Is longan a hot-natured or cool-natured food? A detailed explanation of longan's properties

Longan, also known as guiyuan, yizhi and other names, is the fruit of the longan, an evergreen tree of the genus Dimocarpus in the family Sapindaceae. Its nutritional value is very high, and it is rich in vitamins, fruit acids, minerals and other nutrients. It can not only supplement the nutrients the human body needs, but also promote human health and aid digestion. Now let us take a look together at whether longan is hot-natured or cool-natured!

Is longan hot-natured or cool-natured?

Longan is a warm fruit, but it leans toward being hot-natured. If someone has spleen deficiency along with severe anemia and a poor complexion, it is recommended that they eat more longan. However, people with a hot body constitution should not eat large amounts of it; after eating it, people with a hot body constitution easily develop constipation or symptoms such as a dry mouth and dry tongue. In addition, people with phlegm-dampness in the body and heat-related illnesses such as colds, fever, and cough with phlegm should not eat it, and pregnant women especially must not eat it. This is because pregnant women usually have yin deficiency and are prone to internal heat, showing symptoms such as dry stool, yellow urine, and dry mouth. At this time, eating longan not only fails to provide a nourishing effect, but instead increases internal heat and may trigger spotting, abdominal pain, abdominal distension and other symptoms of threatened miscarriage.

Is longan acidic or alkaline?

Longan is an acidic fruit. The acidity or alkalinity of food is classified according to the characteristics of the food. In fact, the standard used in nutrition science to classify foods as acidic or alkaline is not based on the taste of the food, but on the acidity or alkalinity of the final metabolic products after the food is broken down in the human body. Anything whose final metabolic products after being broken down in the body are acidic is called an acidic food, and the opposite is an alkaline food. Nutritionists believe that fish, meat, poultry, eggs, rice, flour, oils and fats, and sugars are all acidic foods, while vegetables, fruits, soy products, and milk are all alkaline foods.

Which groups of people cannot eat longan?

1. Longan is a damp-heat food, and eating too much can easily cause qi stagnation. It should not be eaten when there are symptoms of excess internal heat or inflammation.

2. People with phlegm-fire internally or yin deficiency with hyperactive fire, as well as those with dampness stagnation and retained fluids, should avoid eating it.

3. It should be avoided when there is a thick and greasy tongue coating, qi blockage and fullness and distension, slippery intestines and diarrhea, wind-cold cold, or indigestion.

4. Dried longan contains relatively high natural sugar, so people with diabetes should avoid eating it.

5. People suffering from acne, external carbuncles, cellulitis and boils, pelvic inflammatory disease in women, urethritis, or heavy menstrual flow should avoid eating it.

6. Longan is hot in nature and adds fire, so children and adolescents should also eat less of it.

7. After pregnancy, most women have relatively deficient yin blood, and yin deficiency generates internal heat. To avoid miscarriage, it should be eaten with caution.