299956 Thu Mar 10 14:45:42 -0800 2005 2 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1664574 I picked up some Knudsen's light spritzer today at Whole Foods that lists "lo han extract" as an ingredient. I presumed this was some sort of natural sweetener (as the label says there are no artificial sweeteners in the product). A google search confirmed this, but yielded very little info -- just a result full of weird nutritional supplements and diet beverages. I don't like mystery ingredients -- is there anything I should know about this stuff? Thu Mar 10 14:45:42 -0800 2005 0 Chia 1 1664591 Lo Han Kuo is the fruit of Momordica grosvenorii, a plant cultivated in the mountains of southern China. Mogrosides, which are water extracted from the Lo Han fruit, offer a pleasant, sweet taste without elevating blood sugar. Lo Han Kuo Mogrosides are up to 250x sweeter than sugar. Link: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/articles/momordica%20swingle.html Thu Mar 10 15:51:40 -0800 2005 1664574 0 Cyndy 2 1664592 Thank goodness for that. Lohan without the guo is Chinese for (sanskrit) Arhat, a disciple of the Buddha. I'd hate to think they were being subjected to extraction. Thu Mar 10 16:01:39 -0800 2005 1664591 0 Jerome