Dragon fruit-Longan fruit- Erkina

Introduction

Longan fruit grows in a tropical tree. It is a member of the soapberry family. Lychee and longan belong to the same family “Sapindaceae”. Scientific name of longan is “Dimocarpus”. It is found in the region of Asia and China. The Longan name originated from a Chinese word which means dragon ball.

Interesting Facts

• The normal height of Longan is about 20 to 30 feet.
• It is normally dark green and shiny in colour.
• It also produces a cluster of flowers which contains–functionality male, functionality female, hermaphroditic(both types of reproductive organs).
• This blooms in alternate seasons when the male flower starts to bloom in the spring season and so on, it helps to prevent self-pollination.
• Fruit is generally oval and round in shape.
• Harvesting of the flower takes place after the spring season that is after pollination.
• The fruit looks like a peeled grape, it is both toxic and pleasant, as well as sweet.
• The fruit can be made as a salad, ice-cream, smoothies, cocktails and syrups.
• It is generally grown in all parts of Asia.
• Fruit is also called dragon fruit because of the transparent fresh and black pupil which looks like a dragon’s eye.
• It can be created as an aid for insomnia and fatigue.

Benefits

Immunity: Vitamin C in the fruit helps to strengthen our immunity power, which means it protects the body from harmful diseases. It also prevents chronic diseases as the fruit contains a good amount of antioxidants. 

Good Digestion: Fibre in the fruit helps to improve the digestion process. It prevents many digestion issues such as constipation, diarrhoea, stomach upset, etc.

Wound Healing: Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory present in the fruit helps in the wound healing as it acts as a medicine for the wound.

Medicine for Insomnia: For those suffering from insomnia, the fruit helps them increase the amount of sleep duration.

Good Memory: The fruit helps to increase our memory and visualization of a person. It is very helpful for children.

Increases Sex Drive: The fruit is considered very helpful in increasing sex drive in both male and female. In ancient times, it was believed that kids born are very healthy.

Prevents from Anxiety: As we all know, anxiety is related to our mental health which is very important for a person to have a good life. The fruit helps in reducing the weight.

Blood Pressure: The fruit helps in regulating blood pressure in our body due to the potassium present in the fruit. It is very helpful for a BP patient.

Skin Health: It helps in good skin health, that is, it helps to decrease the wrinkled or dry look of the skin and give it a healthy and young appearance.

Lychee vs. Longan

• Lychee is acidic whereas longan is tart.
• Lychee trees are denser as compared to longan.
• Both look very similar from the outside but lychee is much bigger than longan.
• Both of them have a similar size/type of seed in the fruit.
• Longan fruits are smooth inside the pulp compared to lychee.

Side Effects

It is said that longan can be a harmful fruit if it is consumed daily as the pulp-like structure can damage your heart function. It can also give a stroke to the person who already has heart disease. It can only happen if we consume it daily otherwise it is good for health. It can be dangerous for diabetics patients as it can give an excess amount of sugar into the body. So diabetics people should also be careful of eating the fruit or can totally avoid it.

Conclusion

Longan is a essential fruit for our daily needs which has many benefits like immunity, good digestion, wound healing, medicine for insomnia, good memory, increases sex drive, prevents from anxiety, can maintain a healthy diet, maintain blood pressure, good skin health, etc. But the fruit has few side-effects. Also, like having a heart stroke, can increase the sugar level which can be dangerous for diabetics patients. Some people can be allergic to the fruit. So these people must be very careful while eating the fruit.