Siraitiae Fructus
Aliases：Lā Hàn Guǒ (Pull-sweat Fruit); Jiǎ Kǔ Guā (False Bitter Melon); Guāng Guǒ Mù Biē (Smooth-fruited Wood Turtle); Jīn Bù Huàn (Not Exchangeable for Gold); Luó Hàn Biǎo (Arhat Table); Luǒ Guī Bā (Naked Turtle Scar); Shén Xiān Guǒ (Immortal Fruit).
Luó Hàn Guǒ (Monk Fruit) is a Chinese medicinal herb. It is a commonly used medicinal material for relieving cough and asthma, and is the dried fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey ex A. M. Lu et Z. Y. Zhang, a plant of the Cucurbitaceae family. It is one of the “medicinal and edible” traditional Chinese medicines. Its fruit, being sweet in taste and cool in nature, is commonly used to clear the lungs and moisten the intestines, and has earned the reputation of “Immortal Fruit.”
Efficacy & Actions
Clears heat, moistens the lungs, relieves sore throat, restores the voice, and moistens the intestines to relieve constipation.
Indications
Used for lung-heat dry cough, sore throat with loss of voice, and constipation due to intestinal dryness. It is also used for phlegm cough, wheezing, whooping cough, acute and chronic bronchitis, and laryngitis, among other conditions.
Modern Pharmacology
Antitussive and expectorant effects: The water extract exhibits significant antitussive and expectorant effects. Regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism: Exhibits hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering effects. Hepatoprotective effect: Reduces serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity and protects against liver injury. Immunomodulatory effect: Enhances cellular immune function. Laxative effect: Promotes intestinal motility and relieves constipation. Antioxidant effect: Exhibits antioxidant activity. Antitumor effect: Exhibits antitumor activity.
Ingredients
Cucurbitane-type Tetracyclic Triterpenoids (Mogrosides): These are the main active components, including mogroside IV, mogroside V, siamenoside I, among others, which are highly sweet. Flavonoids: Such as kaempferol, quercetin, and their glycosides. Polysaccharides: Such as SGPS1, SGPS2, among others. Others: Also contains abundant glucose, fructose, proteins, amino acids, oils, more than 20 inorganic elements (including manganese, iron, nickel, etc.), as well as vitamins C and E.
Usage & Dosage
Oral Administration: Decoction, 9–15g; or steeped in boiling water. May also be used in soups, congee, or stewed with meat. Usage Tip: The shell of Luohanguo is hard; it should be crushed before steeping or decocting to facilitate the extraction of active components.
Contraindications
Contraindicated in patients with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold: Luohanguo (Monk Fruit) is cool in nature, which may damage the yang qi of the spleen and stomach. Use with caution in patients with wind-cold cough: Its cool nature may worsen the condition. Use with caution in individuals with a cold constitution: It should be used sparingly or avoided for long-term use. Should not be taken for a prolonged period or in excessive amounts: Overconsumption may damage the spleen and stomach due to its cool and moistening nature, potentially causing adverse reactions such as abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Selected Formulas
For sore throat and loss of voice (Food Chinese Medicine and Prescriptions) Take 1 Siraitia grosvenorii (Luohanguo) fruit, slice it, decoct in water, let cool, and drink frequently. For acute and chronic bronchitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, and constipation (empirical formula) Take 15–30g of Luohanguo, steep in boiling water, and drink as tea. For sore throat, cough with profuse phlegm (Olive and Luohanguo Soup, empirical formula) Take 30g of olive (Ganlan) and 1 Luohanguo fruit. Add water, boil for 10–20 minutes, strain, and drink the liquid as tea.
Daily Consumption
Luohanguo Infusion: Take 1/4 to 1/2 of a Luohanguo fruit (approximately 9–15g), crush it, place it in a cup, pour in hot water at around 80°C, steep for 5–10 minutes, and drink. Luohanguo and Snow Pear Drink: Take one Luohanguo and one snow pear. Cut the pear into pieces, boil together with the Luohanguo for 20–30 minutes. It helps nourish yin, clear heat, and stop cough. Luohanguo, Tangerine Peel, and Lean Pork Soup: Take half a Luohanguo, 6g of dried tangerine peel (Chén Pí), and 100g of lean pork. Cook together into a soup. After cooking, strain to remove the solids, drink the soup, and eat the meat. Luohanguo Congee: Take 10g of Luohanguo and 100g of polished round-grained rice. First decoct the Luohanguo to extract the liquid, then use the liquid to cook the rice into congee.
Medicinal Parts
Dried ripe fruit.
Selection & Storage
Store in a dry place, protected from mold and insects.
