Bitter melon

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Bitter melon

Scientific classification Kingdom: (unranked): (unranked): (unranked): Order: Family: Genus: Species: Plantae Angiosperms Eudicots Rosids Cucurbitales Cucurbitaceae Momordica M. charantia Binomial name Momordica charantia
Descourt.

Momordica charantia, called bitter melon or bitter gourd in English, is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its

edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all fruits. There are many varieties that differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. This is a plant of the tropics, but its original native range is unknown. In some English texts the plant or the fruit may be called by its local names, which include kgu( "bitter gourd", in Chinese), pare or pare ayam (in Javanese and Indonesian), Pavayka orKayppayka in Malayalam, goya () or nigauri (in Japanese, the former from an Okinawan language), paakharkaai (, in Tamil), karela/karella (in other languages of India andNepal), ampalay (in Tagalog), muop dang (mp ng) or kho qua (kh qua, in Vietnamese),caraille/carilley (in Trinidad and Tobago), and cerasee/cerasse (in the Caribbean and South America).
Contents
[hide]

1 Description

1.1 Varieties 2 Culinary uses 3 Medicinal uses

o o o o o o o o o o

3.1 Active substances 3.2 Digestive aid 3.3 Antihelmintic 3.4 Antimalarial 3.5 Antiviral 3.6 Immunomodulator 3.7 Diabetes 3.8 Anticancer 3.9 Other uses 3.10 Cautions 4 See also 5 Gallery

o o

5.1 The plant 5.2 Dishes and other uses 6 References 7 External links

[edit]Description

Ripe fruit

This herbaceous, tendril-bearing vine grows to 5 meters. It bears simple, alternate leaves 412 cm across, with 37 deeply separated lobes. Each plant bears separate yellow male and female flowers. In the Northern Hemisphere, flowering occurs during June to July and fruiting during September to November. The fruit has a distinct warty exterior and an oblong shape. It is hollow in cross-section, with a relatively thin layer of flesh surrounding a central seed cavity filled with large flat seeds and pith. The fruit is most often eaten green, or as it is beginning to turn yellow. At this stage, the fruit's flesh is crunchy and watery in texture, similar to cucumber, chayote or green bell pepper, but bitter. The skin is tender and edible. Seeds and pith appear white in unripe fruits; they are not intensely bitter and can be removed before cooking. As the fruit ripens, the flesh becomes tougher, more bitter, and too distasteful to eat. On the other hand, the pith becomes sweet and intensely red; it can be eaten uncooked in this state, and is a popular ingredient in some southeast Asian salads. When the fruit is fully ripe it turns orange and mushy, and splits into segments which curl back dramatically to expose seeds covered in bright red pulp.

[edit]Varieties
Bitter melon comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. [phenotype]] is 2030 cm long, oblong with bluntly tapering ends and pale green in color, with a gently undulating, warty surface. The bitter melon more typical of India has a narrower shape with pointed ends, and a surface covered with jagged, triangular "teeth" and ridges. It is green to white in color. Between these two extremes are any number of intermediate forms. Some bear miniature fruit of only 610 cm in length, which may be served individually as stuffed vegetables. These miniature fruit are popular in Southeast Asia as well as India.

China phenotype [edit]Culinary

Sub-continent phenotype

Indian variety

uses

A small green bitter melon (front) and a scoop of Okinawan stir-fried gychanpur (back)

Bitter gourd (boiled, drained, no salt)

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy

79 kJ (19 kcal)

Carbohydrates

4.32 g

Sugars

1.95 g

Dietary fiber

2.0 g

Fat

0.18 g

saturated

0.014 g

monounsaturated

0.033 g

polyunsaturated

0.078 g

Protein

0.84 g

Water

93.95 g

Vitamin A equiv.

6 g (1%)

Thiamine (Vit. B1)

0.051 mg (4%)

Riboflavin (Vit. B2)

0.053 mg (4%)

Niacin (Vit. B3)

0.280 mg (2%)

Vitamin B6

0.041 mg (3%)

Folate (Vit. B9)

51 g (13%)

Vitamin B12

0 g (0%)

Vitamin C

33.0 mg (55%)

Vitamin E

0.14 mg (1%)

Vitamin K

4.8 g (5%)

Calcium

9 mg (1%)

Iron

0.38 mg (3%)

Magnesium

16 mg (4%)

Phosphorus

36 mg (5%)

Potassium

319 mg (7%)

Sodium

6 mg (0%)

Zinc

0.77 mg (8%)

Percentages are relative to US recommendationsfor adults.

