Experts warn Sri Lankans not to believe false claim that bitter melon can cure cancer

"Bitter melon can destroy cancer cells. Cut two or three slices and place them in a glass. Pour warm water on them. Drink that water at least once a day," reads a Facebook post in the Sinhala language published on September 9, 2023.

"This process makes the bitter melon release an anti-carcinogenic compound that is used in alternative treatment regimes against cancer. The warm bitter melon water has been shown to be effective against tumours. It is proven to help cure various types of cancer. It also attacks only cancer cells and not healthy cells."

The post says a doctor at a military hospital in China has vouched for the treatment.

"Please share this message with your nearest and dearest. Professor Chen Hui of the Beijing Army General Hospital confirms that if this information is shared among at least 10 people, at least one life will be saved. I have done my part, hope you will do yours."

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A screenshot of the misleading post captured on September 29, 2023

Identical claims have been shared in other Facebook posts including here and here.

While some studies have found that bitter melon may have anti-cancer properties, experts told AFP there is as yet no firm scientific evidence of its effectiveness as a treatment.

'Extremely misleading'

Dr Sandani Wijerathne, a senior oncological surgeon and member of the Sri Lanka College of Oncologists, told AFP via phone on September 29 that any claims about bitter melon as a cancer treatment are unproven.

"It is a nutritious vegetable. But the claims of medical benefits should be validated through a credible clinal study/studies. There is also no scientific evidence to prove its efficacy as a treatment for cancer. This is extremely misleading information that should not be shared," she said.

Dr Aruna Jayasekara, the director of Sri Lanka's National Cancer Institute, also warned that such medical misinformation can have detrimental impacts on patients.

"This type of random information should never be considered genuine," he said. "If individuals, especially those diagnosed with cancer, abandon their treatment regime for the comfort of these remedies, it will have adverse impacts on them."

Some studies, including those here and here, have suggested that bitter melon may have anti-cancer properties (archived links here and here). But Wijerathne and Jayasekara agreed the benefits remain unproven.

More research needed

Dr L. P. A. Karunathilake -- a senior lecturer of indigenous medicine at the University of Colombo -- said it is "misleading" from an indigenous medicine point of view that "a single herb or fruit" can cure cancer.

"While bitter gourd is vastly beneficial for health and is prescribed for patients with a number of diagnoses including diabetes, it has not been used in this form for cancer treatments."

A 2017 study published in the US government's National Library of Medicine concludes that more research is required to determine any advantages for cancer patients (archived link).

"Although MC exhibits multi-targeted activity against several cancers in animal models, systematic clinical studies are needed to establish the anti-cancer effects in patients with cancer," the research says.

"MC" refers to Momordica charantia, the scientific name for bitter melon. The vegetable is also known as bitter gourd and several other names.

In 2020 AFP debunked a similar claim about bitter melon and cancer treatment circulated in Thailand.

AFP has also previously disproved claims that drinking cold water after meals can trigger the disease and that maintaining a sugar-free diet can treat it.