Synsepalum dulcificum, also known as the miracle fruit, is a plant with a berry that, when eaten, causes sour foods (such as lemons and limes) subsequently consumed to taste sweet. Miracle Fruit is a berry born on a small shrub native to Ghana, Africa. The fruit contains a unique glycolprotein called miraculin that inhibits the tongue's perception of sour flavors.When the fleshy part of the fruit is eaten, this molecule binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing sour foods to taste sweet. The effects are experienced by moving the pleasant tasting fruit over the tongue and then discarding the seed. For up to an hour all bitter and sour flavors will be masked and everything consumed will taste sweet. The fruit are commonly used as a novelty, but they are also valuable for medicinal and dietary purposes as well. Miracle Fruit can mask the metallic flavor food gets after a chemo treatment, thereby acting somewhat like an appetite stimulant. By eliminating that intense metallic flavor the overwhelming sense of nausea and aversion to food vanishes. Chemo patients are able to enjoy a simple meal after using a Miracle Fruit, and this can help improve quality of life, reverse unwanted weight loss, and help speed recovery.
