The simple karela or bitter gourd could soon emerge as a natural antidote for alcoholism and drug abuse, and the medicine of the future to treat HIV and AIDS, say city Unani doctors. Nearly 10,000 alcoholics have rid themselves of the habit, using bitter gourd therapy, they said. nani expert Dr Fazal Ahmad, whose team conducted research on the efficacy of bitter gourd against alcoholism, said that their study, involving hundreds of addicts, revealed that the juice, obtained from the bitter gourd fruit or leaves, works as a natural antidote. The greener and shorter the fruit, the greater its effect against alcoholism, he said.
“All that an alcohol patient needs to do is to eat the three-inch variety of karela every day or consume a powder made from it.” City Unani doctors found that karela improves the functioning of the liver, reduces the urge to drink, cleanses the blood and increases the body’s immunity levels. According to Dr Ahmad, bitter gourd brings down the sensitivity of the body to alcohol. Regular intake of it, ideally over a period of 30 days, is said to help cure alcoholism and drug addiction. In another study, Unani doctors have found that unripe green bitter gourd contains anti-viral properties that could successfully be used to attack the HIV.