What is the difference between bitter melon and bitter gourd?
Category:
medical health
diabetes
Chinese and Indian gourds have the same hardiness, cultural requirements and bitter flavor (especially to those not familiar with the bitter melon taste). The only real difference is the appearance of the fruit. Indian bitter gourds are narrower than the Chinese type, rather like a zucchini.
Considering this, how does bitter gourd look like?
Instead of being round and sweet-fleshed, bitter melon — also known as bitter squash, balsam-pear, karela and goya in various parts of the world — resembles a cucumber (though flavor-wise you would never compare them). For starters, bitter melon proves as sharply flavored as you might think, and with rough, bumpy skin.
Hereof, what are the side effects of bitter gourd?
Side effects of bitter melon include:
- Abdominal pain and diarrhea (with bitter melon juice, several times more than the recommended amounts)
- Headache, fever, and coma (with excessive ingestion of the seeds)
- Worsening low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
Bitter gourd juice contains a train of important nutrients ranging from iron, magnesium and vitamin to potassium and vitamin C. An excellent source of dietary fiber, it also contains twice the calcium of spinach, beta-carotene of broccoli, and the potassium of a banana.