1. Aliases

Lahanguo, fake bitter gourd, light fruit wood turtle, gold not exchanged.
2. Plant morphology
Perennial climbing grass vine. Up to 5 meters long. The stem is dark purple, with longitudinal edges, covered with white or yellow pubescence and red glandular dots; The tendrils have two cracks, reaching almost to the middle. Leaves alternate, heart-shaped ovate, membranous, petiole slightly twisted, covered with short pubescence. Flowers unisexual, dioecious; Male flowers are axillary racemes, covered with white pubescence and red glandular hairs. The calyx is funnel-shaped, 5-lobed, covered with grayish yellow pubescence. The lobes have a linear long tail at the tip, and the corolla is orange yellow, 5-lobed, gradually pointed at the tip. The outer layer is covered with black pubescence, and there are 3 stamens. The stamens are covered with white glandular hairs, and the anthers are separated. Female flowers solitary or 3-5 clustered in leaf axils or in short racemes, with lower ovary, long ovate, pubescent, style 3, stigma 2-forked, with 3 yellow or black degenerated stamens. The fruit is spherical or oblong or obovate in shape, gray brown in color, covered with pubescence, and has 10 longitudinal lines. The seeds are oblong, light yellow in color, with irregular dentate notches at the edges, slightly concave in the center, and radiating grooves at the edges. The flowering period is from June to August, and the fruiting period is from August to October.
3. Origin distribution
Born in mountainous areas with an altitude of 300-500 meters. Distributed in Guangxi, Jiangxi, Guangdong and other places.
4. Harvesting and processing
Harvest the fruits in autumn when they turn from tender green to dark green, let them air for a few days, and then dry them at low temperatures.
5. Characteristics of medicinal herbs
Siraitia grosvenorii is ovoid, elliptical or spherical, 4.5~8.5 cm long and 3.5~6 cm in diameter. The surface is brown, yellow brown or green brown, with dark patches and yellow pubescence, and some have 6-11 longitudinal stripes. There are remnants of the style at the top and peduncle marks at the base. Lightweight, crispy, with thin skin and easy to break. The flesh (middle and inner skin) of the fruit is sponge shaped and light brown. Seeds oblate, mostly, about 1.5 centimeters long and 1.2 centimeters wide; Light red to brownish red, with a slight depression in the middle on both sides and radial grooves around the edges. Mild in flavor and sweet in taste.
6. Nature, taste, and meridian tropism
Cold in nature and sweet in taste. Return to the lung meridian and large intestine meridian.
7. Effect and function
Clear heat and moisten the lungs, smooth the intestines and relieve constipation. A heat clearing and detoxifying medicine belonging to the subcategory of heat clearing drugs.
8. Clinical applications
Dosage 9-15 grams, take decoction orally. Used to treat cold, cold, cough, sore throat, loss of voice, heat, thirst, and constipation.
9. Pharmacological research
Siraitia grosvenorii can enhance the cellular immune function of the body; Large dose of siraitia grosvenorii may increase the ratio of spleen specific rosette forming cells.
10. Chemical composition
It contains Arhat IV, Arhat V, momordicin VII, which is 300 times sweeter than sucrose, and its aglycones are cucurbitacin compounds. It also contains more than ten kinds of amino acids, flavonoids, siraitin-3,24-dioxy-β - glucoside, D-mannitol, siraitin-2-benzoate, kaempferol and a large amount of fructose. Seed kernels contain oil, and their fatty acids include decanoic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid.
11. Taboos for use
People with lung cold and spleen and stomach deficiency cold should avoid taking it.
12. Compatibility prescription
① Treatment of throat pain and aphasia: 1 siraitia grosvenorii, cut into slices, fry in water, drink and take frequently after cooling. (Food, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Stool Formula)
② Treatment of lung dryness, cough, phlegm, throat dryness and mouth dryness: half of siraitia grosvenorii, 6g of tangerine peel, 100g of lean pork. First soak the tangerine peel, scrape off the white, and then boil the soup with siraitia grosvenorii and lean meat. After cooked, remove the siraitia grosvenorii and tangerine peel, drink the soup and eat meat. (New Traditional Chinese Medicine 1982, (11):45)
③ Treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, constipation: 15~30 grams of siraitia grosvenorii, boiled for tea. (National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Medicine)
The content of the article is for clinical reference only. Non professionals in traditional Chinese medicine are not allowed to try medication.