Herbs in Chinese Medicine: Bitter Melon

Video Transcript

"The next herb we're going to talk about is both a food and an herb. That's Bitter Melon. So this odd looking vegetable is something that you'll actually find in an Asian market. Don't usually find this in your local grocery store, so you do have to shop around for it a little bit. It's very distinctive from its somewhat warty skin on it and, given that it is called bitter melon, it's an honest portrayal of what it tastes like. Bitter melon is without a doubt, to our American palates, very bitter. Oddly enough, it's a very common food in the Philippines as well as southern China and some other places. So normally when we prepare it, we do want to go ahead and scrape these seeds out as we might from a squash or a zucchini, and then we can saut? it up with some peanut oil and add it to some curries, we oftentimes put some spices in there. What's really beneficial about this is the fact that it strongly lowers the blood sugar. It has a wonderful positive benefit for diabetics. And so we can use this both as preventative as well as for treatment. But for the diabetics who are already on medications or people who may already be struggling with low blood sugar. you do need to be careful because it will lower your blood sugar. So if you are changing this, your diet to include this into it make sure that you closely monitor your blood sugar so your blood sugar doesn't go too low. This is actually a staple in the Philippines. Every morning they have this for breakfast. It is an acquired taste so go ahead and start with a small amount and work your way up. And if you're familiar with the local plants, you'll actually find the leaves also grow in almost every area of the world that you can find any kind of vine growing. So, find an herbalist who might be able show you where it's growing in your own backyard so that you could enjoy it."