Bitter melon seed, also known as bitter gourd seed or Momordica charantia seed, is the dried mature seed of plants from the family Cucurbitaceae, including Momordica charantia and Momordica cochinchinensis. It is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine. It has a cold nature and a sweet taste, and it enters the lung, stomach, and large intestine meridians. It has the functions of moistening the lungs, transforming phlegm, relieving chest congestion, and promoting bowel movement. It is used to treat symptoms such as phlegm-heat cough, dry intestines and constipation, chest pain, abscesses, and insufficient lactation. "Ben Cao Hui Yan" records: "Bitter gourd seed moistens the lungs, transforms phlegm, clears heat, and relieves thirst. It is rich in oil and fat. It mainly regulates the heart, lungs, chest, and stomach, and treats all dryness and heat that go against the flow of Qi, as well as phlegm and stagnant dirt in the middle abdomen. It can descend anything that is above and promote movement for anything that is below. Its sweet and cold nature can help descend Qi and phlegm, and its moistening property can promote bowel movement and relieve constipation." It has been found in the market that dried seeds of the same family plant, Benincasa hispida, are being sold as bitter melon seed, so it is important to be careful when using them.
Authentic Bitter Melon Seed
It is flat and oval-shaped, measuring 1.2 to 1.5 centimeters long, 6 to 10 millimeters wide, and about 4 millimeters thick. The surface is gray-brown, smooth, with a white depressed spot at the tip as the seed hilum, and a 1-millimeter-wide edge around it. The outer seed coat is hard and contains two lobes of white oily seeds covered by a green outer coat (the inner seed coat). It has a mild scent and a sweet taste with a slight bitterness.
Fake Dried Seeds of Benincasa hispida
It resembles the head of a praying mantis, measuring about 1.5 centimeters long and 8 to 12 millimeters wide. The surface is brown or with a grayish-white translucent film and has fine granular protrusions. The middle part is slightly triangular and wide, with raised edges forming ridges. There is a round and blunt part at each end, with a depression at the top. The seed coat is thick. It has three chambers, with no seeds in the chambers at both ends and one hole each, and the middle chamber is larger and contains one seed that is flat and triangular or rectangular. It is covered by a brown, thin inner seed coat. The seed is yellow-brown or yellow-white and rich in fat. It has a mild scent and a mild taste.
Although seeds of Benincasa hispida can also be used as medicine and belong to the same family as bitter melon seed, they are from different genera and do not possess the various medicinal properties of bitter melon seed. Therefore, they cannot be used as a substitute for bitter melon seed.
