Description

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is a tropical plant that grows in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. It is also known as balsam pear. This annual of the Cucurbitaceae family is a thin, climbing vine with long, stalked leaves that flowers in July or August. The plant bears a long, cucumber-shaped fruit that hangs like a pendulum, with small bumps all over it. The plant, which is green when it is young and yellowish-orange when it is ripe, fruits around September or October. All parts of the plant—the seeds, leaves and vines—are used for medicinal purposes, but the actual fruit of the bitter melon is most commonly used. The name of the plant's

genus, Momordica, is derived from the Latin word for bite, as the seeds of the fruit are serrated and appear as if they have been chewed or bitten.

General use

Bitter melon is used both as a medicine and as a food. It is...