Luo Han Guo罗汉果
Momordicae Fructus · Monk Fruit · Buddha Fruit
Overview
The round, brown, thin-shelled fruit of a Guangxi gourd vine, intensely sweet from its mogrosides and long used both as a cough remedy and as a sugar-free sweetener. Sweet and cool, it moistens the Lung and settles a dry, hot, ticklish cough — the kind that lingers for weeks after a cold, or that comes with a raw throat and a hoarse, worn voice. Because its sweetness carries no sugar, it is a convenient daily drink for patients who have to watch their sugar intake; it also eases a dry stool through.
Nature & Flavor
Sweet · CoolChannels
Lung · Large IntestineTypical Dosage
10–30 g in decoctionActions
3 core actions
- Clears Lung heat, moistens dryness, stops coughDry hot cough with little sputum, a raw sore throat, hoarseness — including the cough that lingers after a febrile illness.
- Generates fluids, relieves thirstDry mouth and throat, thirst, a worn voice from overuse — teachers and singers drink it as a daily tea.
- Moistens the intestinesDry, hard stool from intestinal dryness rather than obstruction.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Luo Han Guo
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Dry, hot cough with little or no sputum
- Sore, dry throat and hoarseness
- Thirst and dry mouth
- Dry constipation
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Our dispensary data flags this fruit as an allergy risk. Reactions to monk fruit are uncommon but real and have been reported — itching, rash, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or wheezing shortly after taking it. Anyone who has reacted to it before, or who reacts to related gourd-family plants such as melon, cucumber or luffa, must say so before anything is dispensed and should avoid formulas containing it; a reaction involving the throat or breathing is an emergency. Otherwise it is sweet and cool: unsuitable for a cough of wind-cold with thin clear white sputum, and it will loosen the stool further in someone with a cold, weak Spleen and Stomach.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies; the allergy warning still stands
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Ling Nan Cai Yao Lu《岭南采药录》 (classical source, public domain).
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.