Review on Introduction of Cucurbitaceae Family - Short Classification and Salient Pharmacological Features of Momordica charantia

Aug 23, 2026

The Cucurbitaceae family comprises about 130 genera and roughly 800 species with well-documented medicinal value. This review highlights Momordica charantia (bitter melon/karela/pare) as a tropical plant used as both food and traditional medicine across regions including Asia and parts of Africa and the Caribbean. The document describes its phytochemical profile, including proteins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, triterpenes, saponins, ascorbic acid, and steroids, and links major bioactive constituents to multiple pharmacological activities, particularly antidiabetic effects via blood-sugar reduction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

I. INTRODUCTION

II. CUCURBITACINS & ITS CLASSIFICATION

Review on Introduction of Cucurbitaceae Family, Short Classification and Salient Pharmacological Features of Momordica charantia 1Ms. Pooja S Murkute,2Ms. Sayali S Paulbudhe,3Nakul P Kathar 4Dr. Gajanan. S. Sanap, 5Mr. Jagdish D Tambe 1 Assistant professor, 2Research Scholar, 3Assistant professor, 4Principal, 5Research Scholar 1Assistant professor Department of Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry, LBYP College of D. Pharmacy (D. Pharm & B. Pharm, Aurangabad, India Abstract The Cucurbitaceae family consists of a large group of plants that are medicinally valuable. It is a family of about 130 genera and about 800 species. These important plants that have been studied are Momordica charantia, Cucurbita Pepo, Cucurbita andrena, Cucurbita ficifolia, Cucumis sativus, Cucumis melo, Citrullus Colocynthis, Luffa echinta, Trichosanthes Kirilowii, Lagenaria Siceraria, Benincasa hispida etc. This all are useful in pharmacological activity. The Momordica charantiais a plant of the Cucurbitaceae family and is called bitter melon, Karela, and pare. Momordica Charantia has supplied many remedies for various diseases from ancient days to now day. It grows in tropical areas of Amazon, Asia, South America, India, East Africa and Caribbean and is used as both food and medicine. In Momordica charantia phytochemicals are consist of proteins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, triterpens, saponins ascorbic acid and steroids. In which main bioactive component are charantin, momordicin, Momordin, polypeptide-P, vicin, alfa-momorcharin, oleic acid, oxalic acid, linoleic acid, lanosterol, cucurbitacins etc. The Momordica charantia have various traditional uses found in their fruits, leaves, seeds, roots for curing ailments. The bioactive component in plant possess anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fertility, hypoglycemic and anticarcinogenic, anti-oxidant, anti-malarial, and anti-diabetic activity. The Momordica charantin is mainly used in Antidiabetic activity to reduce blood sugar levels. Keywords - Cucurbitaceae Family, Momordica Charantia, Cucurbitacins, Cucumis Sativus, Cucurbita Andrena, Antidiabetic Activity, Anti-Cancer Activity, Antioxidant Activity, Anti-Microbial Activity I. INTRODUCTION The family of cucurbitaceae includes a large group of plants, which are medicinally valuable. It is a family of about 130 genera and about 800 species distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical region of the world. The plants of the family are collectively known as cucurbits (Kocyan, A. L. B Zhang. H. Schaefer and S.S Renner 2007). The important genera belonging to the family are Trichosanthes, Lagenaria, Luffa, Benincasa; Momordica, Cucumis, Citrullus, Cucurbita, Bryonopsis and Corallocarpus (Pandey, B. P, S. Chand and company Ltd 1969) . Cucurbitaceae is of high economic value being a major source of food forman. Many species of Cucurbita (pumpkins, squashes, gourds, marrous, courgettes), Cucumis (melons, cucumbers), cucumeropsis mannii naud. (Eguisi), colocynthis (water melon) and sechium edike (Jacq) sw. (Chocho) are cultivated for edible purposes (M. Ajuru and G. Ajuru 2014). Plants were used to cure diseases and infectious during ancient time. Medicinal plants are cheap, easily available and affordable. The medicinal important of plants lies in some chemical substance that produce a specific physiological action the human body. The most essential of these bioactive constituents of plants are alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, and Phenolic compounds (Karmjit singh, Dr Bismita Nayak 2003) . The important genera belonging to the family are Trichosanthes, Lagenaria, Luffa, Benincasa, Momordica, Cucumis, Citrullus, Cucurbita , Bryonopsis and Corallocarpus . Some species that have attracted scientific investigation include Momocardica charantia, Cucurbita pepo, Cucumis sativus, Cucumis melo, Citrullus colocynthis, Luffa echinta, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Lagenariasiceraria, Beninca sahispida (Shweta ss, Priyanka T, Ganesh TG,

FAQs

What is Momordica charantia and how is it related to the Cucurbitaceae family?

Momordica charantia is a medicinal plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. It is also referred to as bitter melon, karela, and pare.

Which phytochemicals and bioactive components are highlighted for Momordica charantia?

The review lists phytochemicals such as proteins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, triterpens, saponins, ascorbic acid, and steroids, with major bioactive components including charantin, momordicin, momordin, polypeptide-P, vicin, and cucurbitacins.

What pharmacological activities are attributed to Momordica charantia in the document?

The document attributes antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, hypoglycemic, anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, antimalarial, and antidiabetic activities. It particularly emphasizes antidiabetic action for reducing blood sugar levels.

Aug 23, 2026

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