Source: USDA Nutrient database

A soft drink made from bitter melon.

Bitter melon is generally consumed cooked in the green or early yellowing stage. The young shoots and leaves of the bitter melon are also be eaten as greens. Bitter melon is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavor, typically in stir-fries (often with pork anddouchi, soups, and also as tea. It is very popular throughout South Asia. In North India, it is often prepared with potatoes and served with yogurt on the side to offset the bitterness, or used in sabji. InPunjabi cuisine is stuffed with spices and then fried in oil. In Southern India it is used in the dishes thoran/thuvaran(mixed with grated coconut), theeyal (cooked with roasted coconut) and pachadi (which is considered a medicinal food for diabetics). Other popular recipes include preparations with curry, deep fried with peanutsor other ground nuts, and pachi pulusu ( ), a soup with fried onions and other spices. InPakistan and Bangladesh, bitter melon is often cooked with onions, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt,coriander powder, and a pinch of cumin seeds. Another dish in Pakistan calls for whole, unpeeled bitter melon to be boiled and then stuffed with cooked ground beef, served with either hot tandoori bread, naan, chappati, or with khichri (a mixture of lentils and rice). Bitter melon is a significant ingredient in Okinawan cuisine, and is increasingly used in mainland Japan. It is popularly credited with Okinawan life expectancies being higher than the already long Japanese ones. In Indonesia, bitter melon is prepared in various dishes, such as gado-gado, and also stir fried, cooked in coconut milk, or steamed.

In Vietnam, raw bitter melon slices consumed with dried meat floss and stuffed to make bitter melon soup with shrimp are popular dishes. Bitter melons stuffed with ground pork are served as a popular summer soup in the South. It is also used as the main ingredient of "stewed bitter melon". This dish is usually cooked for the Tt holiday, where its "bitter" name is taken as a reminder of the poor living conditions experienced in the past. In the Philippines, bitter melon may be stir-fried with ground beef and oyster sauce, or with eggs and diced tomato. The dish pinakbet, popular in the Ilocos region of Luzon, consists mainly of bitter melons, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various regional vegetables altogether stewed with a little bagoong-based stock. In Nepal, bitter melon is prepared as a fresh pickle called achar. For this the bitter gourd is cut into cubes or slices and sauted covered in oil and a sprinkle of water. When it is softened and reduced, it is minced in a mortar with a few cloves of garlic, salt and a red or green pepper. It is also sauteed to golden-brown, stuffed, or as a curry on its own or with potatoes. In Trinidad and Tobago, bitter melons are usually sauteed with onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper until almost crisp.

[edit]Medicinal

uses

Bitter melon has been used in various Asian and African traditional medicine systems for a long time.[1][2][3]

[edit]Active

substances

The plant contains several biologically active compounds, chiefly momordicin I and II, and cucurbitacin B.[4] The plants contains also several bioactive glycosides (including momordin, charantin, charantosides, goyaglycosides, momordicosi des) and other terpenoid compounds (including momordicin28, momordicinin, momordicilin, momordenol, and momordol).[5][6][7][8][9] It also contains cytotoxic (ribosome-inactivating) proteins such as momorcharin and momordin.[10]

[edit]Digestive

aid

Like most bitter-tasting foods, bitter melon is claimed to stimulate digestion, and thus help treat dyspepsia and constipation.[citation needed]However it is suspected of causing heartburn and ulcers[citation needed], although these negative effects appear to be limited by its action asdemulcent and mild inflammation modulator[citation needed].

