We all know bittergourd has too many medicinal values. I found this article in one weekly. I thought it would be helpful for everybody.
I never understood the importance of home remedies before coming to USA. My father being a doctor, I used to always get immediate medical attention back in India. But when I came here, everything changed. It all started from a serious medical emergency we had to handle soon after coming here. We neither had the insurance nor money to pay the hospital bills (we were still expecting our insuarnce cards). When we called hospital to take appointment, they said we had to wait for 6months!!!. We didn’t know about emergency rooms. Finally though we went to emergency room (thanks to an american lady, who took us to hopital and gave us ride back home in her car), we had to wait 3hrs for meeting the doctor, which was hell in our situation. The doctor talked to us for 5mins, needless to say, it didn’t help us in any way, but since he had prescribed some medicines, we could atleast buy them from pharmacy. (BTW..we got a bill of $1000 for that visit!!!).
Anyway…that incident taught me a lot. India is a land of Ayurveda. There are thousands of home remedies which our elders followed for almost every possible disease. My grandfather who was 93 years old when he passed away, never had any health issues. He did so much of physical work at that age, which we cannot even dream to do. Their medicines were simple, all natural. Then why can’t we follow the same and be healthy? So I started this ‘home remedies’ category few days back. I would like to post all the remedies which I have collected so far. All my readers are welcome to add any remedies they know.
Now..coming to bitter gourd. It has the following medicinal value.
Source: compiled from kannada weekly magazines.
- Bitter gourd is the best medicine for diabetes. It is rich in A, B1, B2, C vitamins and Iron. Drink bittergourd juice in the morning on empty stomach to keep the diabetes in control.
- Bitter gourd reduces fever.
- It is useful for people with vision problems, since it has Vitamin A.
- People suffering from Jaundice, drink 1-2 tea spn of bitter gourd in a day. This reduces jaundice and the yellowish colour of eyes turns back to white.
- This is useful in purifying the blood.
- It is helpful in digestion, joint pain and gas problems.
- It is useful in liver problem, pain and swelling of nerves.
- For piles problems, mix 1 cup curd with 1 tea spn of fresh bitter gourd plant leaves juice and drink. This and the bittegourd juice reduces the piles problems remarkably.
- This kills germs in the stomach.
- This reduces unnecessary body heat.
- Bittergourd slices boiled in water and taken early in the morning cures constipation
Eat any version of bitter gourd to keep yourself away from many diseases and remain healthy.
Wow, what a nice way to go about highlighting the medicinal values of all select veggies…..shilpa, I would also like to add another medicinal value….I can think about,Bittergourd slices boiled in water and taken early in the morning cures constipation too…..
Wow I never knew that bitter gourd has these many therapeutic capabilities… I do like the vegetable but never paid attention to these details. Thanks for the info Shilpa!
Thanks Lera. I have updated the post.
You are welcome Arjuna :D.
Hi Shilpa,
I knew it kills the germs inside the stomach but didn’t know bitter gourd has much more medicinal values. Thanks for the info.
Shilpa,
You are so right about medical facilities outside India. It is such a big headache when we need immediate attention and the insurances and doctors are just a vicious business in the US (esp). It is thoughtful of you to start the home remedies section. It is indeed very useful, please keep it coming.
Cheers,
Nav
It was useful information, thanks. Can anyone tell me what is the standard preparation of bitter gourd for diabetes? My mother-in-law is an insulin dependent patient and has three teaspoons of grated bitter gourd with water first thing in the morning. She swears by it but I feel that it should be boiled first and the concoction drunk after cooling—what is your take on this? I also have the stuff each morning (yuck!) and it has had a positive effect on my stomach. Thanks for the inputs.
I read the article on Bittergourd.It was really interesting and useful.I thought of sending this article to my friend.But I couldn’t find any such option.Pls do the necessary for it.
Thanks.
Anu, please give the link to your friend. At the moment, I don’t have any way to provide forwarding option.
There is a proverb about bitter melon (Karela) in Gujarati, “Kadava Karela naa goona hoi kadwa” meaning even thou Karela tastes bitter it has far more good curing power. My mother used to give Karela juice for drinking when we had fever during childhood and recovery was phenominally fast.
can anyone please tell me how to make bittergourd juice?
Thanks in advance
lilly
Shilpa: Usually bittergourd is slightly crushed and then squeezed to get the juice. This juice is really really bitter.
Thank you Shilpa for the recipe. I know it is very bitter in taste. But it is good for health.
A few drops of the juice of bittergourd leaves (about a teaspoonful or two) taken in early spring prevents chickenpox.
Anyone having Acne can also have bitter gourd (karela) juice first thing in morning (before brushing teeth) and trust me, its the only thing that helped my skin.
