Pharmacognosy-identification Of Seeds And Studies On Medicinal Components From Momordica Charantia L.

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is a popular vegetable which also be used worldwide as a traditional medicine for colic, worms, heliosis, dysentery, diabetes etc. Activities of antidiabetic, antitumor, antibiotic and antiviral have been reported by phytochemist and pharmacologist recently. For further utilization of bitter melon, in this paper, studies at two aspects were accomplished: 1. Pharmacognosy-identificaion of seeds bitter melon were made.Seeds of bitter melon smell pungent. In the visual field of powers of seeds, spiral vessels often been seen ; lignified setreids of exotesta often been seen ; many agglomerate or single stone cells of exotesta been seen, polygon-like, lignified, wall thick. pit channel distinct; many xylem parenchymalous cells of exotesta been seen . The oil cells balls looping disconnectedly on transction of the seed.By TLC. using 0.5% CMCNa thin-layer plate, CHC13: MeOH: H2O(10:3:1) subnatent as eluent, 5% vanillin(sulfuric acid) as chromogenic agent . the BuOH extract of the seeds of bitter melon has a same spot as the check sample (momordicoside A) with same colour and same R1 value.2.Studies on medicinal components were achieved with two results:Proteins, carbohydrates and saponins were identified in the cultured cells Determine the content of momordicoside A in samples by HPLC. Samples from chengdu has the highest content among those of same breed ; samples of "long-white" bitter melon holds the highest content among those of same producing area ; seeds of bitter melon gets the highest content among samples from different parts of bitter melon...