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What is Karela?
Karela belongs to the family, Cucurbitaceae and it is widely found in the tropical region. It is extensively grown in the Indian subcontinent for commercial purposes. It is known in English by various names such as Bitter melon, bitter gourd, balsam apple, balsam pear and melega saga. It usually entails around for support and is a climber. The plant as well as the fruit is used for medicinal purposes.
Why is Karela famous since the olden times?
It is also known as bitter gourd and is a climber. It has been used for medicinal purposes in Ayurveda since the olden times. It has been used as anti-bilous, tonic, purgative, emetic and stimulant. According to ayurveda, it helps to calm the body, treating skin disorders, helping in digestion, healing of wounds, maintaining blood sugar in normal limits and regularization of the urinary tract.
What are the benefits of Karela?
Karela contains a polypeptide known as Gurmarin. It is used to treat one of the most widely known diseases commonly known as diabetes mellitus. It contains sufficient amount of iron, calcium, potassium, Vitamins C, thiamine, phosphorus and beta carotene. Modern science has found various uses by Karela like treatment of disorders of liver, anti-tumor agent, prevent HIV-1 infection.
It is used to lower sugar levels in the blood and to suppress outflow of sugar in urine. It suppresses the neural potency to stimuli of sweet taste by attaining regulation of sugar in the body. It also helps in various other ways like purification of blood resulting in a healthy and lustrous skin, its bitter taste aids in clearing off infestations of worms in the stomach and increasing the immunity of the body. It also stimulates the spleen, liver and pancreas to absorb vital nutrients in food. It is also used as a mixture in the combat of ailments like piles and jaundice. Other benefits include curing infections, anathematic function, performs as purgative, fights diseases related to skin, cholera and respiratory disorders and used as cure for leprosy.
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