Does take at least a month, slow and steady. I have add acne since a teenager, now 28 years old 🙂
Better for young teenagers instead of acne creams, etc
THANKS AGAIN CAN U GIVE ME SOME RECIPES ON BITTER GOURD OR CAN V DRY IT AND CONSUME IT IF YES THEN PLEASE SEND ME HOW
Shilpa: There are many recipes using bitter gourd on the site. Please use the search box.
hey this is great to drink . i drink kerlia juice with apple to make it sweet
do you know how many calories dis is i only drink 6 onces everyday
HI,
Bitter guard is so bitter.. how to get the bitter out.
thanks
Shilpa: Apply some salt to the pieces and leave them for abt 30mins. Then squeeze the pieces to remove water off them. Wash and use. But remember, the good qualities of bitter gourd are in its bitter juice.
peoplewhosuffer from pittashould not consume bittergourd during night time.
Hi Shilpa I added this as link for home remedies using bitter gourd. Hope it is ok by you.
http://medhaa.blogspot.com/2008/08/karela-juice-bitter-gourd-juice.html
Hi
A friend of mine has some health problems,she has sight problem,Skin problem and now he is getting Yellow colour spots on the body one after one which swells after ward and very painfull.she was using some strong steroids for her eyes which she has recently stopped becuse of these spots.But still she is getting them.Someone told her about karela juice.What do u think .Will that help and how often she should have it or any other remedy.can you help pls.Thanks
Shilpa: Please consult doctor, it looks like some serious issue.
I just happened to make stuffed bitter gourd from your site and thought on browsing other links…came across the benefits of bitter gourd and was impressed…!!!! The only thing i knew was it purified the blood…least did i know it did much more than that….now, am gonna cook more of “karate”…for one , i love it and secondly the +ve effects…..!!!
I must Say I am impressed with bitter gourd. I been drinking it everyday and I fear it gives me loose motions
Some people are saying that bitter gourd or karela whatever the right name is , makes people go blind. Is that correct?
Many thanks
Regards
Hi,
The details of bitter gourd are amazing,, can you also tell as to how it can be consumed,,..like can we drink bitter goude juice every day?
Shilpa: Yes, you can drink juice everyday. Also you can cook it in many ways. There are many bittergourd recipes on site.
Hi Shilpa,
Thanks for your reply, can you also tell me if I can extract juice and store it in the fridge to consume daily..for eg once in 15 days?
Shilpa: I don’t suggest extracting the juice and storing. Fresh is always best.
Thanks a lot. Yes. Bitter gourd is really an amazing vegetable. Your article was very useful.
Mario
My son at 8 years was always overtly hungry & yet thin, restless at night with grinding of teeth. Several times Doc gave him deworming tablets but of no use. Also he would cough often and compalin of dryness in the throat which could not be felt good even by drinking water.
Then I started him on Karela Juice in the morn on empty stomach & Haldi & ginger milk the last thing before he slept. Within days he exhibited remarkable reslts and is happier & healthier since.
Hi Shilpa,
I had Bitter Gourd juice empty stomach in the morning (approx 200ml) and since im prone to acidity, i consumed 1 capsule of opez as well……after some time, i suffered from loose motion….Please note that same was my first time of consuming juice
Hope this is normal…….
Please reply at the earliest.
Thanks n Regards,
Idris K.
please let me know how to make the juice of bitter ggourd.how much juice we have to consume to keep the sugarlevels in control.If we consume more juice on any day by mistake will it cause low sugar .thank u very much
Shilpa: Muaralidhar, Bittergourd is just a home remedy, please do not completely leave the medicines if you are taking any. Just grind it slightly and squeeze to get the juice. You can drink about 1/4 cup of it.
nimma home remedies odide bitter gourd na bagge istella tilidu khushiyaytu
Great information.
Will have bitter gourd juice more often. Now that I am going to be 40 years old, have to be health conscious. thank u for the information.
Thank you so much for this information. I take the bitter melon in tablet form and it is doing wonders for my acid reflux and my complete digestion.
Keep up that great work.
Hi Shilpa,
Thanks for sharing all the information . Will you pls email the receipe for Karela juice????
Thanks
Naina
hei, i have a question. can u mix karela juice with any other juice, lets say cabbage? pliz anyone
thank you so much for sharing this information. do you have any idea, can a diabetic patient take 1 bitter gourd juice on daily basis or is it too much?
once again thank you dear
Shilpa: I think it is ok to take so much per day. These home remedies are not like other medicines which have side effects
hi,
recently joind ur blog ,and was reading all ur reciepe,thank u fr wounderful reciepes……..my husband is suferring from stomach ulcer….is there any home remedie that u can suggest……i’l be very thankful 2 u…………..god bless u
Shilpa: Sorry, I do not have any home remedies for stomach ulcer.
White onion is very good for stomach ulcer. Use it daily in your food.
bitter gourd can help the platelet up very fast, especially the person with blood disorder, ie. ITP disease.
used 2 small organic bitter gourd mixed with 2 tables spoon honey and blend it, drink morning and evening.
Hey i wanna ask you about making the bitter gourd juice the correct way … i make it by grinding 3 small karelas with 1 glass water in a grinder …. is it correct or i should only consume karela juice without water??? and what colour karelas i should buy the dark green small ones ???…. ive started taking it 2 days ago after reading your stuff and i found it really helpfull ….. hope it’ll help me with acne problem 😀
Regards….
