Diabetes and The Ampalaya Extract - How Effective Is It?

Thursday, May 7, 2009
This article is about the herbal medicine ampalaya and its effect on diabetis.
By Vanessa A. Doctor

Diabetes is a condition, wherein blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is converted into glucose, or sugar, which our bodies use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, produces a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies.

When a person has diabetes, the body either doesn't manufacture enough insulin, or can't use its own insulin as it should. This condition causes sugar to build up in the blood. This disease can create negative health complications, which include heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is considered as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

Signs And Symptoms Of Diabetes

Individuals who think they might have diabetes must first consult with a physician for proper diagnosis. Some of the common symptoms of diabetes are frequent urination, excessive thirst,unexplained weight loss, sudden vision changes, extreme hunger, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, very dry skin and sores that are slow to heal.

Ampalaya, Or Bitter Melon, Is A Staple In Southeast Asian Medication

Ampalaya is the native name of Bitter Melon, and this vegetable variety is commonly found in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is famous for its bitter taste. Ampalaya is used as a regular ingredient for a lot of Asian dishes.

Recently, it has been scientifically noted to possess well-documented blood sugar-lowering effects. Aside from having good fiber content and nutrients such as iron and potassium, many vital compounds have been identified in the fruit, notably charantin, vicine and polypeptide-p, which is plant insulin, in which numerous laboratory studies and limited clinical trials have attributed to the plant's blood sugar-lowering effects.

Many diabetic supplements have been developed using Ampalaya, and there are teas, capsules and extracts that use the dried fruit. For generations, many Asian diabetics have benefited from the wonders of Ampalaya, and only recently has Western science confirmed the potential of this vegetable. In many clinical studies conducted on the plant, researchers have particularly isolated a plant insulin that mimics animal insulin.

Even before researchers started unraveling the plant's anti-diabetic properties, Ampalaya has long been utilized as a traditional home remedy in most Asian homes, in helping control blood sugar levels. Many diabetics regularly consume the fruit, which is prepared as part of the daily meals. Diabetics who have come to trust this natural remedy have claimed to be able to live normal, active lives by having the vegetable as an integral part of a healthy daily diet.

Ampalaya Should be Taken On A Regular Basis

To reap the plant's full benefits, this vegetable should be taken on a regular basis. However, many individuals are taken aback by its natural bitter taste, and this often poses a problem. To make the vegetable appealing for users, some manufacturers are producing all-natural Ampalaya teas and capsules, which is a more convenient and pleasant-tasting way to get the plant's healthy benefits. These products retain the key compounds, while removing the bitter taste.

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Health Benefits of Ampalaya (Bittergourd)

General topic : Article about the herbal medicine ampalaya
Presented by : Vanessa A. Doctor

Bitter Melon, bitter gourd, ampalaya: This tropical plant which goes by many names, is commonly grown for its edible fruit, which is probably among the most bitter of all vegetables on earth.

Bitter gourd predominantly grows in tropical areas, including parts of Asia, East Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, where it is used both as food as well as a medicine. The plant's fruit truly lives up to its name, because it really tastes bitter. Although the seeds, leaves, and vines of this fruit have different uses, the fruit is considered as the safest and most predominantly used part of the plant in traditional herbal medicine.

Ampalaya Is Now Used In Herbal Medicine

Until recently, bitter gourd has been noted to be a potent herbal medicine for a lot of ailments, particularly in treating diabetes. The Philippine variety is known for its more potent anti-diabetic components.

This fruit is composed of a mixture of flavonoids and alkaloids which make the pancreas produce insulin that controls the blood sugar levels in diabetics. Aside from its touted medicinal value, it's also a very wonderful source of vitamins A, B and C, iron, folic acid, phosphorous and calcium. Ampalaya is a common herb used in Chinese herbology too.

The fruit's leaves are often used for children's coughs and are utilized in the treatment of skin diseases, sterility in women, as a parasiticide, an antipyretic, as well as a purgative. Like most bitter-tasting fruits and vegetables, bitter gourd stimulates digestion and can be very potent in people with dyspepsia and constipation.

Herbal Benefits of Ampalaya:

Ampalaya is noted to be an effective component in herbal medicine, and the fruit is known to help treat, or alleviate the symptoms of rheumatism and gout and ailments of the spleen and liver. It also is effective in helping lower the body's blood sugar and blood pressure levels. Below are among many of the beneficial aspects of using bitter gourd:

- Helps to disinfect and heal cuts, wounds & burns

- Is useful as a cough & fever remedy

- Used in the treatment of intestinal worms and diarrhea

- Helps prevent some types of cancers

- Helps enhance the body's immune system to ward off infections

- Serves as an effective antioxidant, antibacterial & antipyretic agent

How To Prepare A Herbal Ampalaya Mixture.

As the bitter fruit is famous for its many medicinal attributes, there are also other unique ways in preparing mixtures, drinks or solutions made from ampalaya. For cough, fever, worms, diarrhea, diabetes, drink a spoonful every day of grounded and juiced ampalaya leaves. For other health conditions, the fruit and leaves can both be juiced and taken orally. For wounds, burns and other skin diseases, you may apply the fruit's warmed leaves to the affected area.

Aside from the benefits mentioned above, bitter gourd is also an effective digestive agent that works by properly stimulating the secretion of gastric juices. It also aids in stimulating the liver for proper secretion of bile juices that are essential for the metabolism of body fat.

Taking juice made from bitter gourd also helps in the treatment of constipation, which is mainly caused by unhealthy eating habits and daily dietary practices. This fruit not only is good at relieving an indigestive condition, but also aids in treating constipation, by improving the movement of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as improving absorption in the intestines.

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