What Is the Difference Between Longan and Guiyuan? A Full Guide to Their Benefits, Effects and Dietary Cautions

Longan is a tropical fruit with extremely high nutritional value; its flesh is tender, white and translucent, and its flavor is sweet, making it very popular with the public. It can be eaten not only as an everyday fruit but also used as medicine. So what is the difference between longan and guiyuan? What are their benefits and effects? What are the dietary cautions?

I. The difference between longan and guiyuan

Longan is also called guiyuan; longan is the scientific name of guiyuan, and the two are essentially the same. The difference is that guiyuan is obtained by drying longan.

1. The taste is different

Although longan and guiyuan come from the same fruit, their taste is completely different. Longan is a fruit; its skin is soft and somewhat resilient, and its flesh tastes a bit like lychee, being full of juice and plump. Guiyuan, by contrast, is made by drying longan and is a dried product; its skin is crisp and crumbles at a pinch, and its flesh has a very low moisture content.

2. The benefits are different

Longan is rich in vitamins and is generally eaten directly; eaten in moderation it can beautify the skin and nourish the complexion. Guiyuan is generally not eaten directly; it is mostly used to make soup, or steeped in water with other medicinal ingredients such as red dates and goji berries, and it can tonify qi and nourish blood, prevent disease and warm the uterus, making it a very common and effective health product. The medicinal value of guiyuan is far higher than that of longan.

3. Storage is different

As a fruit, longan is not easy to store, and it can only be conveniently bought in the market during the longan season. Guiyuan, however, can be stored for a long time in a dry, ventilated environment and can be conveniently bought in the market all year round; it can be used as medicine, cooked in soup as an ingredient, or eaten as an everyday snack.

II. The benefits and effects of longan

1. Tonifies qi and nourishes blood

Guiyuan is rich in glucose, sucrose, iron and other trace elements, and has the effect of promoting the regeneration of hemoglobin, providing the body with abundant nutrition and energy. In addition, it is beneficial to brain cells: it can not only enhance memory, but the intake of fructose can also relieve some feelings of fatigue.

2. Calms the fetus

Guiyuan is rich in vitamins and iron, which is very beneficial for pregnant women; it can to a certain extent alleviate discomfort such as uterine contractions and a feeling of heaviness during pregnancy, and it can also speed up metabolism, which is also good for the development of the fetus.

3. Inhibits cancer cells

Clinical trials have shown that guiyuan has an inhibition rate of more than 90% against certain specific tumors, and to a certain extent it has an inhibitory effect on cancer cells.

4. Lowers blood lipids

Guiyuan flesh can increase coronary blood flow and has the effect of preventing coronary arteriosclerosis; taken in moderation it can also lower blood lipids. In addition, guiyuan flesh can inhibit flavoprotein and is a natural antioxidant, with a certain anti-aging effect.

III. Dietary cautions for longan

1. Not suitable for eating in early pregnancy

In the early stages of pregnancy, a pregnant woman's bodily functions are relatively weak in various respects, and other allergic reactions may occur; therefore longan is not suitable for eating in early pregnancy, so as to avoid causing adverse symptoms such as diarrhea.

2. Not suitable for people with diabetes

Whether longan or guiyuan, both contain large amounts of glucose, sucrose and other fruit sugars; after consumption they raise the blood sugar concentration in the blood, aggravating diabetes symptoms and in severe cases potentially endangering life.

3. Not suitable for people with a hot constitution

Eating too much longan easily causes internal heat, so it is not suitable for people with a hot constitution; it may cause or worsen adverse symptoms such as mouth and tongue sores, nosebleeds and dry stools.

4. Not suitable for people with inflammatory symptoms or phlegm in the spleen and lungs

Longan is a damp-heat food; eating too much easily causes internal heat and can also lead to indigestion and qi stagnation. People with phlegm in the spleen and lungs may worsen their condition after eating it, and it may even trigger asthma.