Researchers found that the much disliked vegetable, the bitter melon, known in many areas also as the bitter gourd, may offer a new option for cancer treatments.
The vegetable, used widely in parts of South America, India and China, may protect from breast cancer.
The extract of the vegetable has long been available in health food stores and alternative medicine stores. It is usually prescribed for those who have diabetes because the extract is known to lower blood sugar, however now the extract may seem to have other benefits as well; that of preventing and even curing cancer.
Lab studies indicated that the extract was able to kill cancerous cells whereas it had no negative effect on normal healthy cells. However, these findings are not to be taken as conclusive; as of now there is some evidence that the bitter melon extract could possibly prevent or delay the emergence of the cancer.
Whether it cures cancer or not is yet to be proved, however there is sufficient evidence to support the fact that this has many properties that are very good for health: bitter melon taken as food is rich in vitamin C and flavonoids. The safety and efficacy of the extract however is still being examined by experts.
Source: nydailynews
