Bitter Melon contains three anti-HIV proteins: alpha- and beta momorcharin, and MAP-30, and many kinds of amino acids. In our Bitter Melon Extract, we use the whole plant; leaves, seeds, vine, and melon. Research has found that the leaves are nutritious sources of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron; both the edible fruit and the leaves are great sources of the B vitamins. The diabetes disorder stems from the way the body processes carbohydrates. Normally, carbohydrates are converted into a form of sugar called glucose, which floats along in the bloodstream until the pancreas goes into action. The pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that signals body cells to soak up glucose. Once inside the cell, glucose is either used to produce little or no insulin or else becomes resistant to the hormone's action and can't compensate. Either way, the glucose can't get into the cells; it accumulates in the blood and is later expelled in the urine. In short, blood sugar rises while cells starve. Both kinds of diabetes (Type I is regarded as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, Type II is considered to be non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) can be managed quite well with dietary changes, moderate exercise, effective weight reduction, and natural supplements such as herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes. Herbs, in particular, are especially beneficial in dealing with this particular health problem. What one would find in medicinal plants isn't so much as a cure, as a safe reliable way to better manage body blood sugar levels. Diabetics who have routinely used other herbs have reported what may be described as a seesaw action in their hypoglycemic activities: an alternating influence in which their hypoglycemic effects may be felt sometimes, but not other times. What would be nice is to have an herb that is always consistent in its blood sugar-lowering properties. The herb that meets this criterion in every way is Bitter Melon. There are several different kinds of Bitter Melon throughout the world, but the Chinese Bitter Melon (Ku Gua) has proven to be the most effective and consistent in stabilizing blood sugar levels. Indian biochemists reported isolating a hypoglycemic peptide from the fruit, seeds, and tissue of Momordica, which they labeled Polypeptide-p (also called p-insulin or v-insulin). Based on a medical hypothesis, it could exert a direct action on the islets of Langerhans located within the pancreas that are the source of insulin and glucagon (a pancreatic hormone); in so doing, it might stimulate the release of insulin when needed most. Bitter Melon also relieves the dehydration that frequently accompanies diabetics. Our extraction and concentration process yields one gram of extract from 25 grams of fresh plant material. Bitter Melon contains three anti-HIV proteins: alpha- and beta-momorcharin, and MAP-30. They have been tested in vitro and found to possess inhibitory effects on HIV-infected macrophages and T-cells and inhibit cell to cell infection and syncytial formation. They can inactivate ribosome's functions in HIV-infected cells. Thus they can stop protein synthesis and kill infected cells. Significantly, these proteins do not appear to be toxic against uninfected cells. These proteins isolated from extracts of Bitter Melon have been found to inhibit replication of herpes simplex (HSV-1) and polio virus.*

K'u Gua (Momordica Charantia)