Longan (Lam Yai): the fruit of the evergreen tree, common in China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia. Longan's skin is thin and dense, but in reality it is very easy to peel. The color of the longan varies from brown to yellowish red, the pulp of the fruit is translucent, white or pink. The juicy meat of longan has a sweet, juicy, very aromatic flavor with a distinctive musk flavor. To taste longan it looks like lychee and, in general, these two fruits are very similar. Like Chinese lychees, longan fruit contains solid dark red or black seeds. Longan grows in groups in evergreens, whose height can reach from ten to twenty meters. Harvest season: June-August. Longan grows mainly in the northern regions of Thailand, in the city of Chiang Mai and Lamfun.
The homeland of Longan is the land west of Burma or the Litchi home area in China. It is in these regions that they are grown on a large scale. Longan has another name, "longyan", which in Chinese means "the eye of the dragon". It is believed that the longan was originally grown in South India and on the island of Sri Lanka. The longan is sold as grapes, bunches. The skin of a ripe fruit should be dense, the cracks of the skin are unacceptable. It is considered more mature not the longan that has just been pulled from the tree, but one that has already been a little on the counter of the store. Try longan before buying, because the fruits are sweeter or, conversely, more acidic. Longan can be stored for two or three days at room temperature or for five to seven days in the refrigerator.
Longan contains many vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, as well as large amounts of vitamins A and C. Recent studies of euphoria have shown that the fruit also contains phenols, such as gallic acid, ellagic acid and corylagic acid, indicating that the fruit may have antioxidant properties, reduce the negative effects of chemotherapy and protect the liver. Longan contains riboflavin and is a natural source of polysaccharides, which maintains health at the cellular level. In traditional Chinese medicine, longan is mainly used as a tonic. Toning is mainly necessary for diseases whose symptoms are fatigue, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, pallor and weakening of vision. In addition, the fruit is also used to normalize sleep, reduce unreasonable excitement, calm and revitalize attention.