Bitter Gourd

[playgtar]

Has anyone ever heard of bitter gourd or melon? Does it actually lower blood sugars?

[diaconfused]

Bitter gourd is an (East) Indian vegetable which is, well, very bitter.

It's allegedly supposed to help control blood sugar. While nothing's been proven, many naysayers claim it's little more than an old wive's tale, and a false assumption that something bitter (the gourd) will negate something sweet (our blood).

I say it's worth a shot. The jury may be out on whether or not it works for diabetics, but there's no arguing that it's healthy and it certainly does no harm.

I've just started taking these pills that have chromium, bitter gourd and fenugreek.

http://www.tips4betterlife.com/herbs/bittermelon_files/bittermelon.jpg

[seacomp]

I say it's worth a shot. The jury may be out on whether or not it works for diabetics, but there's no arguing that it's healthy and it certainly does no harm.
There's a heck of a lot of substances out there of which this can be said. Trying them one-by-one without controlled tests sems like a long process having no assurance of success.

[Harold]

Has anyone ever heard of bitter gourd or melon? Does it actually lower blood sugars?
You might check this out; Bitter Melon (http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=b696f142-edf4-4d7f-a7ba-dc89ceee0ace&chunkiid=21580&siteid=83CDF2B9-1739-11D4-A2D1-00508B62BE1F)

Dosage

The typical dosage of bitter melon is one small, unripe, raw melon or about 50 to 100 ml of fresh juice, divided into 2 or 3 doses over the course of the day. The only problem is that bitter melon tastes extremely bitter. Noted naturopath Michael Murray suggests that you should "simply plug your nose and take a 2-ounce shot."