Western medicine would like you to believe their pills, surgeries, chemical drips and latest technology are the only way to treat whatever ails you, from the flu to heart disease to cancer.
But that’s far from the truth…
The World Health Organization recently reported that about 80% of the world’s population still relies on traditional medicine.1 I’ve seen this for myself in my travels.
I’ve worked with herbalists and healers in Africa, South America, India, Jamaica, Bali and elsewhere. These doctors practice powerful medicine using only plants and plant products. And they treat every condition known to man.
Let me give you just one example…
There’s a vine with warty green fruit that grows wild in Asia, East Africa, South America, Bali and Jamaica. It even grows in my own back yard here in South Florida. In this country it’s considered a weed.
But for over 700 years, traditional healers have used this plant as powerful medicine. They use it to cure rashes, stomach pain, viral infections, immune disorders and diabetes. They even use it to treat cancer.
I’m talking about bitter cucumber. It’s also called bitter melon or bitter gourd.
When researchers here in the West learned about all the cultures that use this gourd as medicine they decided to take a look. And they found it was much more than a superstition…
A new study in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that bitter melon juice could be a powerful cancer treatment. Researchers at the University of Colorado gave bitter gourd extract to rats with pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers there is…
Most patients die within a year after being diagnosed.
The extract reduced the size of the rats’ tumors by 64% — without any side effects. And animals fed bitter melon juice were 60% less likely to develop cancer than controls.2
Other studies have shown:
- bitter melon extract kills breast cancer cells, increases survival times and reduces tumors in animals.
- a compound in the leaves of bitter cucumber can kill off cancer cells of the nerve tissue (neuroblastomas) in just 48 hours.
- a fatty acid in the fruit and the seeds kills off leukemia cells and colon cancer cells.
- bitter melon may help prevent or manage lymphoma, melanoma, skin tumors, prostate cancer, oral cancers, bladder cancer, and Hodgkin’s disease.
Research shows that bitter gourd has over 20 active components that fight tumors.3 It also helps detoxify the body and remove toxins that can cause cancer. It inhibits free-radical damage that leads to cell mutations and tumor growth.
But it’s not just cancer…
Over 100 studies have proven it’s effective in treating diabetes and its complications. In fact, one study on 25 diabetic patients found that bitter melon is more effective than Big Pharma’s blockbuster diabetes drug Avandia.4
Other studies show bitter cucumber also may help prevent or treat:5
| Fever | Arthritis | Constipation | Gout |
| Flu | Peptic ulcers | Eczema and Psoriasis | Jaundice |
| Colic | Inflammation | HIV and AIDS | Kidney stones |
| Chronic cough | Pneumonia | Malaria | Menstrual pain |
I have been so impressed with bitter cucumber I devoted an entire chapter to it in my book Healing Herbs of Paradise.
Bitter cucumber is called the most bitter among all fruits and vegetables. But don’t let that stop you from trying it…
I like to use bitter melon in my cooking. I cut the green fruit open lengthwise without peeling. Then I remove the seeds and the unripe fruit from inside and chop it like a green pepper. I boil the pieces until tender, and add them to my stir-fry. You can also add a little bit to soups or beans to give a slightly bitter flavor and taste.
Or you can find bitter cucumber extract in capsule form. Take 500 to 1,000 mg three times a day after meals.
I also use the young leaves to make a detoxifying tea. Just add 10 grams of dried or fresh bitter cucumber leaves to eight ounces of boiling water. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and steep for 10 minutes. Strain off the tea into a cup. To make it sweeter, add a bit of brown sugar or raw honey and ginger. Drink with breakfast.
But don’t go overboard. Too much bitter cucumber can cause vomiting and diarrhea. And be careful if you already have low blood sugar. Bitter melon could make it go too low.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Traditional Medicine Strategy Launched (WHO News) [M] WHO; 2002. p. 610.
2.Manjinder Kaur, Gagan Deep, Anil K. Jain, et al. “Bitter melon juice activates cellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase causing apoptotic death of human pancreatic carcinoma cells.” Carcinogenesis 2013; 34 (7): 1585-1592.
3.Fang EF, Ng TB. “Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is a cornucopia of health: a review of its credited antidiabetic, anti-HIV, and antitumor properties.” Curr Mol Med. 2011 Jul;11(5):417-36.
4. Inayat-ur-Rahman, Salman Akbar Malik, Mohammad Bashir, Roohullh Khan, Mohammad Iqbal. “Serum sialic acid changes in non-insulin-dependant diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients following bitter melon (Momordica charantia) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) treatment.” Phytomedicine. 2009;16(5):401-5.
5. Grover JK, Yadav SP. “Pharmacological actions and potential uses of Momordica charantia: a review.” J Ethnopharmacol. 2004;93(1):123-32.