Bitter melon has rich medicinal value: it clears heat and relieves summer heat, and can be used both as medicine and as food

Bitter melon is an annual climbing herbaceous plant of the genus Momordica in the Cucurbitaceae family. Its fruit surface is covered with wart-like protrusions, and it gets its name from its distinctly bitter taste. It is both a common table vegetable and a frequently used material in traditional Chinese medicine, chiefly using the fruit as medicine, while some folk remedies also use the leaves, vines and seeds.

From the perspective of traditional medicine, bitter melon is cold in nature and bitter in taste, and is considered to have the effects of clearing heat, relieving summer heat, detoxifying and improving eyesight. It is commonly used in folk practice to relieve discomfort such as heatstroke and fever, restlessness and thirst, and red, swollen and painful eyes. Eaten in moderation in summer, it helps clear heart fire, dispel irritability and increase appetite.

Modern research has found that bitter melon contains momordicosides, polypeptide substances, alkaloids and relatively abundant vitamin C and other components. Its potential in helping to regulate blood sugar has attracted attention, and related extracts have also been used in various studies. In addition, the extraction of active ingredients from varieties such as wild bitter melon has in recent years also become a new direction of interest in the fields of agriculture and biotechnology.

In daily use, bitter melon can be stir-fried, served as a cold dressed dish or cooked in soup, and can also be dried, sliced and brewed as tea. It is a typical vegetable that serves both as medicine and as food. However, bitter melon is cold in nature, so people with a weak and cold spleen and stomach, or who are prone to diarrhea, should not eat much of it. Pregnant women and people with low blood sugar had best consult a physician before eating it, and if it is used medicinally, medical advice should be followed even more closely; bitter melon must not be used to replace proper treatment.