DESCRIPTION:
Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) is also known as bitter melon or bitter gourd. In the Philippines, traditional uses include those for cough, colds, asthma, as emetic especially in the newborn, for colic, stomach ache diabetes, anemia, fever, malaria, ringworm, and wounds.
Active components have been identified in Ampalaya including several cucurbitane triterpenoids. Several mechanisms of action have been proposed such as insulin secretagogue effect, stimulation or peripheral and skeletal muscle glucose and inhibition of intestinal glucose uptake utilization.