Longan has many benefits! Can pregnant women eat it? How does it differ from guiyuan? Does eating too much cause internal heat?
Longan is one of our common fruits, and together with lychee, banana and pineapple it is known as one of the four great treasures of South China; it is also produced in Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, China and other places. Longan is not only a fruit but also a traditional Chinese medicine, with a good effect of nourishing and enriching the blood, so can pregnant women eat longan? What are the differences between longan and guiyuan? Does eating too much cause internal heat?
1. A brief introduction to longan
The longan fruit can be eaten raw, or dried in its shell to make dried longan; the latter can be stored all year round and is also the best choice for medicinal use.
The longan tree is a large evergreen tree, 6-10 m tall. Its long oval leaves are alternate, entire, leathery, smooth and hairless, 6-10 cm long and 2-4 cm wide, with a slanted base. It bears small yellow-white flowers, with both male and female flowers, and sets fruit in early autumn. The fruit is round and plump, slightly smaller than a lychee, with a greenish-brown skin and sweet flesh. The peeled flesh is crystal clear and rather milky white, and the stone is red-black, very much like an eyeball, hence the name “longan”.
2. The effects and benefits of longan
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that longan can be used as medicine: its flesh is sweet and warm, and strengthens and nourishes; its stone is astringent and neutral, and stops bleeding by astringing; its leaves are bland and neutral, and release the exterior. It has many effects such as strengthening yang and boosting qi, enriching the blood, tonifying the heart and spleen, nourishing the blood and calming the mind, and moisturising and beautifying the skin, and can treat anaemia, palpitations, insomnia and frequent dreaming, forgetfulness, neurasthenia, weak spleen and qi, and physical weakness after illness or childbirth, among other conditions.
For the effects and benefits of longan, longan flesh can be combined in the following ways in everyday dietary therapy:
1. Longan flesh + ginseng
Longan flesh has the effect of tonifying the heart and spleen and nourishing the blood and calming the mind; ginseng can greatly tonify original qi and calm the mind and boost intelligence. Eaten together, they strengthen original qi, tonify the heart and nourish the spleen, and calm the mind and boost intelligence, and can be used for palpitations and severe anxiety, insomnia and forgetfulness, and weak spleen and qi caused by excessive thinking and harm to the heart and spleen.
2. Longan flesh + goji berries
Longan flesh has the effect of tonifying the heart and spleen and nourishing the blood and calming the mind, while goji berries nourish the yin of the liver and kidneys. Used together, the two medicines strengthen the effect of nourishing yin and blood, and are used for palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia, restlessness, dizziness, fatigue and weakness, and soreness and weakness of the lower back and legs caused by old age and weakness or lack of nourishment after illness.
3. Longan flesh + Java brucea fruit
Longan flesh has the effect of nourishing the blood and benefiting the spleen, while Java brucea fruit can cool the blood, remove toxins and stop dysentery. Used together, the two medicines can reduce the irritation of Java brucea fruit on the gastrointestinal tract and lessen adverse reactions such as nausea and vomiting and chest tightness and abdominal pain, and are suitable for heat-toxin dysentery.
4. Longan flesh + lily bulb
Longan flesh can nourish the blood and calm the mind, while lily bulb can clear the heart and calm the mind. Used together, the two medicines can strengthen the effect of calming the heart and soothing the mind, and are suitable for insomnia and frequent dreaming, and palpitations and severe anxiety.
5. Longan flesh + angelica
Longan flesh can tonify the heart and spleen and nourish the blood and calm the mind, while angelica can enrich the blood and invigorate it, and regulate menstruation and relieve pain. Used together, the two medicines strengthen the effect of nourishing and invigorating the blood and nourishing the heart and calming the mind, and can be used for insomnia, forgetfulness and frequent dreaming, palpitations and severe anxiety, and dizziness caused by blood deficiency.
6. Longan flesh + thinleaf milkwort root
Longan flesh can tonify the heart and spleen and nourish the blood and calm the mind, while thinleaf milkwort root can connect the heart and kidneys and calm the mind and boost intelligence; used together, the two medicines can strengthen the effect of nourishing the heart and calming the mind and boosting intelligence, and can be used for insomnia and frequent dreaming, forgetfulness and so on.
In everyday life, we can, according to our own needs, simmer longan flesh, goji berries, red dates, codonopsis, lily bulb, astragalus, lotus seeds and the like in suitable amounts with chicken to make a soup; it can tonify the heart and spleen and nourish the blood and calm the mind, and has a certain improving effect on insomnia, frequent dreaming and forgetfulness caused by blood deficiency, yin deficiency and so on.
3. Can pregnant women eat longan?
Pregnant women had best not eat longan during pregnancy, because longan is pungent and warm and reinforces yang, and after eating it pregnant women are prone to stirring the blood and disturbing the foetus; they should eat some cool, nourishing medicines, whereas guiyuan is warm in nature, and eating too much very easily causes internal heat, and over time easily causes abdominal pain, spotting and other symptoms.
Experts remind: even foods that are too cold or too warm will not harm pregnant women as long as they are not eaten in large amounts, for example eating only 2 longans each time.
4. When can pregnant women eat longan?
Hospital doctors point out that when the following situations occur during or after childbirth, pregnant women may consider eating longan:
Situation one in which pregnant women can eat longan: if a pregnant woman has symptoms of blood deficiency and qi collapse such as dizziness and blurred vision and breaking out in weak sweat, drinking a bowl of longan soup at this time can relieve the dizziness and has a good effect of boosting qi and nourishing the blood; if a pregnant woman has slight oedema, regularly drinking longan soup can effectively relieve the oedema.
Situation two in which pregnant women can eat longan: pregnant women consume a great deal of physical strength during childbirth, and pregnant women with a weak constitution often experience weakness and powerlessness in the hands and feet during labour. At this time, drinking longan soup, made mainly with longan plus red dates, brown sugar and ginger, simmered in water, has certain benefits for increasing physical strength, stabilising the mood, relieving dizziness and helping with childbirth.
5. Does eating too much longan cause internal heat?
Here the editor tells you from personal experience that eating too much longan does cause internal heat, so everyone must not be greedy; although longan has many benefits for the body, eating it in excess may cause adverse symptoms such as nosebleeds and mouth ulcers, because longan is a damp-heat food, and eating a lot easily stagnates qi and easily causes internal heat. So when eating longan you must control the amount, and about 15 a day is best.
6. The difference between longan and guiyuan
Many people also call longan guiyuan, but there is in fact a difference between them.
1. Longan refers to the fresh fruit.
2. After longan is dried in its shell with the stone, it is called dried longan or longan flesh.
3. If it is shelled and stoned, leaving only the flesh, after drying it is called guiyuan.
So guiyuan and longan are in fact the same thing. In addition, the health-care and medicinal value of longan is far lower than that of guiyuan, and it is not easy to store, so it can only be eaten in the season when longan is abundant; guiyuan, on the other hand, is available regardless of season, can be eaten in many ways, and can be used both in dishes and combined with medicinal herbs for health care, and its efficacy is also very strong.
After learning some basic facts about longan, the editor reminds you to eat longan or guiyuan sensibly according to your own physical condition; fresh longan must not be eaten in excess, and especially pregnant women must not be greedy and cause internal heat, which would be bad!