Miraculin is a glycoprotein extracte from the miracle fruit plant, a shrub native to West Africa (Synsepalum dulcificum or Richadella dulcifica). Local names for the plant include taami, asaa, and ledidi. Miraculin itself is not sweet, but the human tongue, once exposed to miraculin, perceives ordinarily sour foods, such as citrus, as sweet for up to an hour afterwards. This small red berry has been used in West Africa to improve the taste of acidic foods. Because the miracle fruit itself has no distinct taste, this taste-modifying function of the fruit had been regarded as a miracle.