I briefly mentioned Bitter Melon in my last post (see here), but I love the benefits this offers and want to go more in depth on what it can really do for the body!
From the tropics of South America, Asian, Caribbean, and Africa, bitter melon is a fruit belonging to the same family as zucchini, watermelon, cucumber and more! Thousands of years ago an ancient system of medicine called Ayurveda, used this fruit for medicinal purposes and believed that its bitter taste aided in bringing the body extremely good health for optimal digestion, abdominal comfort, respiratory health, and temporary relief from occasional coughing. Research now suggests that this fruit truly does feature healing or fighting properties to battle against maintaining blood sugar, fat metabolism, healthy-looking skin, the pancreas, and the immune system.
Healthline.com says that bitter melon is especially rich in vitamin C which is one of the reasons why it aids so strongly in disease prevention, bone formation and the healing of various wounds. Bitter melon is another great food that can also help lower blood sugar levels. With diabetes effecting more than 100 million adults worldwide and insulin sky-rocketing their expenses, this becomes especially important. Bitter melon takes those sugars in your tissues and then promotes the secretion of insulin to better regulate inside of your body. A study of 24 diabetic adults showed that taking 2,000 mg of bitter melon daily, decreased their blood sugar and “hemoglobin A1c, a test used to measure blood sugar control over three months”.
Doses
There are various ways you are able to digest or take bitter melon. It is very easy to just eat the melon itself as it is an edible fruit, but due to its pungent taste, many people find that it is best used when mixed into other foods or dishes. Generally speaking, the skin is most often left on and not peeled. You may then decide to eat the seeds, or resort to stuffing or pickling the fruit. In some cases it is even steamed for soups or stir fry. Webmd.com suggests that following a dosed amount is sometimes the best option as “natural products are not always necessarily safe”. With this in mind, a brand called Solaray offers numerous probiotics and extracts. Its website gives an overview of the company and products as a whole stating:
“Manufactured by Nutraceutical, Solaray is one of the nation’s highest quality nutritional supplements. Solaray was founded in 1973, acquired by Nutraceutical in 1993 and was a pioneer in the creation and development of blended herbal products.
In 1984 Solaray expanded to become a full line manufacturer and began carrying not only quality herbs but also a complete line of vitamins, minerals and other specialty products. Solaray has a reputation of innovation, quality and consistency and its acquisition by Nutraceutical has helped solidify Solaray as one of the best nutritional supplement brands available.
Solaray stays true to its promises of selection, tradition, innovation, quality, loyalty, education and service. Solaray’s innovation led to the development of Spectro, a high-quality line of multivitamins with formulas for all ages. Solaray also developed a line of cranberry products called CranActin which has been the leading cranberry dietary supplement for almost 20 years.
Solaray offers the widest selection of vitamins, minerals, herbs and specialty products. They’ve won the coveted #1 Full Line Supplement Award from Whole Foods Magazine multiple years, proving their commitment to quality and excellence…”
Specifically, they offer a Solaray (Bitter Melon Fruit Extract 500 Mg 5%) which contains key features of support for blood glucose health while also promoting that they are 100% vegan and non-GMO. Due to solaray being a high-quality line of natural supplements, it is guaranteed to contain no other ingredients than what is placed on the outside of the bottle for your own reading. These are pure and natural extracts and supports to create a happy immune system for you!
A Happy You is a Healthy You
