Jamaican Cerasee Plant Benefits And Side Effects

The Cerasee plant is a crawling vine that blooms yellow flowers and green fruits Bitter melons) that turn a bright orange color when they ripen.

Cerasee grows in warm places like Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. People in these locations use different sections, of the plants such as the leaves, vine, and fruits, for medicine and food. 

Phytochemicals such as ascorbic acids, protein, polyccharides, flavanoids and saponins are among the natural constituents of the Cerasee plant that possess healing properties.

Some scientific studies show that the Cerasee plant may help alleviate several health problems including diabetes, digestive problems, high blood pressure, weight loss, and skin infections. 

Cerasee Plant Benefits

These compounds have antioxidant, laxative, contraceptive, anti-malarial, anthelmintic, and other benefits. So let’s examine a few of the potential health benefits.

1. Benefits of Cerasee for Diabetes

Cerasee herb has been used to treat diabetes in many cultures for many years. So a number of recent scientific experiments were carried out to test Cerasee effectiveness for treating diabetes.

The Journal of Ethnopharmacology reports that more than 140 animal and human studies have been done worldwide on the Cerasee plant.

In one animal study done in 1990, both diabetic and normal mice were given Cerasee fruit extracts. Reports states that Cerasee extracts caused glucose concentrations to lower in both the diabetic and the normal mice.

2. Cerasee Plant Benefits for Liver

According to some studies, the cerasee plant has antioxidant and detoxifying properties that may help heal damaged liver.

In one of those animal studies mice that suffered liver damage were treated with Cerasee leaf extracts for 28 days. 

At the end of the treatment period, the report states that the Cerasee leaf extracts demonstrated potential as a useful agent for reversing liver damage.

3. Cerasee Benefits For Cancer

Some research strongly suggest that Cersaee leaf extracts may help inhibit the growth of some cancer cells.

Kuguacin J (KuJ) which is a component of cerasee leaves shows the ability to signigicanlty hinder the migration and invasion of some prostate cancer cells.

4. Cerasee For Heart Health 

Antioxidants protect your body from harmful molecules that causse damage, that can lead to vascular inflammation, and heart disease.

Pectic Polysaccharides were isolated from green bitter melon. The report idenfified them as having “potent antioxidant activities.” So antioxidants in Cerasee plant may potentially be useful in helping prevent and treat heart disease.

5. Cerasee Benefit for Skin

The cerasee plant is a rich source of both Vitamins A and C.  Vitamin A supports skin cells and provide a barrier against infection, and Vitamin C rejuvinates the skin.

Adequate supply of Vitamin A helps improve skin health while vitamin C encourages the production of collagen which gives the a younger healthy glow.

These cerasee benefits may be had from drinking cerasee tea or consuming cerasee fruit.

6. Cerasee Benefit For Skin

Zinc is another beneficial constituent of Cerasee plant. Zinc is proven to help heal and rejuvenate the skin. So another of the amazing Cerasee benefits is it may help clear up skin infections.

Cerasee herb juice is applied to the skin or a bath made from crushed Cerasee leaves is used to bathe the infected skin. This treatment is used for skin conditions such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis.

7. Cerasee for Weight Loss

In 2013 an animal study to examine whether foods-including bitter melon-could help reduce inflammation of fatty tissue reports that the reduction of inflammation causing fatty tisues can lead to weightloss.

Another study found that mice who were given cerasee extracts lost more weight than their counterparts that were’t given cerasee.

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 plant ranked in the top ten plants used as medicine.

In a 2019 study mice were tested to determine the effects of Cerasee plant on Glucose levels. The study found that in the normal mice that were given Cerasee, the administration of Cerasee improved glucose tolerance after 8 hr.

Cerasee Uses

The cerasee fruit-bitter melon-is widely used in Asian cuisine. It is generally sauteed with onions or curried and served over rice.

In Notheren Indian cuisine bitter melon cerasee fruit is generally served with yogurt on the side to reduce the bitter taste. Cerasee fruit also used to make a drink called Karela juice.

In Jamaican the cerasee fruit is not widely eaten, instead cerasee leaves and vine are used to make herbal tea.

Across the Caribbean cerasee leaves are crushed and used to bathe the skin of of people (especially children) with skin infections.

Cerasee and Pregnancy

There have been reports that pregant women who consumed excessive amounts of Bitter melon and by extension the Cerasee plant suffered abortions. Therefore, if you are pregnant you should exercise caution when consuming Cerasee.

Bitter melon products and its extracts have been linked to dangerously low blood sugar and anemia.

Bitter Melon Cerasee Fruit

There are a number common names that locals call the Momordica Charantia plant. These include asosi, serosi, and corailee in the Caribbean.

Cerasee fruit goes by names like Bitter Melon, Karela, or Bitter Gourd, Bitter apple, Bitter squash, and Balsam-pear in some areas.

How to Make Cerasee (Karela) Juice

However, these studies were mostly done with animals and in the lab so there is not enough solid human data to back them up. In any case we will explore some of these potential cerasee plant benefits.

And if you’re trying to lose weight, you may want to leverage the benefits of Cerasee juice. Including Karela (Cerasee) juice in your weight loss plan may help you shed a few pounds.

Here’s how to make Karela juice from scratch:

Conclusion

Jamaican Cerasee plant is the what is known as bitter melon in most locations. Some studies provide sicence backed evidence Cerasee plant benefits. But these are mainly animal and lab studies so there is little human data to support them.

In addition 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 plant 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.