An Introduction to the Benefits, Effects and Dietary Precautions of Monk Fruit

Monk fruit is the fruit of a perennial climbing plant in the Cucurbitaceae family, mainly produced in the warm, humid mountainous areas of southern China such as Guangxi, and is known as the "oriental wonder fruit." The dried fruit has a brown outer skin, a round, plump shape, and a sweet, tender flesh when broken open. Monk fruit is a traditional food that is also used as medicine; it can be used in remedies and is also a common ingredient for everyday tea and soup.

In traditional understanding, monk fruit is cool in nature and sweet in taste, and is often considered to clear heat, moisten the lungs, soothe the throat and restore the voice, so people who use their voice a lot, such as teachers and streamers, often brew it in water to protect their throats. The mogrosides contained in monk fruit are very sweet yet contain almost no calories, so it is often processed into a sugar substitute, making it suitable for people who watch their sugar intake. Folk experience also holds that it moistens the intestines, and those with difficulty passing stool sometimes drink monk fruit water in moderation.

The most common way to consume monk fruit in daily life is to brew it in water or boil it as tea; simply steep the broken dried fruit in boiling water, and the fruit tastes sweet with a lingering finish. It can also be drunk together with chrysanthemum, boat sterculia seed and the like. When making soup, add a small half of a monk fruit and the broth will take on a natural sweetness. When buying, choose fruit that is whole in shape, makes no sound when shaken, and is dry with no musty smell.

It should be noted that monk fruit is rather cool in nature, so people with weak and cold spleen and stomach who are prone to diarrhea should not drink it in large amounts over a long period, to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort. Because it is quite sweet when brewed, the amount should be controlled and it should be drunk in divided portions. Monk fruit can serve as an everyday food for regulating the body, but if obvious symptoms such as coughing or sore throat appear, medical attention should still be sought promptly, and it should not be relied on alone to deal with health problems.