2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Arhat (lat. Siraitia grosvenorii) - a fruit plant representing the notorious Pumpkin family.
Description
Arhat is a magnificent herbaceous vine that twines around a great variety of other plants with its antennae and can grow from three to five meters in length.
The fruits of the monk are rather small - they are characterized by an oval or spherical shape, and their length ranges from five to seven centimeters. In Europe during the Middle Ages, these fruits were courteously called "the fruit of the Buddha" or "the fruit of the monarchs."
Unripe fruits boast an unusually fleshy and surprisingly juicy pulp, in the middle of which numerous small seeds are comfortably nestled. Monkhat's taste is sweet, somewhat reminiscent of a melon. And the darker the fruit, the sweeter it will be. And as the amazing fruits ripen, their pulp becomes very dry.
Immediately, as soon as the fruits of the monk fruit are ripe, their pulp begins to ferment and gradually deteriorate, which makes it almost impossible to export them to other countries.
Where grows
The homeland of this culture is considered to be practical South China and colorful Northern Thailand - there, monk fruit is grown mainly for its fruits. But in the rest of the world, the arhat has not received proper distribution - this is due to the fact that even under the most favorable conditions, its capricious seeds will sprout for several months.
However, in recent years, many amateur flower growers have willingly begun to grow monk fruit - both in heated greenhouses or in summer cottages, and on apartment windowsills or in winter gardens. Moreover, the seeds of this outlandish culture can be found even in Russian stores!
Application
Arhat can be eaten fresh, but in this form its taste may seem rather cloying, so most often it is still dried or a variety of drinks and decoctions are prepared from it. In Chinese medicine, tea with dried monk fruit is considered the best helper against heatstroke and a real cough relief. And in order to say goodbye to constipation, monk fruit is sometimes added to some sauces.
With regular use, this fruit has a powerful tonic and pronounced immunostimulating effect, moreover, it largely contributes to the normalization of the activity of the entire gastrointestinal tract.
In a number of Chinese provinces, monk fruit is a favorite addition to tea - tea with its addition boasts a surprisingly pleasant, freshest and most delicate taste, as well as the ability to have antipyretic and powerful tonic effect. These fruits will also benefit office workers - in conditions of a lack of fresh air, they perfectly strengthen the lungs. In addition, they help to minimize the harmful effects of alcohol or smoking (monk fruit perfectly strengthens the liver and cleanses the lungs), and also quickly relieve constipation. In the same provinces, this fruit is also a welcome gift, which has long symbolized the wish for the best health.
Also, the monk is recommended to be eaten by singing or speaking people of public professions: both announcers or teachers, and merchants, singers, etc. scorching sun or in very hot climates.
It should be noted that the monk has an extremely beneficial effect on the state of the nervous system - it is the best friend for vegetative-vascular dystonia, excessive irritability, constant lack of sleep and frequent overwork.
Ripe fruits are actively used to make an extract, the sweetness of which is three hundred times greater than the sweetness of sucrose. The monk fruit owes such an unusual sweetness to the antioxidants it contains with the funny name mogroside. In China, this extract has served as an excellent natural sweetener for thousands of years! Moreover, its calorie content is only 2, 3 kcal per 1 gram, that is, it is two times lower than the calorie content of cane or beet sugar.
Contraindications
Too high sugar content makes monk fruit completely unsuitable for diabetics. It can also provoke allergies.
