Botanical Name - Momordica charantia Category - Medicinal Form - Dry Part Used - Fruit General Information - Momordica charantia (MC), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is also known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, balsam pear, pare, or karela. It is a widely grown and consumed vegetable in Asia, East Africa, India, and South America. The potential for MC to modulate blood glucose has received the most attention from investigators searching for natural foods or compounds that may be useful in the treatment of diabetes. Phytochemicals - The main constituents of bitter melon which are responsible for the antidiabetic effects are triterpene, proteid, steroid, alkaloid, inorganic, lipid, and phenolic compounds. Several glycosides have been isolated from the M. charantia stem and fruit and are grouped under the genera of cucurbitane-type triterpenoids. In particular, four triterpenoids have AMP-activated protein kinase activity which is a plausible hypoglycaemic mechanism of M. charantia.