Influenza is no stranger to the populations of China, and over the centuries, practitioners of traditional Chinese herbal medicine have studied the flu quite closely. Luo Han Kuo, a fruit that grows primarily in the Guangxi province of southwestern China, is a key botanical medicine used by Chinese herbalists to strengthen respiratory immunity and fend off influenza.
“Traditional Chinese medicine places great importance on understanding the patient’s underlying constitution, as well as the type of influenza, and the symptom pattern with which he or she is affected,” wrote Yifang Zhang, in an excellent review of Chinese medical approaches to preventing and treating influenza (J Chinese Med. 2003). “TCM considers that people who have a weak constitution, disordered lifestyle, disharmony of the body, deficiency of immunity, and disharmony “yingwei qi,” or superficial defense mechanisms against the external environment, can easily succumb to viral infections such as influenza.”
Luo Han Kuo (Momordicae grosvenori), a small, green, vine-grown fruit, is used in many TCM botanical formulas for influenza, particularly to treat people with weak overall constitutions, deficiencies of lung qi, and tendencies toward “phlegm heat or phlegm damp.” In Western medical terminology, this roughly means, people who are run-down, with less-than-optimal respiratory function, weakened immunity, and a tendency to produce a lot of phlegm.
Longjiang River Health Products, a leading producer of medicines derived from Luo Han Kuo (LHK), recently entered the US market with a line of single-dose, powdered LHK products for strengthening respiratory and immune system function. Under the direction of Robert McGraw, the company’s CEO, who also serves on the board of directors of the McGraw-Hill Publishing Companies, Longjiang River is committed not only to providing people in the US with a useful medicinal herb, but to raising the standards for Chinese botanical medicine production.
The company built a state of the art, pharmaceutical-level manufacturing plant in the mountains around Guilin in the Guangzi Province, where LHK has been cultivated for generations. The facility is designed in accordance with the principles of Feng Shui and classical Chinese architecture. The manufacturing process is engineered to have the lowest possible environmental impact, so as not to destroy one of China’s few remaining pristine ecological regions.
LHK is difficult to cultivate; farmers in Guangxi Province typically produce only 8,000–10,000 pieces of fruit per year. Longjiang River is working with local farmers to maintain traditional cultivation and production practices, and to pay them fair prices for their produce. At the same time, the company is channeling considerable funds into schools and community programs, including the establishment of the region’s first waste management facility.
Longjiang River’s LHK products are meant to be mixed with water, either hot or cold, and taken as a beverage. Since LHK is naturally very sweet, there are no added sweeteners or artificial flavorings. But like stevia, the compounds in LHK do not cause huge glycemic spikes, so it is safe for diabetics.
To learn more about LHK in the prevention and treatment of influenza and other respiratory conditions, visit: www.longjiangriver.com, or call 888-916-1688.