苦瓜！苦瓜！苦瓜！

這麼難吃的食物媽媽還會不遺餘力的燒給我們吃。干瞪著眼看著她往我碗里夾。對於這種苦味從小就帶著不敢接近的神秘感。這一次我們結合了美國國家醫學圖書館記載的翻譯資料，理性的研究它！

--Kelly hu

什麼是苦瓜？

苦瓜是一種植物，其果實和籽用來製藥。從外形上看，「苦瓜」似乎與水果無關：雖然它從屬於葫蘆科植物，卻並不像西瓜和哈密瓜等藤蔓系植物，它看起來不像瓜類。 苦瓜（在世界的其他地方也叫作 bitter squash, balsam-pear, karel），外形不是圓的，味道也不甜，形狀與黃瓜類似（儘管兩者的味道大相徑庭）。對於初嘗苦瓜的人來說，其味道非常強烈，外皮粗糙。雖然這種水果看起來很醜，味道也比較刺鼻，但這並不意味著你可以忽略它。畢竟，數百年來人們一直在烹飪這種水果，因為它有許多的好處。

原文：

Bitter melon is a plant. The fruit and seeds are used to make medicine.From the outside, the name 「bitter melon」 seems to have nothing to do with the fruit in question: It doesn』t look like a melon, though it does hail from Cucurbitaceae, the same vine-friendly family that brings us watermelon and cantaloupe. Instead of being round and sweet-fleshed, bitter melon — also known as bitter squash, balsam-pear, karela and goya in various parts of the world — resembles a cucumber (though flavor-wise you would never compare them). For starters, bitter melon proves as sharply flavored as you might think, and with rough, bumpy skin. Just because the fruit looks ugly and has a pungent taste, however, doesn』t mean you should pass on it. After all, folks have been cooking with it for hundreds of years, and with good reason.

苦瓜從哪裡來？

像許多外形奇怪的水果和蔬菜一樣，苦瓜多種植於中國、加勒比，非洲和東南亞等熱帶和亞熱帶地區（也是苦瓜消費最多的地區）。 和許多味道不怎麼好的食物一樣，苦瓜在因其味道而成為食用成分之前的很長一段時間內，都是以其藥用價值進行兜售的。

原文：

Like many odd-looking fruits and vegetables, bitter melon grows best in tropical and subtropical regions like the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia and China (where it』s probably the most widely consumed). And as with many not-so-good-tasting foods, bitter melon was touted for its medicinal properties long before it became an ingredient used for its flavor.

《Bitter: A Taste of the World』s Most Dangerous Flavor》（苦：世界上最危險的味道）的作者Jennifer Mclagan說：「因為含有味道苦澀的胡蘿蔔素，苦瓜對你非常有用。長期以來，人們一直認為苦瓜具有清潔功效，改善血液，有些人認為苦瓜可以作為治療糖尿病的方法。研究表明，苦瓜有利於降低血糖水平和抵禦病毒，科羅拉多大學癌症中心的一項研究稱，苦瓜汁可以殺死癌細胞。」如果以上這些理由還不能讓你嘗試這種水果的話，那麼它獨特的味道也是值得一試的。

原文：

「Bitter melon is very good for you, thanks to compounds called cucurbitacins, which are very bitter,」 says Jennifer McLagan, author of Bitter: A Taste of the World』s Most Dangerous Flavor. 「It has long been believed that bitter melon has cleansing powers and improves the blood, and others promote it as a cure for diabetes.」 She adds, 「Research shows that it is good for lowering blood sugar levels and fighting viruses, and a study at the University of Colorado Cancer Center showed that bitter melon juice kills cancer cells.」 If those aren』t reasons enough to give this fruit a try, its unique flavor profile should be.

苦瓜是什麼季節的水果

在亞洲市場，人們往往可以在任何季節買到苦瓜。但是，如果你選擇在家裡種植苦瓜，那麼在溫度和濕度很高的夏季或秋季初期，就是收穫苦瓜的季節。這也是你可以在一些農民市場上看到苦瓜的時候。不要忽略它——拿起這種長長的瘤狀水果，準備好烹飪吧。而且儲存也非常的方便，就像儲存黃瓜一樣，把它放在冰箱的蔬菜櫃里即可。

原文：

You can usually find this fruit at Asian markets all season long. But if you choose to grow it at home, you will want to harvest it at the end of summer or early in the fall, when temperatures are high and humidity peaks. This is also the time you might see bitter melon at the farmers』 market. Don』t pass it up — grab that long, warty fruit and get ready for a culinary adventure.As you would a cucumber, keep bitter melon in the fridge in a vegetable drawer.