[edit]Antihelmintic
Bitter melon is used as a folk medicine in Togo to treat gastrointestinal diseases, and extracts have shown activity in vitro against the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans.[2]

[edit]Antimalarial

It has been claimed that bitter melon's bitterness comes from quinine.[citation needed] Bitter melon is traditionally regarded in Asia as useful for preventing and treating malaria. Tea from its leaves is used for this purpose also in Panama and Colombia. Laboratory studies have confirmed that species related to bitter melon have anti-malarial activity, though human studies have not yet been published.[11]

[edit]Antiviral
In Togo the plant is traditionally used against viral diseases such as chickenpox and measles. Tests with leaf extracts have shown in vitro activity against the herpes simplex type 1 virus, apparently due to unidentified compounds other than the momordicins. [2] Laboratory tests suggest that compounds in bitter melon might be effective for treating HIV infection.[12] As most compounds isolated from bitter melon that impact HIV have either been proteins or lectins, neither of which are well-absorbed, it is unlikely that oral intake of bitter melon will slow HIV in infected people. It is possible oral ingestion of bitter melon could offset negative effects of anti-HIV drugs, if a test tube study can be shown to be applicable to people. [13]

[edit]Immunomodulator
One clinical trial found very limited evidence that bitter melon might improve immune cell function, and thus be beneficial to cancer and HIV patients.[citation needed] However, these claims have yet to be confirmed.

[edit]Diabetes
Folk wisdom has it that bitter melon helps to prevent or counteract diabetes mellitus type 2[citation
needed]

. Tea from the leaves is used to this purpose in the folk medicine of Panama[citation needed].

In 1962, Lolitkar and Rao extracted from the plant a substance, which they called charantin, which had hypoglycaemic effect on normal and diabetic rabbits.[14] Another principle, active only on diabetic rabbits, was isolated by Visarata and Ungsurungsie in 1981. [15] Bitter melon has been found to increase insulin sensitivity.[16] In 2007, a study by the Philippine Department of Health determined that a daily dose of 100 mgper kilogram of body weight is comparable to 2.5 mg/kg of the anti-diabetes drug glibenclamide taken twice per day.[17] Tablets of bitter melon extract are sold in the Philippines as a food supplement under the trade name Charantia and exported to many countries.[17] Other compounds in bitter melon have been found to activate the AMPK, the protein that regulates glucose uptake (a process which is impaired in diabetics). [18][19][20][21][22] Bitter melon also contains a lectin that has insulin-like activity due to its non-protein-specific linking together to insulin receptors. This lectin lowers blood glucose concentrations by acting on peripheral tissues and, similar to insulin's effects in the brain, suppressing appetite. This lectin is

likely a major contributor to the hypoglycemic effect that develops after eating bitter melon.[citation
needed]

[edit]Anticancer
Two compounds extracted from bitter melon, -eleostearic acid (from seeds) and 15,16-dihydroxy-eleostearic acid (from the fruit) have been found to induce apoptosis of leukemia cells in vitro.
[23]

Diets containing 0.01% bitter melon oil (0.006% as -eleostearic acid) were found to

prevent azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis in rats.[24]

[edit]Other

uses

Bitter melon has been used in traditional medicine for several other ailments, including dysentery, colic, fevers, burns, painful menstruation,scabies and other skin problems. It has also been used as abortifacient, for birth control, and to help childbirth.[2]

[edit]Cautions
The seeds of bitter melon contains vicine and therefore can trigger symptoms of favism in susceptible individuals. In addition, the red arils of the seeds are reported to be toxic to children, and the fruit is contraindicated during pregnancy.[25]

[edit]See

also

Multilingual list of Indian Vegetables, spices & grains Momordica cochinchinensis (gac) Momordica balsamina (balsam apple) Momordica foetida Momordica cymbalaria

[edit]Gallery [edit]The

plant

Plant

Leaves and Flower

Flowers

Female flower

Male flower

Immature fruit

Unripe fruits

Seeds

[edit]Dishes

and other uses

Bitter melon fruit, cleaned and sliced for cooking.

Bitter melons being fried inKaohsiung, Taiwan.

An Indonesian-style bitter melon dish, cooked withsambal, onion, and red bird's-eye chili peppers

Bitter melon food supplement capsules.

[edit]References

1.

