Functions and therapeutic effects of longan meat

How much do you know about the functions and indications of longan meat? Let me introduce you to some relevant knowledge.

Functions and indications of longan meat

It nourishes the heart and spleen, nourishes blood and calms the mind. It is used for deficiency of qi and blood, palpitations, forgetfulness and insomnia, and sallow complexion due to blood deficiency.

Longan meat is the aril of the Sapindaceae plant Longan, also known as Yizhi, Mipi, and Guiyuan. It is mainly produced in Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places. It is picked when the fruit is ripe from July to October, dried or sun-dried, and the meat is pitted and sun-dried until it is dry and not sticky. Longan meat is a legal drug in the "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China" and an ideal tonic. According to traditional Chinese medicine, longan tastes sweet and is warm in nature. It enters the heart and spleen meridians. It has the effects of nourishing the heart and spleen, nourishing blood and calming the mind, strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea, and diuresis and swelling.

It is suitable for symptoms such as physical weakness after illness, blood deficiency and sallowness, insufficient qi and blood, neurasthenia, palpitations, forgetfulness and insomnia. As early as the Han Dynasty, longan was used as medicine. Li Shizhen said: "Longan is a great tonic", "Lychee is the most expensive food, and longan is the best for nourishment." "Daily Materia Medica": "It is good for intelligence and calming the mind." "Depei Materia Medica" believes that longan "benefits the spleen and stomach, preserves heart blood, moisturizes the five internal organs, and treats palpitations." "Quanzhou Materia Medica" believes that longan "strengthens yang and replenishes qi, nourishes the spleen and stomach." "Pharmaceutical Chemistry" said: "Longan is a great tonic for yin and blood. After bleeding from the upper part, it can be added to Guipi Decoction with lotus seeds and Euryale ferox to replenish spleen yin and make the spleen strong and blood return to the meridians. If the mind is tired and the heart meridian blood is insufficient, it can be used to help Shengdi and Ophiopogon to nourish the heart blood. If the muscles and bones are overworked and the liver is empty, it can be used with cooked rehmannia and angelica to nourish the liver and replenish blood." To this day, longan is still an important medicine for replenishing blood and calming the mind.

According to modern research, longan tastes sweet and refreshing when eaten fresh, and has high nutritional value. It is rich in high carbohydrates, protein, multiple amino acids, vitamins B and C, calcium, phosphorus, iron, tartaric acid, adenine, etc., especially vitamin P. For middle-aged and elderly people, it can protect blood vessels and prevent vascular sclerosis and brittleness.

When studying longan, foreign countries found that it contains an active ingredient that has anti-aging effects. This is consistent with the saying in Shennong's Herbal Classic, the earliest pharmaceutical monograph in my country, that longan can make one light and young. Therefore, some people believe that longan is an anti-aging food with good development potential.

The Osaka Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Japan conducted anti-cancer tests on more than 800 natural foods and medicines and found that the water extract of longan pulp has an inhibition rate of more than 90% on cervical cancer cells.

Longan contains a high amount of sugar, which is a monosaccharide that is easily digestible and can be directly absorbed by the human body. Therefore, eating longan regularly is very beneficial for the weak, anemic, old, and weak, and for those who suffer from long-term illness. Longan is also an important tonic food for women after childbirth. Because it is rich in iron and vitamin B2, it can reduce uterine contraction and uterine prolapse. For women who are postpartum, weak, anemic, etc., longan meat can be added with angelica, wolfberry, and a few red dates (pitted) to stew chicken. Or eating longan meat and boiled eggs every day can promote blood circulation, regulate menstruation, and promote physical recovery.

Longan can be chewed directly, boiled in water, made into soup, soaked in wine, or boiled into paste with white sugar. However, it is not suitable for people with phlegm and fire in the spleen and stomach, dampness, indigestion, nausea and vomiting. Pregnant women, especially in early pregnancy, should not take longan meat to prevent fetal movement and premature birth. In addition, due to its high glucose content, diabetic patients should not take too much. Fresh longan is rich in nutrition and delicious. When eating, be careful not to eat undercooked longan, because it is easy to cause asthma. As a food therapy, the appropriate amount of longan meat is 6 grams of dry product each time.

The therapeutic effect of longan meat

1. Replenishing Qi and blood, and improving memory: Longan (dried longan) is rich in glucose, sucrose, protein, etc., and has a high iron content. It can increase heat energy and supplement nutrition while promoting hemoglobin regeneration to replenish blood. Experimental studies have found that longan meat (dried longan) is not only beneficial to the whole body, but also particularly beneficial to brain cells, can enhance memory and eliminate fatigue.

2. Calming the mind: Longan (dried longan) contains a lot of iron, potassium and other elements, which can promote the regeneration of hemoglobin to treat palpitations, panic, insomnia and forgetfulness caused by anemia. Longan (dried longan) contains up to 2.5 mg of niacin (per 100 grams), which can be used to treat dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia and even mental disorders caused by niacin deficiency.

3. Nourishing blood and stabilizing the fetus: Longan (dried longan) contains a lot of iron and vitamins, which can reduce uterine contractions and sagging sensations, is beneficial for pregnant women with accelerated metabolism and fetal development, and has a stabilizing effect on the fetus.

4. Antibacterial, inhibit cancer cells: Animal experiments show that the inhibition rate of longan (dried longan) on JTC-26 tumors is more than 90%, and it has a certain inhibitory effect on cancer cells. Clinically, cancer patients were given oral administration of crude longan extract, and their symptoms improved by 90%, and the effect of extending life span was about 80%. In addition, the longan (dried longan) water extract (1:2) has an inhibitory effect on Microsporum audouinum in a test tube.

5. Reduce blood lipids, protect the heart, and delay aging: Longan pulp (dried longan) can reduce blood lipids, increase coronary blood flow, and has a strong inhibitory effect on brain monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), a flavin protein closely related to the aging process.