買什麼樣的苦瓜烹飪?

每種長圓形的水果大概能長到約10英寸（約是25.4cm）大小（不要購買比這更大的）。你可以通過果皮的顏色來判斷水果的成熟度。 綠色果皮還沒有成熟，如果它傾向於黃色和橙色，那就成熟了。 廚師們往往會用更硬的未成熟的苦瓜進行烹飪。不過要記住的幾點不同的情況：中國的苦瓜看起來最像黃瓜，雖然會有斑點。印度的苦瓜顏色更深，果皮褶皺大。McLagan建議購買苦瓜時要買「中小型的，確保他們足夠堅硬。苦瓜越大並不代表越好，而是味道越苦。

原文：

Each oblong fruit grows to about 10 inches (avoid buying any that are bigger than that). You can tell the age of the fruit by the color of the skin. Green fruits are less mature, and if it』s leaning toward yellow and orange, it』s ripe. Normally, cooks work with firmer, unripened fruits. A few variations to keep in mind: Chinese bitter melons look most like a cucumber, albeit pockmarked. Indian bitter melon tends to showcase a darker hue, and the skin folds in ripples around the whole fruit. When shopping for it, McLagan recommends 「small to medium-size melons, making sure they are firm. With bitter melon, bigger is not better, just more bitter.」

苦瓜怎麼吃比較好？

除非你買的是一個小的未成熟的苦瓜（推薦大小），不要吃苦瓜厚厚的蠟狀果皮。相反，剝開苦瓜取出果皮下的果肉。果肉的味道是相當澀的，因為奎寧含量很高，奎寧是一種與G和Ts補品相同的成分。但是，這是這種苦澀的味道讓苦瓜受到烹飪界的喜愛。（什麼是G和Ts?）

原文：

Unless you get a small, young bitter melon (recommended), avoid eating the thick, waxy skin. Instead, peel the fruit to get to the flesh beneath. The taste of the meat is quite astringent due to the high levels of quinine, the same ingredient that makes the tonic part of your G and Ts. But it』s this bitter quality that makes the fruit so beloved by those in the culinary world.

McLagan(那本書的作者)說「我太喜歡它苦澀的味道了，我覺得自己很渴望那種味道」。她在自己的書中也強調了這一點，並分享了一個苦瓜，椰奶和豆腐的烹飪食譜。 「苦瓜有很多種烹飪方法——它可以像西葫蘆一樣蒸熟或油炸，有些廚師把它整齊地挖出來，就像一個南瓜一樣。 它的苦澀使它成為辣椒和脂肪的完美搭配，我最喜歡把苦瓜和其他蔬菜一起烹飪，或者是和辣咖喱一起。」

原文：

「I love its bitterness so much so that I find myself craving it,」 says McLagan, who highlights it in her book and shares a recipe for bitter melon with coconut milk and tofu. 「There are lots of way of using bitter melon — it can be steamed or pan-fried like zucchini, and some cooks leave it whole and hollow it out to stuff, like a squash. Its bitterness makes it a perfect match for chilies and fat, and I like it best simply cooked with other vegetables, or in a spicy curry.」

苦瓜在中國菜系中非常受歡迎。丹麥Hop Alley and Uncle的主廚Tommy Lee說：「苦瓜經常用來炒或者做成湯，和中國文化中其他味道苦澀的食物一樣，人們認為苦瓜助於消化和改善整體健康。」

原文：

One of the cuisines that bitter melon is most prevalent in is Chinese food. 「Most commonly bitter melon is stir-fried or used in soups,」 says Tommy Lee, chef-owner of Hop Alley and Uncle in Denver. 「Like most bitter foods in Chinese culture, it』s believed to aid in digestion and improve overall health,」 he adds.

