TCM monk fruit, a yin tonic to clear heat and moisten lung

What is a monk fruit(Lo Han Guo)?
As its name implies, it means the dried fruits of Momordica grosvenori Swingle, which is an herbaceous perennial vine in the family Cucurbitaceae. Other names of it include Momordica grosvenori fruit, Buddha fruit, Monordica fruit, luo han kuo, Siraitia grosvenorii, Grosvener Siraitia, arhat fruit, monk’s fruit, luo han guo, longevity fruit, lohan kuo, luohanguo, la han qua (Vietnamese), rakanka (Japan), and so on. It is mainly produced in Guangxi and usually collected in Fall, in particular when they are turning from light green to dark green. And then it needs to dry them at the fire and get rid of hair. And it is usually used raw medicinally.

Its plant is a perennial climbing vine. Immature stems are covered with white pubescence and red glandular hair. Old stems are dark purple and with vertical edges. Alternate leaves are in the shape of ovoid or long ovoid, 11 to 16cm long, 10 to 13cm wide, and with acute or acuminate apex, cordate base, and entire margin. Unisexual flowers are dioecious; all peduncle, pedicel, sepals, and petals are pubescent and covered with glandular hairs; male flowers are axillary and 5 to 7 of them arrange in racemes; female flowers are solitary in leaf axils. Pepo is round, oblong or obovate; it is dark reddish brown when young and green and pubescent when mature. Flowering time is from June to August and fruiting time is from August to October.

Monk fruit benefits
As for whether or not it is a yin tonic, currently there is still a debate as no relevant documentation is found in traditional Chinese medical literature. But it is certain that this herb does clear heat and moisten lung. Modern medical studies have proven that it contains one kind of sweetener that is more than 300 times sweeter than cane sugar. More importantly, it produces no calories. For that reason, it becomes the best sugar substitute for those who can’t eat sugar, for example patients of obesity and diabetes.

As mentioned above, it has plenty of health benefits. First and foremost, being one of best sweeteners for diabetics, this fruit itself can help to treat diabetics too. Besides, it is rich in vitamin C, which makes it a wonder herb with anti-aging, anti-cancer, and skin-care properties. Last but not least, it can help decrease lipid, lose weight, and assist the treatment of HLP (hyperlipidaemia).

Apart from being one of healthy and safe sugar substitutes, clinically it is widely used for the treatments of whooping cough, Constipation, acute bronchitis, Acute Tonsillitis, sore throats, acute gastritis, etc. Different parts of grosvener siraitia have particular emphasis on different medicinal uses. Its mashed root is able to cure stubborn Psoriasis, carbuncles, boils, etc. in external use; fruit hair can be used for wounds; fruit tea can be a cool refreshing drink that can prevent respiratory infections. And it can prolong life too if drunk in daily basis. In addition, the monk fruit concentrate and extract are often utilized as a condiment to make nourishing stew, broth, cakes, candy, cookies, granules, syrups, fruit essence, cough syrup, and so on.