Botanical Overview Momordica charantia (family Cucurbitaceae), commonly known as Bitter melon, Bitter gourd, Karela, and Balsam pear, is a tropical vine widely cultivated in Asia, Africa, Caribbean, and South America. The fruit, leaf, and seed are traditionally used medicinally. Energetics Bitter melon is considered cooling and drying in nature, possessing a distinctly bitter taste. It…