Pro-Organic Belize Garden Grow
Guide
Where you are the student and the teacher
Plant of the Month for April 2025
Sorosi
by Karin Westdyk
(originally
printed in the Belize AgReport, Issue 42)
| Botanical
Name |
Momordica
charantia |
| Family |
Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus |
Momordica |
| Type |
Climbing vine |
| Sun |
Full sun |
| pH |
5.5-7.6 |
| Soil Preference |
well
drained with good organic matter content |
| Planting |
Plant seeds 1" deep, 6" apart below trellis
or fence |
The bumpy green oblong fruit of Sorosi grows on a creeping vine that climbs fences and walls and spreads out over land. It easily reseeds itself and is considered an invasive by some, so careful pruning is key. The vine will bear simple pale yellow flowers, both male and female. It is the female flower that will morph into a spectacularly coloured bright orange fruit when fully ripened that will burst open to reveal an incredible display of crimson red seeds encased in a soft bright red pulp.
The seeds will spill to the soil providing a continual supply of one of the most interesting under-utilised and seriously bitter medicinal as well as edible plants of Belize.
Not native to Belize, sorosi is believed to have been brought here indirectly from Africa via slave trade with Brazil where it is still commonly used as a tonic for colds and flu. From Brazil, its seed and knowledge spread north throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Sorosi is also known and used in Mediterranean countries as well as the Middle East and parts of Asia. It is a very important herbal medicine in both Ayurvedic as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine where a tea from the root is used to get rid of kidney stones.
Ayurvedic medicine is a 5,000-year-old system of natural healing and sorosi is one of the most important herbs used in treating diabetes*. Research studies suggest that sorosi stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin.
It is also used as a tonic for the prevention and treatment of parasites and for menstrual disorders, as well as a toning herb after childbirth. A sorosi bath is used to treat ticks and lice, as well as sores and rashes of the skin, including psoriasis. And it is said that sorosi will ease the pain associated with arthritis or rheumatism.
A tea made from the vine is used for high blood pressure, to cleanse the colon, for dysentery, for easing stomach pain and cramping. It is also used as a laxative, and ironically, as a remedy for diarrhea. It is used to treat malaria, for purifying the blood, and in some areas it is also used as a form of birth control.
In China soresi is used as both medicine and food. All parts of the plant are edible. A good source of dietary fiber, it is low in calories, but rich in vitamins A, B, C, E and K as well as folate, zinc, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus. It is used in salads and in simple stir fry dishes where it is cooked in oil over a high heat while adding salt as well as sugar to neutralise the bitterness.
In India, a popular dish, known as Karela is prepared by first soaking the sliced and seeded unripe green fruit in salt water to remove some of the bitterness. After squeezing out most of the liquid, it is sauted in oil and then fried with curry, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, chilis, garlic, ginger, and powdered chill and turmeric. In the Philippine Islands, cerasee is cultivated as a vegetable and cooked like other leafy vegetables.
Recipe for Bitter Melon Stir Fry
Though it is an important and nutritional food consumed in many cultures, the medicinal value of soresi is just being explored and will likely surpass its value as a food. It is being studied as a cancer cure at the University of Miami School of Medicine where an element called guanylate cyclase found inside the ripened fruit has demonstrated the ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells caused by chemicals. In another study at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, sorosi has demonstrated anticancer, lipid-lowering and antiviral effects in animal and in-vitro studies and is being considered as a possible cure for leukemia.
*Sorosi may hide the true sugar content in both blood and urine. So, it is recommended that you consult your doctor before taking as a treatment for diabetes.