Shilpa: No, do not add water. Just cut the karela and grind it and squeeze the juice. Just 1 karela juice per day is enough. Use dark green ones.
Hi,
This Bitter gourd is really wonderful in skin care.
I used it for 1 month regularly in morning. My face became so glow y & free from pimples.
So its very useful.
bitter gourd is very very good. My doughter has ITP disease.
Eat this bitter gourd with honey and blend it and drink, my daughter platelet up from 10 to 236, miricle, hope will help other people have this ITP problem.
Does cooked bittergourd (karela) have the same medicinal properties? We love it cooked in oil with lots of onion and haldi, salt and amchoor.
Shilpa: I think any vegetable, when cooked, looses some of the medicinal properties.
Hi Shilpa,
Wow ! is really great,thanks for sharing I will spread around to friends
and relatives….this home remedies
Cheers
Shirley Chen
Singapore
Hello!
just found this website and love it!! thanks!!
Im about to introduce bitter gourd to my family hoping it will increase the platelet count for my mother.
thankx again!
hi..ok but can biiter melon cure small boils which i have on my forehead?? I have these tiny boils throughout the year on my forehead. let me know soon.
Shilpa: Don’t know. Sorry.
kudos to you for putting up this awesome info abt bitter gourd…
Hi,
Good one!
I heard that bitter gourd + Cucumber+tomato together will be one of the ways of preparing the juice!
Any comment on this?
Sada
I don’t know. We just take out the juice of bitter gourd alone
I’m really interested in the bitter gourd juice for many reasons. Is the capsule form as good? I’m having trouble finding the juice online. Where can I easily find the juice?
Thankyou!
You can make it at home with grinding it with water. I don’t know if it is available in market. No clue about capsule.
even v can apply juice of bittergourd to our face
n dis reduces black spots n makes ur skin glow
try it
I have ITP anyone else tried bitter gourd juice for that. I see a post where bitter gourd help with ITP. Anyone had success with it. I am in US so It would be difficult for me to find bitter gourd.
hi
i have some skin problem & weakness i want some advice from you
let me now soon
Please consult a doctor.
hi ramkumar
for skin problem: while taking bath u can apply neem leaves paste, rub gently for a while and then wash off. for neem leaves paste: take a bunch of neem leaves and soak in water overnight. then in morning grind it in mixer u will get smooth paste. also use the water in which neem leaf is stored, since the water also is good for skin problems.
for weakness: have 1 glass milk and 4 to 5 dates along with breakfast everyday in the morning.
see if that helps.
bye
Thanks for the multiple benefits of bittergourd, It aslo helps in keeping the skin free from blemishes, and keeps the skin glowing, and helps in toxic elimination from the body.
To know more on multiple benefits of bittergourd, you can have a look at http://tinyurl.com/yz6dele, hope it may help others too.
Hello & thanks for yr wonderful website & recipes. Could you give me the recipe for mothers breast feeding their child. (there is one mangalorian preparation with lots of nuts, jaggary, garlic, etc but I cannot locate the recipe, besides dink laddoo,etc) thanks in anticipation
Dink laddoo is on the site under sweets. I will surely post any other recipes as and when I come across.
Awesome recipes…best of all loved the ‘home remedies’ which made me write to you…we just cant thank you enough for your wonderful cooks…i just wanted to say that ‘I love your Aayi ….:)))) since i’ve started preparing dishes from your blog have really started liking cooking 😉
Thank you so much….
DN
Hi ! I’m looking for home remedies about asthma if can help me please. Thanks……….
hi maria i found little something about asthma from this site. its under the information about bitter gourd.
http://tinyurl.com/yz6dele
How much bitter gourd juice to drink on any empty stomach?
I started eating about one third of a three inch karela on any empty stomach in the morning.
am Type 2 .Sugar -160(fasting). very suspicious on Allopathic. got some itching around palm when i tried raw karela today. Should i go for a juice ? can i add some water while making the juice. Should i remove the seeds?
My relative was suffering from Jaundice and while searching benefits of bitter gourd. Came across your website. Thanks for sharing.
4 years back my wife suffering from ITP (low platelete). She started using a glass bitter gourd juice mixed with 2 tables spoon berry honey daily for a month. Her platelet comes in a range of 350 plus. No need of any treatment afterwards.. She lives normal life now..
At what age I can give bitter gourd juice for my kids? The
Yesterday night i will make a bitter gourd juice with grandeur . And keep it in the fridge for drinking in the morning . Should its benefits for us ?
Thanks for sharing your home remedies.Can you please translate this hair pack recipe in English? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AX0EQizJZk
I dont really understand kannada well,this what i could understand,Correct me if I am wrong.
She was talking about making a paste of some 4 types of green leafy vegetables or was she just giving out different names for the same leafy vegetable? She said use 1 bunch dantina soppu (I gather its green amaranthus from google) or 1 bunch kilkire soppu,chilkarve soppu,kirksale soppu,grind all the leaves stalks,roots into a paste and use as a hair pack for 30 mins and wash.