但是你怎麼去切這種外形很奇怪的食物？Lee說：「首先把它切成兩半，用勺子挖出種子，切成半月形。或者也可以去核後切成粗圓形的。無論是哪種方式，最好加鹽把苦瓜腌制30到45分鐘，以便排出一些多餘的苦汁。」最後一步的腌制是關鍵, 這是Lee在香港長大的父親教給他的。「我的父親從小就吃苦瓜，我們小時候，他也經常燒苦瓜給我們吃。」Lee喜歡的一道著名的中國菜是用中國黑豆和蝦或牛肉炒苦瓜。 「和大多數苦澀的食物一樣，如中國黑豆一樣帶有鹹味的成分有助於平衡苦味。」 Lee烹飪苦瓜的其他技巧有，用鹽水浸泡苦瓜後弄濕，然後加入鍋中煮幾分鐘，這樣可以保持果肉的緊緻感。

原文：

But how do you go about dissecting this strange-looking ingredient? First, says Lee, 「Split it in half, dig the seeds out with a spoon and slice into half moons. Or it can also be stuffed by cutting into thick rounds and coring. Either way, it』s best to toss the bitter melon in some salt and let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes to help draw out some of the bitterness and excess liquid.」 The last part is key, an important step Lee』s father, who was raised in Hong Kong, taught the chef. 「He grew up eating it and would cook it for our family when we were kids.」 One well-known Chinese dish Lee likes is stir-fried bitter melon with Chinese black beans and shrimp or beef. 「As with most bitter foods, a salty component, like Chinese black beans, helps balance the bitterness.」 Other tips Lee has for working with bitter melon include blanching the produce after its saltwater soak before adding it to the pan and letting it cook for just a couple minutes so it maintains its pleasing crunch.

那麼重點來啦！！

每種食材都會有一些特定人群食用的情況

切記斷章取義

對於苦瓜，美國國家醫學圖書館也進行了研究報道，以下翻譯於美國國家醫學圖書館發表《Bitter Melon》，若有翻譯偏差，還望專業人士指正。

對大多數人口服的人來說，苦瓜的果實短期內是可能安全的。不過長期食用（3個月以上）的安全性尚不清楚。關於食用苦瓜的其它部分或把苦瓜用於皮膚上是否安全這個問題，我們（研究者）還沒有足夠的信息和證據。

原文：

Bitter melon fruit is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth in the short-term. The safety of long-term use (beyond 3 months) is not known. There also is not enough information about the safety of consuming other parts of the bitter melon or applying bitter melon to the skin.

苦瓜手繪圖

特殊預防措施和警告：

妊娠期和哺乳期：在懷孕期間口服苦瓜多半是不安全的。苦瓜，苦瓜汁和苦瓜籽中的某些化學物質可以促進經血，並會引起一些動物流產。母乳餵養期間食用苦瓜的安全性還未可知，為了保證安全，這期間不要食用苦瓜。

糖尿病：苦瓜可以降低血糖水平。如果您有糖尿病並服用藥物降低血糖，吃苦瓜可能會導致您的血糖降的過低，而帶來不適。請仔細監測你的血糖水平。

葡萄糖-6-磷酸脫氫酶（G6PD）缺乏症：G6PD缺乏症患者吃苦瓜後可能會導致「蠶豆病」。蠶豆病是一種以蠶豆命名的病症，人們認為這種病會導致某些人貧血，頭痛，發燒，胃痛和昏迷。苦瓜籽中發現的化學物質與蠶豆中的化學物質有關。如果您有G6PD缺乏症，請不要吃苦瓜。

手術：苦瓜可能會干擾手術和手術後的血糖控制。在手術前至少2周內不要吃苦瓜。

原文：

Special precautions & warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Bitter melon is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth during pregnancy. Certain chemicals in bitter melon fruit, juice, and seeds can start menstrual bleeding and have caused abortion in animals. Not enough is known about the safety of using bitter melon during breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Diabetes: Bitter melon can lower blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes and take medications to lower your blood sugar, adding bitter melon might make your blood sugar drop too low. Monitor your blood sugar carefully.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency: People with G6PD deficiency might develop 「favism」 after eating bitter melon seeds. Favism is a condition named after the fava bean, which is thought to cause 「tired blood」 (anemia), headache, fever, stomach pain, and coma in certain people. A chemical found in bitter melon seeds is related to chemicals in fava beans. If you have G6PD deficiency, avoid bitter melon.

