Witnessed by: TCM
Monk fruit (Siraitia grosvenorii), of the Cucurbitaceae family. Perennial climbing vine of humid mountain slopes; native range: misty mountains of Guangxi in southern China. Globally recognized as luo han guo (羅漢果) in Chinese, and monk fruit, arhat fruit, luo han guo in English. The part used is fruit. A round brown fruit the size of a plum, light and hollow when dried, with a thin brittle shell and a startlingly intense honeyed sweetness.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
MONK FRUIT
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- monk fruit
- Scientific name
- Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey ex A.M.Lu & Zhi Y.Zhang
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
Form
- Part used
- fruit
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet
Temperature
- TCM
- cool
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Large Intestine
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- moistens the Lung, clears heat, stops cough, generates fluids and moistens the intestines
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in cough from cold or spleen-deficient loose stool
- Toxicity
- regarded as a safe food-grade herb
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