CERASEE (BITTER MELON)

Momordica Charantia 

COMMON NAMES: Karela, balsam apple, paoka, madian apple, mexicaine, caprika, achochilla, cerasse,Bitter melon (Momordica chrantia L.) also known as bitter gourd, African or wild cucumber, is known in Hindi as karela, as ampalaya in the Philippines, in the West African country of Togo as guingbe, and in the Caribbean as cerasse/cerasee. 

Cerasee is native to Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean area. It was introduced to Brazil by African slaves and from there it spread to the rest of Latin America and the West Indies. Today it reaches as far north as Texas and Florida, where it grows wild. Bitter melon fruit and leaves also have a time-honored use as a medicine throughout India, Asia, Africa and South America. Cerasee also grows wild in Asia where it is used medicinally, and as a vegetable.

The fruits, leaves, seeds and roots have also been used for a range of conditions. Bitter melon is used to treat diabetes, intestinal colic, peptic ulcers, worms, malaria, constipation, dysmenorrhea, eczema, gout, jaundice, kidney stone, leprosy, leucorrhoea, piles, pneumonia, psoriasis, rheumatism, chickenpox, measles and scabies. Externally, bitter melon is used for the rapid healing of wounds.

A tea made of the vine is used for diabetes, hypertension, worms, dysentery, malaria and as a general tonic and blood purifier. It is also very effective to relieve constipation and colds and fevers in children. Women in Latin American and the West Indies use the leaf for menstrual problems to promote discharge after childbirth. The tea is taken for 9 days after giving birth to clean out and tone up all the organs involved in the delivery. Bitter melon is also used as a natural method of birth control, by taking two cups each day after intercourse, for three days. It is said that women who drink cerasee daily will not conceive during that time. As a wash, the tea is used externally for sores, rashes, skin ulcers and all skin problems. A cerasee bath is good for arthritis, rheumatism, gout and other similar ailments. In Brazil, cerasse tea is used as a tonic and remedy for colds, fever and pains due to arthritis and rheumatism. 

In Curacao and Aruba, the tea is used to lower blood pressure. In the Philippines, bitter melon is cultivated as a vegetable and cooked like other leafy vegetables.

In Cuba, cerasee tea is used as a remedy for colitis, liver complaints, fever and as a skin lotion. A tea of the root is used to expel kidney stones.

In India, the green, unripe fruits are soaked in water and cooked in curry and other dishes. The juice of the ripe fruit, which contains valuable enzymes and minerals, is taken for diabetes.