A comprehensive review on phytochemistry, nutritional and pharmacological properties of Momordica charantia

Abstract

is known as the bitter gourd or bitter melon and is a member of the family Cucurbitaceae. It is a medicinal plant and its fruit is consumed as a food also. This plant is grown in tropical as well as subtropical areas around the world, mainly in Asia, India, China, South America and Brazil. Due to the presence of bioactive compounds like charantin, α-momorcharin and cucurbitacins, some of which possess potent biological actions, this plant is used in folk medicine all over the world and has many pharmacological activities, like antidiabetic, anticancerous, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, antimalarial, antihelmintic etc. This plant has been used as traditional medicine in various diseases treatments like syphilis, rheumatism, gout, and illness of the liver and spleen. But mainly is famous for its effectiveness in the treatment of diabetes due to the presence of polypeptide-p and is also known as p-insulin due to very similarity in function against diabetes.