Authors: Liang Jianhua, Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University.

Longan, also called longan. Produced in Guangdong and Guangxi, it matured in June and August and went on the market in large quantities. The ancients highly praised the nutritional value of longan. As early as the Han Dynasty, longan was used as medicine. Bielu of Famous Doctors called it "puzzle" and said its function was to nourish the heart and puzzle. Has the effects of nourishing body, tranquilizing mind, nourishing blood, strengthening yang, invigorating spleen, stimulating appetite, moistening skin and caring skin. Longan has a high sugar content and contains glucose that can be directly absorbed by the human body. Weakness, anemia, old age and infirmity, long illness, eating longan often is very beneficial. Longan is also an important tonic food for women after childbirth. Longan has the effects of benefiting qi and nourishing blood, strengthening the spleen and nourishing the heart, so it is called "the god of fruit". Therefore, litchi, banana and pineapple are collectively called the four precious fruits in southern China.

Li Shizhen once said in Compendium of Materia Medica: "Litchi is the most expensive food, and it is good for longan after nourishing. Longan is hot and flat." Longan can warm and tonify, but it is weaker than litchi, so it is a rare fruit tonic, which can tonify yang for men, qi and blood for women, intelligence for children and food for the elderly.

In addition to delicious taste, longan has high medicinal value and has been regarded as a precious tonic since ancient times. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "southern longan and northern ginseng", and its nourishing effect is obvious. A small longan contains three kinds of Chinese herbal medicines-longan pulp, longan shell and longan seed.

Longan meat is longan, which is also called "dried longan" in Guangdong. Longan meat, whether fresh or dry, is a good medicinal material for blind tonic, but the dry product is more powerful.

1, tonifying blood and benefiting qi

Longan is sweet and warm, and spleen is the foundation of the day after tomorrow. Longan stone is rich in glucose and iron, which is easily digested and absorbed by human body. Iron can promote the synthesis of human hemoglobin, relieve the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia and improve yellow complexion. Therefore, it can be used to treat fatigue, dizziness, spontaneous sweating due to deficiency of qi and blood, pale or sallow complexion, old and weak, chronic diseases, etc. Deficiency of both qi and blood in postpartum women. In daily life, you can occasionally use longan pulp, ginger and jujube instead of tea to make soup or decoction, which has a good effect of invigorating qi and nourishing blood and can also prevent postpartum depression.

2, nourishing the heart and improving intelligence

Longan is rich in potassium, iron and other elements, which can nourish nerve and brain tissue, thus regulating the function of cerebral cortex, and has obvious curative effect on palpitation, dizziness, insomnia, neurasthenia, amnesia and memory loss caused by tension, anemia or excessive thinking. Good for the heart and nourishing the body. Longan meat is good at nourishing the heart and strengthening the spleen, and can be used to treat anorexia, fatigue, insomnia, forgetfulness, palpitation, weakness of temper, hematochezia, metrorrhagia, etc. caused by overthinking and strain of the spleen (such as exams and overtime work). Longan meat with lotus seeds has a better effect of nourishing the heart and spleen, which is very suitable as a health soup for strengthening the spleen and nourishing the heart in long summer.

3. beauty beauty

Longan stone contains a natural substance similar to collagen, which can be quickly absorbed and utilized by skin cells after being ingested by human body, and this substance can increase skin elasticity and play an anti-aging role after being absorbed and utilized by skin cells.

Longan nucleus is discarded most of the time, but actually Longan nucleus is also a kind of Chinese herbal medicine that can be used blindly. Longan is flat in nature and bitter in taste, and enters liver, spleen and bladder meridian. It has many functions, such as activating qi, dispersing stagnation, stopping bleeding, relieving pain, stopping diarrhea, removing dampness and so on. Can be used for hernia, lymphoid tuberculosis, traumatic hemorrhage, pain, diarrhea, bromhidrosis, scabies, etc. Using oranges, lychees, longan, mangoes and cherry seeds to crush, wash and boil water instead of drinking has a good health care function.

Longan peel is used as traditional Chinese medicine after drying. Longan shell is warm and sweet, belonging to lung meridian, and has the effects of expelling pathogenic wind, healing sores and promoting granulation. This kind of peel, which is easily thrown away as garbage in the neighborhood, can be used to recuperate dizziness and urticaria caused by wind evil and prevent senile hearing loss. Calcined and ground into powder for external use, suitable for burns and long-term ulceration.

1, look at the peel

Generally clean and tidy, khaki without spots. You can't eat moldy ones.

2, touch hardness

Normal fruit is full and hard. Sufficient moisture, not dry. Neither soft nor hard skin is very fresh.

Longan lotus lily porridge

Materials: 20g lily, lotus seed 15g, longan 15g, glutinous rice 100g (this is for 2-3 people).

Practice: Wash and soak lotus seeds and glutinous rice for half an hour, then add lily, longan and appropriate amount of water to stew. If you like sweets, you can add some brown sugar. )

Efficacy: This porridge can clear away heat and nourish yin, warm and tonify yang, and strengthen the spleen and stomach.

1, longan food is warm, and eating too much is prone to symptoms such as getting angry, so people with yin deficiency and fire are not suitable for eating too much. Generally, it is advisable to eat less than five fresh longan seeds every day.

2, although longan meat has a nourishing effect, it is easy to help wet, so people with phlegm, aphtha, urethritis, pelvic inflammatory disease and damp heat should also eat less.

3. Longan meat is a high-sugar and high-calorie food, and people with diabetes and obesity should not eat more.

Reviewer: Wang Ruolun, chief pharmacist of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University.

Wechat official account: PSMChina is a non-profit organization jointly sponsored by China OTC Pharmaceutical Association, Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Chinese Medical Doctor Association, which pools resources and forces to promote public medication safety.