Surgery: There is a concern that bitter melon might interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop using bitter melon at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

苦瓜是否跟藥物有相互作用

苦瓜和以下藥物一起需謹慎

糖尿病藥物（抗糖尿病藥物）：

苦瓜可以降低血糖水平。糖尿病藥物也用於降低血糖。吃苦瓜和糖尿病藥物可能會導致你的血糖過低。請密切監測你的血糖水平。如果吃苦瓜，糖尿病藥物的攝入劑量可能需要改變。用於糖尿病的一些藥物有：格列美脲，格列本脲（DiaBeta，Glynase PresTab，Micronase），胰島素，吡格列酮（Actos），羅格列酮（Avandia），氯丙醯胺（Diabinese），格列吡嗪（Glucotrol），甲苯磺丁脲（Orinase） 。

原文：

Do you feel bloated and heavy after eating a meal made with beans, grains, nuts and seeds? Did you soak them overnight before cooking them? Aha! Gotcha! As I spend more time researching and learning about food, I come to understand that the old ways of eating was the right way. Our ancestors leading all the way up to our grandmothers would consider it blasphemous to cook lentils without soaking them first. And while they may not have very many reasons besides 『it reduces cooking time』 or 『that』s how it was always done』, here are the actual reasons why you must ALWAYS soak your 『seeds』.

是否與草藥和補品

相互作用？

草藥和補品可能會降低血糖

苦瓜可以降低血糖水平。與其他具有相同效果的草藥或補品一起使用可能會導致血糖水平下降的過低。可以降低血糖的草藥和補品包括：α-硫辛酸，鉻，爪鉤草，葫蘆巴，大蒜，瓜爾膠，七葉樹，人蔘，歐車前，西伯利亞人蔘等。苦瓜與草藥一起服用前請務必遵守產品標籤上的相關說明，並諮詢你的藥劑師、醫生或其他醫護人員。

原文：

Herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar

Bitter melon can lower blood glucose levels. Using it with other herbs or supplements that have the same effect might cause blood sugar levels to drop too low. Some herbs and supplements that can lower blood sugar include alpha-lipoic acid, chromium, devils claw, fenugreek, garlic, guar gum, horse chestnut, Panax ginseng, psyllium, Siberian ginseng, and others.

是否與食物相互作用？

沒有已知的和苦瓜相互作用的食物

原文：

There are no known interactions with foods.

苦瓜的食用劑量？

苦瓜的食用劑量取決於幾個因素，比如用戶的年齡，健康狀況和其他條件。目前還沒有足夠的科學資料來劃定苦瓜劑量的適用範圍。請記住，天然產品不一定總是安全的，攝入劑量很重要。使用前請務必遵守產品標籤上的相關說明，並諮詢你的藥劑師、醫生或其他醫護人員。

原文：

The appropriate dose of bitter melon depends on several factors such as the users age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for bitter melon. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

苦瓜有怎樣的功效？

我們的Natural Medicines 綜合資料庫會根據科學證據來給蔬果分以下等級：有效的，多半有效，可能有效，可能無效，多半無效，無效，證據不足無法定等級。

苦瓜證據不足無法考證的有：

（證據不足就是說沒有證據說明它們之間的相互作用關係）

●糖尿病。迄今為止的研究成果都是相矛盾或不確定的。一些研究表明，苦瓜，苦瓜汁或苦瓜提取物可提高葡萄糖耐量，降低血糖水平，並降低2型糖尿病患者糖化血紅蛋白（糖尿病監測的指標，隨著時間推移而不斷變化的血液指標）。然而，這些研究有一些缺陷，其他的研究成果並不樂觀。

● 牛皮癬。

●艾滋病毒攜帶者/艾滋病患者。

●胃和腸道疾病。

●腎結石。

●肝病。

●皮膚膿腫和傷口。

●其他癥狀

我們需要更多的證據來評估苦瓜對這些癥狀是否有效。

原文：

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.Insufficient evidence to rate effectiveness for...

●Diabetes. Research results so far are conflicting and inconclusive. Some studies show that bitter melon fruit, fruit juice, or extract improves glucose tolerance, reduces blood sugar levels, and lowers HbA1c (a measure of blood sugar control over time) in people with type 2 diabetes. However, these studies have some flaws. Other research has not been positive.

● Psoriasis.

● HIV/AIDS.

●Stomach and intestinal disorders.

●Kidney stones.

●Liver disease.

●Skin abscesses and wounds.

● Other conditions.

苦瓜菜譜