Indian summer vegetable – BITTER GOURD (KARELA)
Children might pull a long face at the mention of bitter gourd or karela, but as one grows older, ones cultivates a taste for the bitter.
Karela’s bitter taste is generally attributed to the quinine it contains. Cooked bitter gourd stimulates the appetite, cleanses the liver, purifies the blood, and provides many other benefits.
It is established cure for boils, rashes, fungal infections and ring-worm. It also helps control hypertension and diabetes, and generally increases immunity.
Bitter gourd has phenolic compounds that reduce glucose release during carbohydrate digestion. Thus, it has a hypoglycemic effect and is good for diabetes.