Longan (long yan, long yan rou)

Longan (long yan, long yan rou)

Longan, also named as Arillus Euphoriae Longanae in pharmaceutical, is commonly grown in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Szechuan provinces, Philippines, Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. It is a tree 30 to 40 feet high, resembling the litchi in habit and appearance. The leaves are compound, with two to five pairs of elliptic to lanceolate, glabrous, glossy, light green leaflets. The flowers are borne in terminal and axillary panicles, and are small and unattractive. The fruit is round, an inch or less in diameter, light brown in color, with a thin shell-like outer covering, and white flesh (aril) similar in character to that of the litchi but less sprightly in flavor. The single seed is dark brown and shining.

The fruit, which is naturally brown, is generally artificially changed to a chrome-yellow. It is eaten fresh, canned, or dried. In the last condition one can obtain it at the Chinese New Year time in the most northern cities of the Empire. There are several varieties of longans, differing in size of fruit, productivity, and size of kernel. Their northern limit of growing seems to be, like that of the litchi, the region around Foochow

Longan contains several vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, and large amounts of vitamins A and C. In traditional Chinese medicine, longan is considered to have a sweet taste and warm energy, and is associated with the Heart and Spleen meridians. It is used to relieve rapid heartbeat, insomnia, forgetfulness and anxiety associated with blood and qi deficiency. Combined with other herbs such as ganoderma and spirit poria, longan promotes tranquility and calms the spirit. It also increases physical stamina.

Longan is considered a safe herb. The American Herbal Products Association has given longan fruit a class one rating, meaning it can be consumed safely when used appropriately; however, eating excessive amounts of longan may cause indigestion.

Due to its sweet and aromatic taste, longan is not only eaten fresh, but also is widely used for cooking and making juice. Fresh longan is commonly used to make dessert such as pudding, fruit pie, mix fruit cocktail and etc. And dried longan is always added into cooking or soup to make them taste sweeter and more aromatic. You can also just boil dried longan and drink the juice.
 

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