Monkfruit
The monkfruit, or luohan guo (Siraitia grosvenorii) is a herbaceous plant from the gourd family. It is native to southern China and northern Thailand. The plant is used to get something called mogroside, which is sweeter than table sugar.[2] It has been used as a low-calorie sweetener for drinks and in traditional Chinese medicine.
| Monkfruit | |
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| Monkfruit | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Siraitia |
| Species: | S. grosvenorii
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| Binomial name | |
| Siraitia grosvenorii | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Momordica grosvenorii | |
Overview
The plant is a vine which is about 3-5m long. The narrow, heart-shaped leaves are 10–20 cm long. The fruit is round, 5–7 cm in diameter, smooth, yellow-brownish or green-brownish in color.
The flesh inside of the fruit is eaten, and the rind is used for making tea. The fruit is mostly known for being very sweet.[3]
Monkfruit Media
Dried Siraitia grosvenorii fruit cut open, with the seeds removed
References
- ↑ The Plant List.
- ↑ Itkin, M.. The biosynthetic pathway of the nonsugar, high-intensity sweetener mogroside V from Siraitia grosvenorii. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 113 (47) (2016). p. E7619–E7628. doi:10.1073/pnas.1604828113.
- ↑ Luo Han Guo: Sweet fruit used as sugar substitute and medicinal herb. www.itmonline.org. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
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