A review article about the exotic longan fruit: where and how it grows, what it looks like and how it is eaten, taste, usefulness and harm, chemical composition and calorie content. Longan is the fruit of a tropical evergreen tree up to 12 m in height. Botanical name - Dimocarpus longan, dicotyledonous class, angiosperm division. And the common household “dragon's eye” plant received in its homeland in China (from “lun yang”), because of the amazing similarity between the fruit of the longan and the big eye. Now trees grow in Vietnam, Taiwan (local name Lamyai), Indonesia, India, Laos, Cuba and other warm countries. Another version of the origin of the plant is the province of the same name in Vietnam.
On one of the fruit-bearing branches of a tall tree with a dense and spreading crown, it ripens in many small "nuts" from 1.3 cm to 2.5 cm in diameter. The fruits ripen from June to August and harvest 200 kg each. The peel of the longan fruit is light brown, thin, brittle, sometimes a reddish tint is seen, it is not edible. But it is easy to clean, and a delicate slimy transparent and sweet pulp appears, inside which a large, dark, shiny, hard, rounded seed "sits". Indeed, very much like the open eye of a dragon.
How is longan eaten?
The fruit is sold in bunches, like grapes. Each "nut" is not very juicy, but it has a specific taste with a hint of musk. The aroma, though pronounced, is also peculiar. Slightly aged fruits have a more pleasant taste, but it should be borne in mind that longan quickly deteriorates (5-6 days in the refrigerator). For transportation, the crop is harvested while still green.
Longan is eaten fresh. Like any fruit, it is used to complement ice cream and desserts, served with spicy and hot dishes. Drinks from it perfectly quench thirst, improve appetite and refresh. For example, in Thailand, they eat sweet longan soup, prepare snacks and desserts, dry them, and preserve them with syrup. In canned form, this exotic fruit comes to store shelves also from Shanghai, Taiwan, Hong Kong. Lovers of sweet alcoholic drinks can pamper themselves with liqueurs from the "dragon's eye".
Chemical composition and calorie content of longan
Fresh fruit (in the pericarp membrane) contains many biologically active compounds: flavonoids, polysaccharides and phenolic acids. In addition to organic acids, micro- and macroelements, vitamins, fiber.
So, 100 g of fresh longan contains:
- Fat - 0, 10 g
- Carbohydrates - 15, 13g
- Protein - 1, 30 g
- Fiber, dietary fiber - 1, 12 g
- Water - 82.8 g
The calorie content of fresh longan is 60 kcal, and dried - 286 kcal, of which:
- 4, 9 g - proteins
- 0.4 g - fat
- 74 g - carbohydrates
Vitamins:
- B1 thiamine - 0.039 mg
- B2 riboflavin - 0.13 mg
- B3 niacin - 0.303 mg
- C - 84, 08 mg
Macro and microelements:
- Potassium - 266.2 mg
- Phosphorus - 21.4 mg
- Magnesium - 10, 2 mg
- Copper - 0.17 mg
- Calcium - 0, 99 mg
- Iron - 0, 125 mg
- Manganese - 0.05 mg
- Zinc - 0.049 mg
As you can see, longan is rich in fiber, B vitamins, organic acids, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and other micro- and macroelements useful for health and beauty.
Benefits of Longan
If we talk about the benefits of longan, then we can safely consider the whole tree as a whole. For example, the leaves of this plant have antioxidant properties. Flower extract suppresses inflammatory and oxidative processes, lowers blood pressure and improves coronary blood flow. Such a large number of polyphenolic compounds, as in the extract of seeds and flowers of longan, can be used for the prevention of diabetes and oncological processes in the body and for the treatment of neoplasms.
Separately taken longan seed extract, consisting of ellagic, gallic and carrylagic acids, slows down cell aging. The pulp of the fruits of this tropical plant (both fresh and dried) is used in oriental medicine for the prevention and treatment of inflammation, stomach diseases, as an antihelminthic agent and lowers high body temperature. Riboflavin contained in longan improves immunity, tones up. In general, it eliminates fatigue, maintains vision, normalizes sleep, soothes, relieves dizziness, improves concentration. In traditional Chinese medicine, longan fruits and a decoction of them are "prescribed" for impaired metabolism and as a sedative, sleeping pill. Dragon's eye seed powder contains tannins, fats and saponin, so it can stop bleeding, cure eczema, hernia, dropsy, enlarged lymph nodes in the armpits and neck, dropsy.
Contraindications to the use of longan
Nothing can be said about the harm to health - the fruit does not contain toxic substances. But some may have an individual intolerance to the product, only this exotic fruit can be contraindicated for them.
Interesting facts about Longan
- The crown of a longan tree can grow up to 14 meters wide.
- For heating houses and cooking, they do not use trees, but the peel and seeds of the "dragon's eye". The core of the plant is red, excellent polishing, hard and sent to the furniture industry.
- Longan seeds are so versatile that they are used to prepare toothpaste and medical detergents.
- In Vietnam, a snake bite is treated with longan seed - it is pressed to the wound as an antidote.
For more interesting information about Longan, see this video: