[[File:Bitter melon.jpg|thumb|350px|left|Bitter Melon]]Other Names: African Cucumber, Ampalaya, Balsam Pear, Balsam-Apple, Balsambirne, Balsamine, Balsamo, Bitter Apple, Bitter Cucumber, Bitter Gourd, Bittergurke, Carilla Fruit, Carilla Gourd, Cerasee, Chinli-Chih, Concombre Africain, Courge Amère, Cundeamor, Fructus Mormordicae Grosvenori, Karavella, Kathilla, Karela, Kareli, Kerala, Kuguazi, K'u-Kua, Lai Margose, Margose, Melón Amargo, Melon Amer, Momordica, Momordica charantia, Momordica murcata, Momordique, Paroka, Pepino Montero, Poire Balsamique, Pomme de Merveille, P'u-T'ao, Sorosi, Sushavi, Vegetable insulin, Wild Cucumber.<br>See also : [[Chinese Bitter Melon]]<br>Bitter melon is a plant. The fruit and seeds are used to make medicine.
==Special Precautions of Bitter Melon==
* Bitter melon is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when used short-term. The safety of long-term use (beyond 3 months) is not known. There also isn’t enough information about the safety of applying bitter melon to the skin.
Bitter melon contains a chemical that acts like insulin to help reduce blood sugar levels.
* Diabetes. Research results so far are conflicting and inconclusive. Some studies show that bitter melon fruit, fruit juice, or extract improves glucose tolerance, reduces blood sugar levels, and lowers HbA1c (a measure of blood sugar control over time) in people with type 2 diabetes. But these studies have some flaws. Other research has not been positive.
* Breast Cancer : In laboratory studies, an extract from bitter melon was able to slow the growth and kill breast cancer cells, according to an article published in February 2010 in Drugs.com. The research team also found that healthy cells were not affected by this extract. In animal subjects, bitter melon had the ability to slow the growth of breast cancer tumors, says Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Further studies in humans are warranted to confirm these findings, the researchers say.
*Prostate Cancer : An extract from bitter melon helped prevent the spread of cancerous cells to lungs from a prostate tumor, according to a study published in October 2010 issue of "Cancer Science." The authors indicate that both in vivo and in vitro research studies found bitter melon effective in stopping the spread of prostate cancer.
*Leukemia : Leukemia is a form of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by abnormal white blood cells. Bitter melon was able to kill leukemic cells in an in vitro research study, according to Sloan-Kettering Cancer.
* Pancreatic Cancer : A new study has shown that the juice of bitter melon, a commonly eaten vegetable in Asia and Africa, markedly suppresses the growth of pancreatic tumors in mice by disrupting the cancer cells' metabolism of glucose, and literally starving them of the sugar they need to survive.
*Psoriasis.
*HIV/AIDS.
*Liver disease.
*Skin abscesses and wounds.
==Recommended Products==
[[File:Bitter-Melon-30---Box-Bottle 1024x1024.png|200px|link=https://himalayausa.com/products/organic-bitter-melon]]
[[Category:Treatments]]
[[Category:herbal medicine]]
[[Category:Treatments]]
[[Category:fruit & vegetables]]
[[Category:Alternative Cancer Treatments]]