^ J. K. Grover and S. P. Yadav (2004), Pharmacological actions and potential uses of Momordica charantia: a review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, volume 93, issue 1, pages 12332PubMed doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.03.035

2. ^ a b c d Nadine Beloin, Messanvi Gbeassor, Koffi Akpagana, Jim Hudson, Komlan de Soussa, Kossi Koumaglo and J. Thor Arnason (2005), Ethnomedicinal uses of Momordica charantia(Cucurbitaceae) in Togo and relation to its phytochemistry and biological activity. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, volume 96, issues 1-2, pages 4955. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.009 3. ^ Ananya Paul and Sarmistha Sen Raychaudhuri (2010), Medicinal uses and molecular identification of two Momordica charantiavarieties a review. Electronic Journal of Biology, volume 6, issue 2, pages 43-51. 4. ^ Majekodunmi Fatope, Yoshio Takeda, Hiroyasu Yamashita, Hikaru Okabe, and Tatsuo Yamauchi (1990), New cucurbitane triterpenoids from Momordica charantia. Journal of Natural Products, volume 53, issue 6, pages 1491-1497. 5. ^ Sabira Begum, Mansour Ahmed, Bina S. Siddiqui, Abdullah Khan, Zafar S. Saify, and Mohammed Arif (1997), Triterpenes, a sterol, and a monocyclic alcohol from Momordica charantia.Phytochemistry, volume 44, issue 7, pages 1313-1320. 6. ^ H. Okabe, Y. Miyahara, and T. Yamauci (1982). Studies on the constituents of Momordica charantia L. Chemical Pharmacology Bulletin, volume 30, issue 12, pages 4334-4340 7. ^ Yumiko Kimura, Toshihiro Akihisa, Noriko Yuasa, Motohiko Ukiya, Takashi Suzuki, Masaharu Toriyama, Shigeyasu Motohashi, and Harukuni Tokuda (2005). Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from the fruit of Momordica charantia. Journal of Natural Products, volume 68, isue 5, pages 807-809. doi:10.1021/np040218p

8. ^ Chi-I Chang, Chiy-Rong Chen, Yun-Wen Liao, Hsueh-Ling Cheng, Yo-Chia Chen and Chang-Hung Chou (2008).Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from the stems of Momordica charantia. Journal of Natural Products, volume 71, issue 8, pages 1327 1330. doi:10.1021/np070532u. 9. ^ Toshihiro Akihisa, Naoki Higo, Harukuni Tokuda, Motohiko Ukiya, Hiroyuki Akazawa, Yuichi Tochigi, Yumiko Kimura, Takashi Suzuki, and Hoyoku Nishino (2007), Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from the fruits of Momordica charantia and their cancer chemopreventive effects. Journal of Natural Products, volume 70, pages 1233-1239. doi:10.1021/np068075p 10. ^ Marcelo Ortigao and Marc Better (1992),[nar.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/20/17/4662.pdf Momordin II, a ribosome inactivating protein from Momordica balsamina, is homologous to other plant proteins]. Nucleic Acids Research, volume 20, issue 17, page 4662. 11. ^ Waako PJ, Gumede B, Smith P, Folb PI (May 2005). "The in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity of Cardiospermum halicacabum L. and Momordica foetida Schumch. Et Thonn". J Ethnopharmacol99 (1): 13743. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.02.017.PMID 15848033. 12. ^ Jiratchariyakul W, Wiwat C, Vongsakul M, et al. (June 2001). "HIV inhibitor from Thai bitter gourd". Planta Med. 67 (4): 3503.doi:10.1055/s-2001-14323. PMID 11458453. 13. ^ Nerurkar PV, Lee YK, Linden EH, et al. (August 2006). "Lipid lowering effects of Momordica charantia (Bitter Melon) in HIV-1-protease inhibitor-treated human hepatoma cells, HepG2". Br. J. Pharmacol. 148 (8): 115664. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706821.PMID 16847441. 14. ^ M. M. Lolitkar and M. R. Rajarama Rao (1962), Note on a Hypoglycaemic Principle Isolated from the fruits of Momordica charantia. Journal of the University of Bombay, volume 29, pages 223-224 15. ^ N. Visarata and M. Ungsurungsie (1981), Extracts fromMomordica charantia L. Pharmaceutical Biology, volume 19, issue 23, pages 75 80. doi:10.3109/13880208109070580

