Charantia (Ampalaya)

The vocabulary of diabetes specialists in Kuwait is two words richer, and they read, “Ampalaya” and “Charantia”.

Last April, Lito Abelarde, Chairman of Herbcare Corporation (makers of Charantia), and former Bureau of Food and Drugs Director, Dr. William Torres, were invited in the Gulf state to orient diabetes doctors on the merits of Ampalaya and Charantia in bringing down high blood sugar levels. This amidst the fact that about 20% of Kuwaitis suffer from diabetes. The country has a population of nearly 3 million, but around 2 million are non-nationals.

Charantia is now exported to Kuwait and parts of the Middle East to address the growing demand in the region for safe and natural ways to manage diabetes. With Charantia now in Kuwait, more Arabs are expected to learn more about Ampalaya. In essence, Abelarde said that Herbcare is not only promoting Charantia to Arabs; but also the Filipino name of the plant. This, Abelarde said, can position the Philippines as a prime source of natural products from the plant.

Dr. Torres briefed the doctors on the traditional, scientific and clinical use of Ampalaya for diabetics. He also pointed out the key compounds in the Ampalaya fruit, namely, polypeptide-P, a plant insulin that lowers elevated blood sugar. In his review of the scientific reports done on Ampalaya since the 1960s, Dr. Torres said that Ampalaya “improves glucose tolerance and potentiates insulin and diabetes drugs.”

Most extensively exported Ampalaya brand he addition of Kuwait makes Charantia as the most extensively exported Filipino Ampalaya brand in the world. Although not uncommon in Kuwait where it is known as Indian cucumber, Ampalaya fruits are often left in one corner of the supermarket where little, if any, is promoted of its blood sugar-lowering properties. But Dr. Bassam M. Isber, Marketing Manager of EnerVit, an herbal and natural products company that distributes Charantia, said he has an idea about Ampalaya’s anti-diabetes from Indian workers in Kuwait who would make juice out of the fruits. A relative is also using Ampalaya. “I was wondering why we are not using it as a food supplement.”

Dr. Isber searched the Internet and discovered that it is available in tea and capsule form. Further researches led him to Herbcare, and he realized Charantia is being exported worldwide—in North America, Mexico, Japan, Korea and Europe.