How to Take Bitter Melon

Known for its intensely bitter flavor and medicinal properties, the Asian bitter melon is an oblong green fruit that grows on a vine. Its most notable medicinal uses include treatments for diabetes, ulcers, colic and gas, liver problems and skin disorders. You can take bitter melon in many ways.

Things You'll Need

• Bitter melon
• Bitter melon leaves
• Recipe
• Juicer or food processor
• Hot water

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Instructions

• 1

  Cook bitter melon. For those with palates suited for bitter flavors, bitter melon can be prepared as a side dish or entrée. For either preparation, wash the outside of the melon thoroughly and prepare according to your recipe. Some popular options include frying the melon whole or splitting it open and stuffing it with meat and rice.

• 2

  Juice bitter melon. Wash the melon thoroughly and dice it. Using a juicer or a food processor, puree the fruit. Strain out the pulp, and it is ready to drink. The intensity of the bitterness is much stronger in the juice, and drinking excessive amounts of the juice daily can cause severe gastric pains.

• 3

  Make tea from the bitter melon. This is a very popular method of consumption, using the fruit, the leaves or a combination of both. Wash the melon and leaves thoroughly. If making tea from the leaves, dry them over the course of several days to a week. Pack the dried leaves into a tea sieve and brew in hot water. To add the fruit to the tea, you can either use dehydrated fruit or fresh fruit and add it to the tea sieve.

• 4

  Take bitter melon supplements. For those who do not enjoy bitter flavors, bitter melon supplements are sold in many herbal remedy and natural food stores. If you choose to take a supplement, follow the directions on the package. Typically this means taking the supplement with 8 ounces of water, but some supplements need to be taken with food. Follow guidelines for the quantity of the supplement that can be taken in a day, as bitter melon is can cause stomach and gastric discomfort.