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Research | Plants: Cerasee

Cerasee is a popular herbal plant in Jamaica, otherwise called Bitter Melon, that grows in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. The plant is a vine that grows up to 16 ft. in length and produces a yellow flower and a fruit that is oblong in shape. When the fruit is ripe,
the flesh (rind) becomes somewhat tougher and more bitter, and many consider it too distasteful to eat. On the other hand, the pith becomes sweet and intensely red; it can be eaten uncooked in this state, and is a popular ingredient in some Southeast Asian salads.
The vines of this plant starts to flower in 5 to 6 weeks and bears fruit in 12 to 16 weeks. Since this is a vine, a trellis can be used so that the vines can creep on them. This plant needs a moist environment and requires water on a daily basis.

Cerasee (Bitter Melon)
The leaves of this plant is usually infused in hot water to create a tonic that can be applied externally for all manner of skin conditions and it can be drunk as tea for 'diabetes, high blood pressure, worms, colon cleansing, dysentery, bellyaches, laxative, cramps, diarrhea, malaria, purifying the blood and other serious ailments.'

The fruit of the plant is used in a lot of culinary dishes of Asian cuisine. In Asia, they have even made soft drinks from the fruit.
A soft drink made from bitter melon
This is one potent plant. When it comes to traditional medicine, as Wikipedia states,
Momordica charantia [Cerasee] has a number of purported uses including cancer prevention, treatment of diabetes, fever, HIV and AIDS, and infections. While it has shown some potential clinical activity in laboratory experiments, "further studies are required to recommend its use".
According to Dr. Al Sears, this 'Hidden Jamaican Vine Stops Cancer Cold'. His recipe for the tonic is as follows,

  1. Add 10 grams of dried or fresh cerasee leaves to ¼ liter of boiling water
  2. Simmer on low for 5 minutes
  3. Turn off the heat and steep for 10 minutes
  4. Strain off the tea into a cup
According to biologist, Thordur Sturluson,
Though considered fairly safe to use, bitter melon should be used as prescribed by a health care physician. If consumed as per the recommended dosage, bitter melon is unlikely to cause any harmful side effects.
His dosage recommendations are as follows,
A small fruit or alternatively, 60 ml of fresh juice can be consumed per day.
In order to avoid the bitter taste, it can be used in tincture form, in which case the recommended dosage is 5 ml take two or three times on a daily basis.
I should check the tea bags being sold in the supermarket. Do they have dosage instructions on their package?

References

  1. Cerasee medicinal herb can relieve constipation, colds and fevers in children by Ann-Marie Bulgin-Graham
  2. Momordica charantia by Wikipedia
  3. Hidden Jamaican Vine Stops Cancer Cold by Dr. Al Sears, M.D.
  4. Cerasee by Deborah Mason
  5. Bitter Melon – Health Benefits and Side Effects by Thordur Sturluson
  6. How to Grow Bitter Melon by Steve Albert
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