Luo Han Guo Extract

                                   
English Name:Luo Han Guo Extract

Latin Name:Fructus Momordicae; Momordicae Grosvenori swingle, Fructus

Other Name:Grosvenor Momordica Fruit ; Arhat Fruit

 

[Specification]

  Mogrosides-V 40%



[Appearance]

  Light Yellow Powder

 

[Description]

  Luo Han Guo is a perennial vine, it is primarily grown in southern China, mainly in Guangxi Province, with most of the product from the mountains of Guilin.

  The outer surface of the dried Luo Han Guo fruit is round and smooth, dusty yellow-brown or dusty green-brown. It is covered with fine, soft hair. The fruit is covered by a hard but thin shell. Inside is a partly dry, flexible substance containing the juice, as well as a large number of seeds. The skin, juicy part, and seeds all have a good sweet flavor. Its nature is cool, and it has no poison.

  The fruit is named after the luohan, which are advanced Buddhist practitioners. The story told us that this fruit first emerged from monks who were using it during the 13th Century. Due to its limited natural growing area (mainly mountain sides in Guangxi and Guangdong; to a much lesser extent, in Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hainan Island), and difficulty in cultivating it successfully, this fruit did not enter the general herb tradition of China, which depended on more abundant products. So, it is not mentioned in the traditional herb guides.

People have used it for centuries for both its sweet flavor and its medicinal property in China. After processed, it can be used as a remedy for colds and congestion of the lung. Nowadays Luo Han Guo is used as a low calorie- sweetening agent in juices or drinks, or it can be made into a desirable beverage itself.

The sweet taste of Luo Han Guo comes primarily from mogrosides, a group of terpene glycosides, present at the level of about 1% of the fleshy part of the fruit (10). Both the fresh and dried fruits are extracted to yield a powder that is 80% or more mogrosides. The mogrosides have been numbered, 1-5, and the main component is called mogroside-5, previously known as esgoside (see chemical structure diagram below). Other, similar compounds from luohanguo have been labeled siamenoside and neomogroside. The mixed mogrosides are estimated to be about 300 times as sweet as sugar by weight, so that the 80% extracts are nearly 250 times sweeter than sugar; pure mogrosides 4 and 5 may be 400 times as sweet as sugar by weight.

 

[Parts Used]

  Fruit

 

[Functions]

1. Luo Han Guo Extract (Mogrosides) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for colds, coughs, sore throats, gastrointestinal disorder, as well as a blood purifier.

2. Luo Han Guo Extract (Mogrosides) is easily soluble in water without any sediment. The Extract contains 80% or greater Mogroside. Mogroside is 300 times sweeter than cane sugar and is low in calories. It is a stable, non-fermentable additive ideal for Diabetics.

3. Luo Han Guo Extract (Mogrosides) contains high amounts of amino acids, fructose, vitamins and minerals. It is also used in traditional Chinese cooking for flavor and nutrition. It is a versatile natural sweetener that is ideally suited to replace artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. It works well in beverages, baked foods, nutritional foods, diet foods or any food product that requires either a low to no carbohydrate sweetener or low to no calories. Cooking or baking does not affect the flavor or sweetness of it.

4. Current research

Recent research on Luo Han Guo suggests that the mogroside works as an antioxidant and that it helps to prevent cancer.

The use of Luo Han Guo as a remedy for diabetes and overweight has been mentioned, as it can be used as a substitute for sugar.

Luo Han Guo has been shown to be useful against the Epstein-Barr virus.

The plant also contains a glycoprotein called momorgrosvin, which has been shown to inhibit ribosomal protein synthesis.

 

[Contraindications]

  There are no reported incidents of negative side effects of Luo Han Guo that are known. It is classed by the American Food and Drug Administration as a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) product. There are no restrictions on consuming the fruit or its extracts.