Response to reader - How much cerassee is too much?

Dear Dr McDaniel,

Do you know about the toxicity of cerassee? I like the taste and will use it as tea maybe three or four mornings out of the week, every two or three months. Thank you.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your question. In preparing a response I consulted with my esteemed pharmacist colleague, former Health section writer Dr Diane Robertson, who gave me some information and referred me to one of her books, Jamaican Herbs (1982).

Cerassee or bitter bush is just one of many varieties of Momordica charantia which differ significantly in the shape and bitterness of their fruits. A popular form of Momordica charantia is bitter melon, whose vine resembles cerassee. Although the cerassee vine is bitter, its fruit is quite sweet. Bitter melon's vine resembles cerassee's, but its fruit is remarkably different - it is bitter.

Bitter melon is widely used in parts of South America, Asia and Africa, but unlike our usage of cerassee leaves and vine, the bitter melon fruit is the popular part used especially in cooking (sauces, soups, pickles and stir-fries). In the same way Jamaicans use the cerassee vine for medicinal purposes, others use the bitter melon fruit and vines.

How much cerassee is too much?

The jury is still out on the safe dose of cerassee in humans. The active ingredients are momordicin (which makes it bitter) and charantin. Cerassee has been tested extensively in mice and rabbits and was shown to lower blood-glucose levels. Its bitter melon 'relative' has clearly established blood-sugar lowering action in humans when its fresh juice or extract of its bitter fruit is consumed.

The Encyclopaedia of Natural Medicine suggests that a two-ounce shot of bitter melon juice be consumed as a dose, and that the dosage of other forms of the creeping herb should approximate this dose.

Mitchell and Ahmad (2006) conducted an extensive review of the medicinal plant research at University of the West Indies between 1948 and 2001 to include amongst hundreds of plants, cerassee. Some research therein revealed that cerassee is active against some bacteria. Although the review states that cerassee is commonly used for colds, fever, sores, menstrual disorder, bad blood, gripe, stomach ache, its dosage and toxicity levels were not reported.

Dr Diane Robertson's 1982 book suggests that half ounce of cerassee leaves is used with a pint of boiling water for tea (a teaspoonful of the dried leaves to a cup of hot water). She cautioned then that cerassee should not be used regularly since it could cause liver damage, but mentioned that rural Jamaicans take it for nine days, once in a while. She also suggested then that cerassee should not be taken by persons with diabetes as it masks sugar content in the blood and urine.

Approach with caution

Unfortunately, I do not have a concrete answer about the toxicity of cerassee. As with my own approach to drugs and herbs, use the minimal amount that exerts a desired pharmacological effect.

Dr Dahlia McDaniel is a pharmacist with a doctorate in public health. She is the chief executive officer of two pharmacies and a medical practice in Kingston; email:yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.