The therapeutic value of monk fruit and how to choose it

Monk fruit is known as the "fairy fruit". It is mainly produced in the mountainous areas of Lingui County and Yongfu County in Guilin City and is a precious local specialty of Guilin. The fruit has high nutritional value and is rich in vitamin C (400 mg to 500 mg per 100 g of fresh fruit), as well as glycosides, fructose, glucose, protein, lipids, etc.

Monk Fruit

Perennial herbaceous vine, growing in mountainous areas at an altitude of 300-500m, 2-5m long. The stem is slender and dark purple. Tendrils are bifurcated almost to the middle. Leaves are alternate, petioles are 2-7cm long; leaves are cordate-ovate, membranous, 8-15cm long, 3.5-12cm wide, with acute or acuminate apex, auricular cordate at the base, entire, and both sides are covered with white soft hairs. Flowers are dioecious, male inflorescences are racemose, and female flowers are solitary; calyx is funnel-shaped, covered with soft hairs, 5-lobed, corolla is orange-yellow, 5-sect, acuminate at the apex, and covered with white soft hairs with brown on the outside. Gourd is round or oblong, covered with soft hairs, with 10 longitudinal lines, and seeds are light yellow. Flowering period is June to August, and fruiting period is August to October.

This product is ovate, elliptical or spherical, 4.5-8.5cm long and 3.5-6cm in diameter. The surface is brown, yellow-brown or green-brown, with dark spots and yellow soft hairs, and some have 6-11 longitudinal stripes. There are traces of style at the top and pedicel at the base. The body is light, brittle, and the pericarp is thin and easy to break. The fruit pulp (mesocarp and endocarp) is spongy and light brown. The seeds are oblate, numerous, about 1.5cm long and 1.2cm wide; light red to brownish red, slightly concave in the middle of both sides, with radial grooves around and grooves on the edges. The smell is slight and the taste is sweet.

Microscopic identification of the cross section of the pericarp; the exocarp is a row of flattened small epidermal cells, the exocarp is a row of flattened small epidermal cells, covered with a cuticle, 4-12μm thick, with stomata slightly protruding outward; multicellular non-glandular hairs or basal residues can sometimes be seen. The outer side of the mesocarp is 4-6 rows of round or tangentially extended Dacron thin-walled cells; inward is a 6-9 row stone cell layer, the cells are round, oblong, square or irregular polygonal. Close to the inner side of the stone cell layer are several rows of large irregular polygonal cells, with slightly thick walls and wall pores. The inner rows of seven-walled cells are often wrinkled or decadent; the vascular bundles are double-tough, often two connected inside and outside and sparsely scattered. The endocarp is a row of flattened small floor-to-ceiling cells.

Seed cross section: The epidermis is located in the upper and lower parts of the flat seed, with a row of palisade cells, 205-280μm long and 12-30μm wide. The epidermal cells on the left and right sides are mucilaginous, with several layers of tangentially extended thin-walled tissue inside. Below the palisade cells are several layers of thick-walled fibers and large stone cells, close to the seed.

Monk fruit is suitable for people:

According to the efficacy of monk fruit herbal tea, the following 6 groups of people have special needs:

1. People who smoke and drink frequently need to cleanse the lungs, protect the liver, nourish the stomach, and cleanse the intestines to clear stool.

2. Actors, teachers, broadcasters, salespersons, etc. who need to protect their vocal organs.

3. Those who work overtime late at night, are prone to getting angry and have reduced detoxification ability.

4. Those who sit in the office for a long time and cannot breathe fresh air outdoors, which affects their lung function.

5. People who engage in outdoor activities and exercise a lot and easily lose water in the body.

6. People who have a headache about buying health gifts during festivals.

toxicity:

The acute toxicity test of monk fruit fitness tea showed that it has low toxicity.

Nature and flavor Meridians:

It is cool in nature, sweet in taste, and acts on the lung and large intestine meridians.

Dosage and Administration:

9～15g.

Storage:

Place in a dry place to prevent mildew and moth.

Function and indications:

It can clear away heat and moisten the lungs, relieve cough, relieve sore throat, and smooth the intestines and relieve constipation. It is used for dry cough due to lung fire, sore throat and loss of voice, and constipation due to dry intestines.

The therapeutic value of monk fruit:

The fruit of the vine of the Cucurbitaceae family, Momordica grosvenori. Also known as Lahan fruit, Luohuangzi, Chashanzi, and red-haired fruit. It is distributed in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan Island, Jiangxi and other places in my country, and is cultivated in large quantities in Guangxi. The fruit is harvested in autumn when it is ripe, and placed on the floor for 8 to 10 days to make the peel turn from green to yellow, then brush off the hair and use it fresh; or dry it over a low fire and use it.

performance:

It tastes sweet and is cool in nature. It can clear the lungs and relieve cough, benefit the throat, and moisten the intestines.

refer to:

It contains a large amount of glucose and a substance (triterpenoid glycosides) that is 300 times sweeter than sugar. The latter is related to the therapeutic effect of this product.

use:

Used for cough due to lung heat, whooping cough, sore throat or aphonia; dryness and heat in the intestines, and constipation.

usage:

Decoction, boiling water, etc.

Additional recipe:

1. Monk fruit soup: 30-60g of monk fruit, 100g of lean pork. Chop the monk fruit, cut the pork into slices, add appropriate amount of water, cook, and season with a little salt. It comes from "Records of Collecting Medicinal Herbs in Lingnan". This recipe uses monk fruit to clear the lungs, moisten dryness, and relieve cough, and lean pork to replenish deficiency and blood. It is used for long-term cough due to lung deficiency and heat or cough caused by tuberculosis.

2. Monk fruit and persimmon soup: 30g monk fruit, 15g persimmon. Add water and boil to make a decoction. This recipe has the effects of clearing heat and moistening the lungs, relieving cough and relieving sore throat. It is used for whooping cough, dry throat due to cough, and sore throat.

How to choose monk fruit:

When buying monk fruit, you should choose a large round one with a yellowish-brown color, no sound when shaken, no cracked or burnt shell, and a sweet but not bitter taste. After the monk fruit matures, it is harvested in batches and left for five to seven days to allow the fruit to saccharify. It is then baked over a slow fire at a temperature between 45 and 65 degrees Celsius. It is usually baked for seven or eight days and nights. When the peel is yellowish-brown and the shell is dry, it feels light and crispy but the flesh inside is sugary and moist, which means it is ready.