16. ^ Sridhar MG, Vinayagamoorthi R, Arul Suyambunathan V, Bobby Z, Selvaraj N (2008-0401). "Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) improves insulin sensitivity by increasing skeletal muscle insulin-stimulated IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation in high-fat-fed rats".British Journal of Nutrition 99 (04): 806.doi:10.1017/S000711450783176X. PMID 17942003. 17. ^ a b "Ampalaya tablets out soon for diabetics". GMANews.TV. March 27, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2010. 18. ^ Tan, Min-Jia; Ji-Ming Ye, Nigel Turner, Cordula Hohnen-Behrens, Chang-Qiang Ke, ChunPing Tang, Tong Chen, Hans-Christoph Weiss, Ernst-Rudolf Gesing, Alex Rowland, David E. James, and Yang Ye (21 March 2008). "Antidiabetic Activities of Triterpenoids Isolated from Bitter Melon Associated with Activation of the AMPK Pathway". Chemistry & Biology 15 (3): 263273.doi:10.1016/j.chembiol.2008.01.013. PMID 18355726.

19. ^ Virdi J, Sivakami S, Shahani S, Suthar AC, Banavalikar MM, Biyani MK. (September 2003). "Antihyperglycemic effects of three extracts from Momordica charantia". J Ethnopharmacol 88 (1): 10711.doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00184-3. PMID 12902059. 20. ^ Shetty AK, Kumar GS, Sambaiah K, Salimath PV (September 2005). "Effect of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) on glycaemic status in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats". Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 60 (3): 10912. doi:10.1007/s11130-005-6837-x.PMID 16187012. 21. ^ Krawinkel MB, Keding GB (July 2006). "Bitter gourd (Momordica Charantia): A dietary approach to hyperglycemia". Nutr Rev. 64 (7 Pt 1): 3317. PMID 16910221. 22. ^ Miura T, Itoh C, Iwamoto N, Kato M, Kawai M, Park SR, Suzuki I (October 2001). "Hypoglycemic activity of the fruit of the Momordica charantia in type 2 diabetic mice". J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 47(5): 3404. PMID 11814149. 23. ^ Masuko Kobori, Mayumi Ohnishi-Kameyama, Yukari Akimoto, Chizuko Yukizaki and Mitsuru Yoshida (2008) -Eleostearic Acid and Its Dihydroxy Derivative Are MajorApoptosis-Inducing Components of Bitter Gourd. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, volume 56, issue 22, pages 1051510520.doi:10.1021/jf8020877 24. ^ H. Kohno, Y. Yasui, R. Suzuki, M. Hosokawa, K. Miyashita, T. Tanaka (2004), Dietary seed oil rich in conjugated linolenic acid from bitter melon inhibits azoxymethane-induced rat colon carcinogenesis through el

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_melon

Bitter Melon (Bitter Gourd)

Bitter melon is one of the best vegetable-fruit that helps improve diabetic and toxemia conditions.

The bitter melon (also known as bitter gourd) looks like a cucumber but with ugly gourd-like bumps all over it. As the name implies, this vegetable is a melon that is bitter. There are two varieties of this vegetable: One grows to about 20 cm long, is oblong and pale green in color. The other is the smaller variety, less than 10 cm long, oval and has a darker green color. Both varieties have seeds that are white when unripe and that turn red when they are ripe. The vegetable-fruit turn reddish-orange when ripe and becomes even more bitter. Bitter gourd thrives in hot and humid climates, so are commonly found in Asian countries and South America. Westerners may not be so used to bitter melons, so may find them more difficult to consume. But if you can generally take bitter taste, you may be able to take this too. Try it, at least for all its healthful virtues!

Nutritional Benefits
Bitter gourds are very low in calories but dense with precious nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, and has high dietary fiber. It is rich in iron, contains twice the beta-carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, and twice the potassium of a banana. Bitter melon contains a unique phyto-constituent that has been confirmed to have a hypoglycemic effect called charantin. There is also another insulin-like compound known as polypeptide P which have been suggested as insulin replacement in some diabetic patients. To top

