Bitter Melon Extracts and Powdered Formulations

Bitter melon, Momordica charantia, also known as bitter gourd or karela, is a tropical and subtropical cousin of the cucumber, and is widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is used for pickles, curries and stir-fries.

Traditionally, bitter melon juice is used as a rejuvenator in India, particularly for pitta and kapha doshas. Concentrated extracts and powdered formulations of bitter melon which preserve the nature of Momordica are modern choices to achieve effects now substantiated by modern science.

Today, Verdure Sciences works with a team of university researchers to look at the effects of our standardized bitter melon extracts.

Verdure Sciences uses an extensive quality system to verify the source, identity, purity, and potency of our bitter melon extracts.

Each incoming lot of bitter melon is documented for traceability, specifically for the geographic location, time and date of harvest. Then, a paper trail must lead to apositive identification of the material. The material is macroscopically inspected for a number of attributes, and then analysed under a microscope by botanists with advanced degrees and expertise in the field. The microscope analysis must match drawings and photographs from an official monograph, made from voucher specimens authenticated by academic botanists at independent university laboratories.

The bitter melon sample is then subjected to a second layer of identity testing usingthin layer chromatography (TLC). This produces a 'chemical fingerprint' that is characteristic to the species and plant part. In-house TLC results are then validated by third-party independent laboratories.

After processing, the finished extract is also subjected to TLC to confirm that it has retained the natural-spectrum identity of the raw plant material.

Dozens of additional tests are performed on each lot of finished extract, to confirm the purity, potency, and uniformity of the extract. This data is added to an historical record on the extract, which helps us track and control the consistency of the product over the course of time.

Since bitter melon is of course a 100% natural product, this complex system of controls is necessary to ensure our customers receive the highest quality ingredients available.