Gegen Bitter Melon Tea

Gegen Bitter Melon Tea

　　Pharmacodynamics of Bitter Melon Tea [Keywords] Bitter melon tea; anti-inflammatory; antipyretic; anti-fatigue; immunity. Bitter melon tea is a widely consumed folk beverage made from bitter melon and green tea in a set proportion. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, as well as refreshing the heart and improving vision. It is effective in treating symptoms such as summer heat-induced thirst, difficulty urinating, and wind-heat red eyes, with good results, easily available materials, and dual use as both food and medicine. To further develop and utilize it, we conducted pharmacodynamic studies.

1 Materials 1.1 Drugs and Preparation Commercially available fresh bitter melon, identified as the fruit of Momordica charantia L. of the Cucurbitaceae family from Guizhou. The bitter melon was cut open, seeds removed, chopped, and dried, then mixed with green tea in a ratio of 3:2. It was soaked in 10 times the volume of distilled water for 1 hour, then simmered over low heat for 20 minutes, repeated twice. The filtrate was concentrated to a 20% bitter melon tea solution (referred to as tea) (2g crude drug per ml), with main components including bitter melon saponins and purine alkaloids. 1.2 Animals Both Kunming mice and Wistar rats were used. 2 Methods and Results 2.1 Anti-inflammatory Effect 2.1.1 Xylene-induced Inflammation Method Thirty-six mice were randomly divided into three groups (same below): Tea Group 1 and Tea Group 2 were given 15g·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹ and 20g·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹ of tea by gavage, respectively; the control group was given 0.1ml of 10g⁻¹·d⁻¹ (same below). For 5 consecutive days, one hour after the last administration of tea, 0.05ml of xylene was applied to the left ear of each mouse. The right ear served as a blank control. One hour later, the mice were euthanized. Circular punches with a diameter of 9mm were taken from the same area on both ears, precisely weighed, and the difference in weight between the left and right ear punches was calculated as the degree of swelling. The results were: control group (19.4±6.3) mg, Tea Group 1 (12.4±5.6) mg (P<0.05), Tea Group 2 (8.2±4.1) mg (P<0.01). Ear swelling was graded as follows: swelling diameter >20mm as (+++), 10–20mm as (++).