what is monk fruit

Monk fruit, scientifically called Siraitia grosvenorii, is a small round fruit native to southern China. It is also known as luo han guo or Swingle fruit. The plant is a herbaceous vine in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). Monk fruit is notable for its intense natural sweetness, which comes from compounds called mogrosides. One particular mogroside, mogroside V, is about 250 to 300 times sweeter than regular sugar (sucrose). Because of this, monk fruit extract is used as a natural, zero-calorie sweetener. It provides sweetness without raising blood sugar levels, making it popular as a sugar substitute in drinks and foods, especially among people managing their sugar intake or diabetes. Traditionally, monk fruit has been used in Chinese medicine for soothing coughs, sore throats, and stomach ailments. The fruit is usually harvested, dried, and processed to extract the sweet compounds. The sweetener is created by crushing the fruit, filtering the juice, and drying it into a concentrated powder. Unlike regular fruit sugars like fructose and glucose, the sweetness in monk fruit comes from mogrosides, so the sweetener itself doesn't contain calories or sugars. The fruit has cultural significance as well; its name "luo han guo" means "arhat fruit," derived from Buddhist terminology referring to enlightened monks who originally cultivated it centuries ago. In summary, monk fruit is a natural fruit-based sweetener known for its high sweetness intensity, zero calories, and use both as a traditional remedy and modern sugar substitute.