Sunday 7 September 2014

Her Derde Deva - Küdret Narı. Bitter Gourd



Excuse me breaking into Turkish, but "her derde deva" sounds so much better than "universal cure".  The village markets are full of jars and bottles which claim to be a panacea for every ill known to mankind and I used to be pretty sceptical, but the more research I do, the more faith I put in these local remedies.  My poor daughter has been diagnosed with a thyroid problem which, indirectly, has caused her insulin levels to rise so she has been prescribed Metformin.  This drug has horrible side effects and her suffering prompted me to comb the internet for alternatives and I found one that is on sale at almost every market in Bodrum. Bitter gourd or Küdret Narı has been proven to be almost as effective as Metformin at reversing insulin resistance and lowering blood sugars. Interestingly,  when I bought some of the fruit this week, I was told it was good for heartburn, acid reflux, stomach ulcers and skin complaints.  It is either sold macerated in olive oil or honey, so I was lucky to find the whole fruit.  In the East, it is treated as a vegetable and picked green, when it is less bitter, and cooked in stews and stir fries, juiced or eaten raw. 


Care should be taken in preparation as the red pulp covering the seeds is poisonous, but the rest of the fruit is edible and the leaves can be used for tea.  It grows prodigiously and the vine can reach 5 meters in height.  I've saved some seeds and will plant them next May and see if I can get my own vine growing.  If you are diabetic or on insulin lowering medication only try this vegetable in consultation with your doctor, as you might find your sugar levels dipping too low. 



16 comments:

  1. With the explosion in diabetes in the West you should take the patent out on this little beauty!

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    1. I hope it can't be patented as it is a natural remedy

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  2. B to B, Very interesting. My husband suffers from acid reflux so küdret narı just might fill the bill. I love the colors in this fruit.

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    1. Check the market stalls. If you can't find any let me know and Ill buy some for you in time for 18th.

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  3. . . growing your own won't go down well with Big Pharma - they'll send the GMO Police round to slash and burn. In Venezuela the People's Constitution gave the bio-wealth of the forest to the indigenous people including all of the property rights to the cornucopia of natural medicines and aids to health.

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    1. Hope that happens here too. (not the slash and burning)

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  4. The colours are fabulous....and if it works...even better.

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  5. You're a great mum - and I feel for your daughter. Thyroid problems suck. I hope that your remedy works out!

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    1. Not so great. I forgot to take the jar with me when I went to visit.

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  6. Hello,

    How intriguing this is.

    Whilst we have, in our time, placed great faith in the health services and have always been more than impressed with the outcomes, natural remedies that avoid synthetic medication are definitely appealing.

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    1. Natural gets my vote, but most work side by side with what the doctor orders.

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  7. This is a wonderful find Annie, thanks for sharing. All the best for your daughter, she's very lucky to have you around. We'd jump on anything natural too, will look out for bitter gourd here though my chances may be rather slim.

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    1. You should be able to find it in shops selling Far Eastern food.

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  8. Having looked up the contra-indications for Metformin, bitter gourd sound like a much better alternative. There's a lot of gold amid the dross of folk-medicine - think aspirin and quinine for a start.

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    1. And my poor daughter got everyone of those nasty side effects.

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