, et al. Food Sci Biotechnol. 2023;32:697–704. 3. Cendra A, et al. Int J Pharm Sci Invent. 2022;11(5):6–16.
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