Nyack’s Hook Mountain Growers and Dr. Pamela Yee were featured on WNYC last week in a story about the medicinal aspects of bitter melon, a tropical fruit which is every bit as bitter as its name implies. Yee is co-owner of Hook Mountain Growers, a farm where “all plants are biodynamically, organically, and sustainably grown.”

As both a physician and a farmer, Yee can speak to the health implications of bitter melon — a delicacy which fits into the “acquired taste” category.

While Yee insists that bitter melon is safe and has been eaten in Asian cultures for generations, consumption may have some potentially little-known side effects. ‘€œIn some animal studies it appears to reduce sperm count and might actually induce periods and cause miscarriages in animals,’€ she said, ‘€œso it’s a relative contraindication for someone who is seeking to become pregnant or who is already pregnant.’€

Read more and hear the audio interview at WNYC.org

Sources: WNYC, Hook Mountain Growers, Wikipedia
Photo Credit: Wikipedia