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Medicinal Properties of Bitter Gourd: Bioactives and Their Actions

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The Bitter Gourd Genome

Part of the book series: Compendium of Plant Genomes ((CPG))

Abstract

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L., Family: Cucurbitaceae) is traditionally used as a medicinal food in different systems of medicine. It has significant importance in providing basic nutrients and prevention of various ailments. It contains a variety of bioactive compounds including alkaloids, polypeptides, vitamins, and minerals. A diversity of bioactive compounds comprises two classes of saponins: Oleanane and Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids. The present chapter shall draw a link of the bioactive compounds to its pharmacological effects like antidiabetic, anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, hypolipidemic, and hypocholesterolemic effects, and an insight to understand the mechanism of action.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India

    Vidhu Aeri & Richa Raj

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  1. Vidhu Aeri
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  2. Richa Raj
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Correspondence to Vidhu Aeri .

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  1. Raja Ramanna Fellow, Government of India, ICAR-National Research Center on Plant, Pusa, New Delhi, India

    Chittaranjan Kole

  2. Gene Research Center, Shinshu University, Ueda, Japan

    Hideo Matsumura

  3. Division of Vegetable Science, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India

    Tusar Kanti Behera

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Aeri, V., Raj, R. (2020). Medicinal Properties of Bitter Gourd: Bioactives and Their Actions. In: Kole, C., Matsumura, H., Behera, T. (eds) The Bitter Gourd Genome. Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15062-4_3

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