Lingui Luohanguo

Lingui Luohanguo

　　Lingui County's luohanguo (monk fruit) is mainly grown in Chadong Township, though several other townships have also begun cultivation. This fruit is cool in nature and sweet in flavor, clearing the lungs and moistening the intestines. It is primarily used to treat phlegm-fire conditions, coughs, and whooping cough, and is highly effective against acute tracheitis, acute tonsillitis, and sore throat. It can both refresh and promote saliva production, as well as prevent respiratory infections. Regular consumption of luohanguo has notable benefits for high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, scurvy, and many age-related illnesses.

　　 Lingui luohanguo is a specialty agricultural product of Lingui and also one of Guangxi’s regional specialties, with over 100 years of cultivation history. In 2005, the maximum planting area reached 40,000 mu. In recent years, the planting area has stabilized at over 20,000 mu, generating an annual total income of more than 100 million yuan, making it one of the main medicinal herbs contributing to local income growth. In February 2005, Lingui luohanguo obtained pollution-free origin certification, in 2006 was named a “Guangxi Pollution-Free Traditional Chinese Medicine Demonstration County,” and also earned the title “Hometown of Luohanguo in China.”

　　The main producing townships of luohanguo in Lingui County include Chadong, Huangsha, Wantian, Zhongyong, Wutong, Liangjiang, and Lingui — seven townships in total. The primary cultivated variety is the green-skinned fruit, mainly grown from tissue-cultured seedlings, supplemented by cuttings. The fruit is round, with 339.68 mg of vitamin C, 9.68% protein, and all eight essential amino acids per 100g of fresh fruit. The total sugar content is 26.76%, including 13.55% glucose and 10.20% fructose, giving it a sweetness 250–340 times that of sucrose. The seed kernel contains 41.07% oil, of which oleic acid and linoleic acid account for 20.0% and 52.3% of the fatty acids, respectively. Mature fruits contain 24 types of inorganic elements, 16 of which are essential to the human body.

　　Benefits of Luohanguo: As a medicinal herb, luohanguo has been used in our county for at least a century. In the 31st year of the Guangxu reign (1905), the revised *Lingui County Annals*, Volume 8 on Local Products, clearly documented its medicinal effects: “Luohanguo is as big as a persimmon, oval and hollow, sweet in taste and cool in nature, treating tuberculosis-related coughs.” Modern traditional Chinese medicine texts such as *Medicinal Herbs of Lingnan* and *Guangxi Materia Medica* also describe its uses: it is sweet, cool in nature, non-toxic, and effective for moistening the lungs and relieving cough, cooling the blood, lubricating the intestines, lowering blood pressure, and enhancing cellular immune function. Luohanguo can be used medicinally or as a beverage. Rich in monosaccharides but free of disaccharides, its sweetness is 200 times that of sucrose. It is suitable for diabetics and those who are overweight. In developed countries in Europe and America, luohanguo sweeteners are used as a substitute for sucrose, and export volumes have been increasing year by year.

　　Abroad, luohanguo is hailed as the “Oriental Miracle Fruit,” and its genetic resources are extremely precious. Major processing companies in Guilin include Jifus and others. Among them, Rhine Company is located in Lingui. The county has multiple dried fruit processing factories, three luohanguo cooperatives, and an annual output value of 120 million yuan from luohanguo production.