Health Benefits
Few other fruits/vegetables offer medicinal properties for these ailments like bitter melon does. Blood disorders: Bitter gourd juice is highly beneficial for treating blood disorders like blood boils and itching due to toxemia. Mix 2 ounces of fresh bitter

gourd juice with some lime juice. Sip it slowly on an empty stomach daily for between four and six months and see improvement in your condition. Cholera: In early stages of cholera, take two teaspoonfuls juice of bitter gourd leaves, mix with two teaspoonfuls white onion juice and one teaspoonful lime juice. Sip this concoction daily till you get well. Diabetes mellitus: Bitter melon contains a hypoglycemic compound (a plant insulin) that is highly beneficial in lowering sugar levels in blood and urine. Bitter melon juice has been shown to significantly improve glucose tolerance without increasing blood insulin levels. Energy: Regular consumption of bitter gourd juice has been proven to improve energy and stamina level. Even sleeping patterns have been shown to be improved/stabilized. Eye problems: The high beta-carotene and other properties in bitter gourd makes it one of the finest vegetable-fruit that help alleviate eye problems and improving eyesight. Hangover: Bitter melon juice may be beneficial in the treatment of a hangover for its alcohol intoxication properties. It also help cleanse and repair and nourish liver problems due to alcohol consumption. Immune booster: This bitter juice can also help to build your immune system and increase your body's resistance against infection. Piles: Mix three teaspoonfuls of juice from bitter melon leaves with a glassful of buttermilk. Take this every morning on empty stomach for about a month and see an improvement to your condition. To hasten the healing, use the paste of the roots of bitter melon plant and apply over the piles. Psoriasis: Regular consumption of this bitter juice has also been known to improve psoriasis condition and other fungal infections like ring-worm and athletes feet. Respiratory disorders: Take two ounces of fresh bitter melon juice and mix with a cup of honey diluted in water. Drink daily to improve asthma, bronchitis and pharyngitis. Toxemia: Bitter gourd contains beneficial properties that cleanses the blood from toxins. Sip two teaspoonfuls of the juice daily to help cleanse the liver. Also helpful in ridding jaundice for the same reasons. To top

Consumption Tips

Choose unripe bitter melons that are firm, like how you would a cucumber. Avoid those that have turned orange or have soft spots. Ripe bitter melons can be excessively bitter. Store bitter melons in the vegetable bin in the refrigerator which has the right temperature. It should keep for three to four days. Keeping bitter melons at room temperature or with other fruits and vegetables will hasten the melon to ripen and become more bitter, due to the emission of ethylene gas. Clean your bitter melon under cold running water and brush with a soft vegetable brush. To prepare, slice the melon length-wise and scoop out the seeds. To lessen the bitter flavor, soak it in salt water for about half an hour before juicing/cooking. The smaller variety is more bitter than the bigger one. To help make bitter gourd juice more palatable, take it with honey, or add carrot or apple juice. For diabetics, drink the juice with green apple juice.

Caution
Do not consume more than two ounces of bitter melon, or more than two melons a day. Excessive consumption may cause mild abdominal pain or diarrhea. Diabetics taking hypoglycemic drugs will need to alter the dosage of their drugs if they consume bitter melon on a regular basis. Please consult your doctor. Pregnant women should avoid taking too much bitter gourd or its juice as it may stimulate the uterus that may lead to preterm labor.

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shine Just own the night like the 4th of July 'Cause baby, you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth Make 'em go, oh As you shoot across the sky Baby, you're a firework Come on, let your colors burst Make 'em go, oh You're gonna leave 'em falling down You don't have to feel like a waste of space You're original, cannot be replaced If you only knew what the future holds After a hurricane comes a rainbow Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed [ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/k/katyperry-lyrics/firework-lyrics.html ] So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow And when it's time, you'll know You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine Just own the night like the 4th of July 'Cause baby you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth Make 'em go, oh As you shoot across the sky Baby, you're a firework Come on, let your colors burst Make 'em go, oh You're gonna leave 'em falling down Boom, boom, boom Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon It's always been inside of you, you, you And now it's time to let it through 'Cause baby you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth Make 'em go, oh As you shoot across the sky Baby, you're a firework Come on, let your colors burst Make 'em go, oh You're gonna leave 'em falling down Boom, boom, boom Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon Boom, boom, boom

Fireworks
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in? Do you ever feel already buried deep? Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing Do you know that there's still a chance for you 'Cause there's a spark in you? You just gotta ignite the light and let it

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon