7 Remarkable Cerasee Benefits You’re Going to Love

Cerasee is the local name Jamaican natives use for the Momordica Charantia plant. The Cerasee plant is a well known herbal remedy on the island.

The use of the Momordica Charantia plant in folk medicine dates back thousands of years.

Due to its popularity, the Cerasee plant has been the subject of many studies. Several of those studies identify some interesting Cerasee benefits.

Several bioactive chemicals isolated form the plant are responsible for Cerasee benefits.

Fo example, Researchers identified phytochemicals such as ascorbic acids, protein, polyccharides, flavanoids and saponins in the Cerasee plant.

These chemicals result in the antioxidant, laxative, contraceptive, anti-malarial, anthelmintic and other Cerasee benefits.

Continue reading to learn more about health benefits of Cerasee.

Cerasee Benefits

According to Researchers, the chemicals they found in the Cerasee plant offer a number of potential healthful Cerasee benefits.

We are listing seven possible health benefits of Cerasee plant.

1. May Manage Blood Glucose

Momordica charantia has been used in many cultures to treat diabetes for thousands of years.  

Recently a number of scientific experiments have been undertaken to validate the herbs effectiveness.

The Journal of Ethnopharmacology reports that more than 140 animal and human studies have been done worldwide on Cerasee. The goal of these studies is to verify how using Cerasee affects blood glucose levels. 

In one animal study done in 1990, both diabetic and normal mice were given Cerasee fruit extracts. 

The results showed that Momordica charantia (Cerasee) extract caused the lowering of glucose concentrations in both the diabetic and the normal mice.

2. May Repair Damaged Liver

According to the American Liver Foundation there are more than 100 different types of liver disease. Diabetes is one disease that can cause liver damage.

There is ongoing research to find effective ways to prevent and protect the liver against damage. Cerasee is one of the natural products that have chemicals that can help treat liver damage.

As a result one study using daibetic rats as subjects, was conducted to examine whether Cerease was helpful in improving liver damage. 

The animals were given Cerasee leaf extracts for 28 days. 

At the end of the treatment period, the report stated that the Cerasee leaf extracts demonstrated a potential to be useful in reversing liver damage caused by diabetes.

3. May Reduce Cancer Risk

In one study Cersaee leaf extract and a purified component, Kuguacin J (KuJ) were examined to discover their effect on prostate cancer.

The experiment demonstrated that Cerasee leaves extract and Kuguacin J has potential to be used as a new chemopreventive agent for treating prostate cancer.

4. May Contribute to Heart Health 

Antioxidants are believed to play a role in oxidative stress, that can lead to vascular inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.

In both human and animal studies, Cerasee extracts show strong antioxidant properties. 

In one study where Pectic Polysaccharides were isolated from green bitter melon, reports “potent antioxidant activities”.

The antioxidants in Cerasee indicate that one important Cerasee benefit is it may help prevent and treat heart disease.

5 May Give Anti-Aging Benefits

Cerasee is rich in Vitamin A.  The body needs Vitamin A for many things such as supporting skin cells and providing a barrier against infection.

Adequate supply of Vitamin A helps improve the look and health of your skin. Therefore one benefit of drinking cerasee tea is that it may make you look younger.

6. May Improve Skin Appearance

Another beneficial compound in Cerasee vine is Zinc. Zinc is proven to help heal and rejuvenate.

Therefore using Cerasee may result in fresher, younger looking skin.

That may explain one of the most common uses of Jamaican Cerasee.

It is used to treat skin conditions such as eczema, acne and psoriasis.

Cerasee juice applied to the skin or a bath made from crushed Cerasee leaves is used to bathe infected skin.

7. May Help Weight Loss

In 2013 an animal study was done to examine whether foods-including bitter melon-could help reduce inflammation of fatty tissue.

The reduction of inflammation causing fatty tisues can possibly result in weight loss.

Six mice were fed a high fat diet with and without bitter melon for 12 weeks. The results showed that one Cerasee benefit was that it helped with insulin resistance relating to fat deposition.

 There was another Cerasee plant benefit as well. It reduced fatty tissue inflammation in the diet induced obese mice.

Cerasee Plant Uses

Across the Caribbean and in many other places, Cerasee vine has been treated as a medicinal herb for hundreds of years. 

There the leaves and stems of the Cerasee vine are usually consumed as bush tea. But sometimes they are crushed and used to bathe the skin of children with eczema.

On the other hand, in Asia, the fruit, generally known as bitter melon, is eaten as a vegetable. In India it is also used to make a drink called Karela juice.

Is Cerasee Good for Diabetes?

For ages one of the main Cerasee tea benefits Jamaicans believe in is the herbs ability to treat type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

In 2020 survey about the use of Cerasee as a traditional medicine was conducted in Western Jamaica.

The reports reveal that about 72 percent of Jamaicans used herbal remedies to treat these conditions. Cerasee ranked in the top ten plants used as medicine.

It is interesting that a number of animal and human studies have been conducted to determine whether Cerasee is effective in treating type 2 diabetes. Many of these studies gave positive reports.

A 2019 study published in PubMed where mice were used as test subjects to determine the effect of Cerasee on Glucose level it was found that in normal mice that were given Cerasee, the administration of Cerasee improved glucose tolerance after 8 hr.

Cerasee and Pregnancy

If you are pregnant you need to exercise caution when consuming the tea. Bitter melon and by extension the Cerasee plant have been known to cause abortion.  

Bitter melon products and extracts have also been associated with dangerously low blood sugar and anemia.

Cerasee vs Bitter Melon

Is Cersasee The Same As Bitter Melon? There are a number other names that locals use for the Momordica Charantia plant.

However, Bitter Melon, Karela, or Bitter Gourd is the actual fruit of the Momordica Charantia plant.

And while Cerasee fruit is not commonly eaten in Jamaica, it is used for culinary purposes in a number of other places.

For instance, Bitter melon fruit is used as a vegetable in soups and salads in India. Cerasee fruit is also used to make Karela juice there.

In the Philippines and Trinidad and Tobago the fruit is also eaten as a vegetable.

How to Make Karela Juice

And if you’re trying to lose weight, you may want to include cerasee fruit juice in your weight loss plan. Here’s how to make Karela juice from scratch:

Conclusion

The plant that is locally known as Jamaican Cerasee bush has a number of benefits. Many of these benefits are backed by science.

However, excessive use of Cerasee has been linked to some serious side effects. One such reported side effect is premature labor that can lead to abortion.

And you should keep in mind that Cerasee has not been approved for medicinal use. Therefore, Cerasee should not be used for treating any illness.

Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only. Nothing stated on this site should be viewed as medical advice. Please speak to a Professional Healthcare Provider about matters related to your healthcare.