The plant Momordica charantia Linn. Cucurbitaceae is known variously as bitter gourd, balsam pear, bitter melon, bitter cucumber, and African cucumber. Although it has many culinary uses especially in the south, Southeast, and East Asia, it is also grown as an ornamental and is used extensively in folk medicine. The original home of the species is not known, other than that it is a native of the tropics. Bitter melon grows in tropical areas including part of the Amazon, East Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. It is widely grown in India and another part of the Indian subcontinental, Southeast...