Diabetic nerve pain can be excruciating. Known as diabetic neuropathy or peripheral neuropathy, nerve pain associated with diabetes can cause shooting pain, burning or tingling sensations, or numbness in the hands, legs, and feet.
According to the National Institutes of Health, around 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral neuropathy, and managing the pain is a major priority. Bitter melon is a fruit that has been shown to help relieve diabetic nerve pain, and it can be a safe, effective alternative to opioids and other pain medications.
What is Bitter Melon?
Bitter melon is also known as balsam pear and bitter gourd. It’s a member of the same family as squash, cucumbers, and melons. Bitter melon’s bitter flavor is due to cucurbitacins, but it’s curbed by soaking the melon in salt water or blanching it.
Bitter melon is packed with nutrients, including iron, magnesium, pantothenic acid, potassium, phosphorous, and vitamin B6. It’s an abundant source of choline and folate, and it contains a whopping 1,641 grams on average of lutein, the essential nutrient for eye, skin, hair, and nerve health. By comparison, cantaloupe is considered a good source of lutein but only contains 41 grams.
Bitter Melon Lowers Blood Sugar Levels
Numerous studies have shown that bitter melon has a strong positive impact on blood sugar levels in the body. Its strong hypoglycemic properties come from an insulin-like compound known as polypeptide-p, which is found in the fruit, seeds, and tissue of the bitter melon. In some cases, bitter melon has been shown effective for treating diabetes.
Both animal and human studies show that bitter melon reduces blood sugar levels. One study found that polypeptide-p is very effective in gerbils, langurs, and humans, regardless of the stage and severity of diabetes. Keeping blood sugar levels down helps slow the progression of diabetic nerve pain and keeps your diabetes in check.
Bitter melon has been shown to be healthier and more effective than bovine insulin for treating some people with diabetes mellitus. Bovine insulin, which is commonly used to treat this type of diabetes, has antigenic properties that can introduce toxins into the body.
Bitter Melon Can Reduce Pain
Bitter melon has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine in India, a popular method of treating diabetes mellitus and relieving pain associated with gout and rheumatism. In addition to lowering blood sugar, bitter melon has been shown to reduce pain in rats and mice.
One study found that extracts from the seeds of bitter melon had analgesic effects similar to morphine in Wistar male rats and Swiss mice. In the study, the control group was given morphine, and the maximum effect of the bitter melon was similar to the effects of morphine for pain control.
Nerveology Advanced Glucose Balance with Bitter Melon Can Help
Bitter melon can have serious side effects at high doses, and it can be toxic to children. A supplement containing bitter melon provides you with optimal dosages to reduce side effects, illuminates the bitter unpleasant flavor associated with eating it, and ensures effective control dosing.
Nerveology’s Advanced Glucose Balance contains a healthy dose of bitter melon, along with 19 other scientifically proven herbs that promote balanced blood glucose levels. If you have diabetes and suffer from nerve pain, give Advanced Glucose Balance a try for all-natural pain relief and lower blood sugar.