Introduction
Bitter gourd is found in summer and rainy months. Bitter gourd is grown almost all over India. Its vine is called kareli and its fruit is called karela. The flowers of bitter gourd are yellow and the fruits are green. There are two types of bitter gourd - big bitter gourd and small bitter gourd. Bitter gourd is cultivated. Long bitter gourd is used more as a vegetable. The vine of wild bitter gourd grows on its own and spreads on the bushes and it bears round fruits which are called bar karela. Its vegetable is also cooked and eaten. Bar bitter gourd is more bitter than long bitter gourd. While cooking the vegetable, the peel of bitter gourd is peeled off. To reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd, salt, lemon, spices etc. are added to the vegetable.
Harmful effects
Consuming too much bitter gourd is harmful. If there is any problem due to excessive consumption of bitter gourd, then eat rice and ghee.
Treatment of various diseases with bitter gourd
1. Paralysis (Palasis):
It is beneficial to feed bitter gourd vegetable to a patient suffering from paralysis.
2. Digestive power:
Drinking bitter gourd vegetable or juice removes stomach gas and strengthens the digestive power.
3. Cholera (Diarrhea):
Make a decoction of bitter gourd root in the quantity of about one-fourth of 1 gram and give it to the patient of dysentery with sesame oil, this cures the disease.
Mix a quarter cup of bitter gourd juice, water and salt according to taste and give it to the patient suffering from cholera repeatedly. This provides relief in cholera and stops vomiting and diarrhea.
Cholera is cured by extracting juice of bitter gourd and mixing it with oil and drinking it.
4. Kidney or bladder stones:
A patient suffering from kidney or bladder stones should drink juice of 2 bitter gourds daily and eat its vegetable. This dissolves the stone and it comes out with urine.
By mixing honey in 20 grams of bitter gourd juice and drinking it for a few days, the stone dissolves and comes out through urine.
Enlargement of spleen (spleen): By mixing 25 grams of bitter gourd juice in 1 cup of water and drinking it daily, enlargement of spleen is reduced.
5. Arthritis:
A patient suffering from arthritis should apply bitter gourd juice on the painful area and make a vegetable of it and eat it.
Extracting juice from bitter gourd leaves and massaging the joints relieves pain.
Extracting juice from bitter gourd and applying it on the painful area reduces swelling and pain of arthritis. Mixing mustard oil in bitter gourd juice and massaging also provides relief from pain.
6. Purifying the blood:
Drinking 60 grams of bitter gourd juice for a few days purifies the contaminated blood.
Cooking bitter gourd as a vegetable and eating it without removing its bitterness purifies the blood.
Loss of appetite: Drinking approximately one-fourth of 1 gram of bitter gourd juice with buttermilk 1 to 2 times a day increases appetite.
7. Eye diseases:
For the treatment of swelling of the eyes and night blindness, mix bitter gourd leaves juice and a little bit of black pepper in a rusted iron vessel and rub it and apply it on the eyelids.
8. Earache:
Earache is cured by heating the juice of fresh bitter gourd fruit or leaves and pouring it in the ear.
9. Throat swelling:
Grinding dry bitter gourd in vinegar, heating it and applying it on the throat relieves the swelling of the throat.
10. Gout:
Make a decoction by removing the upper bark of the bitter gourd root and add ghee of cow dung to this decoction and make the patient consume it. This is beneficial in gout. A patient of gout should prepare a vegetable of bitter gourd and eat it daily.
11. Cold fever:
To cure fever caused due to cold, mix cumin powder in 10 to 15 ml of bitter gourd juice and drink it 3 times a day. This cures fever caused due to cold.
12. Asthma (Respiratory) disease:
A person suffering from asthma or respiratory disease should eat bitter gourd vegetable. This is beneficial in asthma.
Asthma is cured by adding a pinch of rock salt in one teaspoon of bitter gourd juice and consuming it.
13. Night blindness (not being able to see at night):
Night blindness is cured by grinding juice of bitter gourd leaves and black pepper and applying it to the eyes.
14. Constipation:
Make chutney by mixing one teaspoon of bitter gourd juice, half teaspoon of cumin seeds and two pinches of rock salt. Consuming this cures constipation.
15. Contraception:
Consuming bitter gourd juice prevents pregnancy.
16. Gas formation in the stomach:
Eating bitter gourd vegetable removes gas from the stomach.
17. Mouth ulcers:
To cure mouth ulcers, extract bitter gourd juice, add powdered alum, heat it slightly and gargle. Rinsing with this twice a day cures ulcers.
Blisters are cured by grinding bitter gourd juice and chalk soil together, making a paste and applying it on the teeth.
18. Bleeding in urine:
Consuming 250 to 500 grams of bitter gourd mixed in water stops bleeding in urine. The patient should not eat heavy and hot food.
