Longan fruit also known as dragon’s eye, is a nutrient dense fruit belongs to Soapberry family, which is native to South Asia and has been traditionally used for various medicinal purposes.

Difference between longan fruit, lychee and rambutan

• Longan, lychee and rambutan belong to same fruit family but they are different fruits and the differences are well observed when these three fruits are removed from their outer skin
• The outer skin of longan is yellow in colour, whereas lychee has red coloured outer skin and rambutan has bright orange coloured outer skin with spikes
• Rambutan is considered as the sweetest fruit among the three. Lychee is comparatively less sweeter than rambutan, whereas longan is little bit tart

Nutritional profile

• It contains lesser amount of carbohydrate
• It contains dietary fibre as well
• It also contains proteins but does not contain enough fat
• It contains significant amount of moisture
• It contains various imperative micronutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron and copper
• It is packed with several polyphenolic components as well that exert numerous nutraceutical activities

Biological property                              

Antioxidant activity

• Micronutrient and phytonutrient components of longan exert strong antioxidant activities that help to decrease the concentration of free radicals in body thus protects the body from free radical induced oxidative damages, which ultimately reduces the susceptibility of developing chronic diseases
• It also improves cellular functions thus promotes overall wellbeing

Anti-inflammatory activity

• It contains various important plant compounds named epicatechin, gallic acid and ellagic acid, which are accountable for exhibiting anti-inflammatory activities
• It helps to prevent inflammation by decreasing the synthesis of various pro-inflammatory chemicals in body like histamines, tissue necrosis factor and nitric oxide, which are responsible for triggering inflammation

Anti-carcinogenic activity

• Polyphenolic components of longan exert strong anti-carcinogenic activities that significantly lower the risk of developing cancers
• It helps to reduce oxidative stress that also decreases the prevalence of cancers
• It also helps to hinder the growth of cancerous cells in body

Aphrodisiac activity

• In traditional Chinese medicine, longan fruit has been extensively used for improving sexual desire in both genders
• Its consumption significantly improves libido

Neuroprotective activity

• Its consumption is extremely helpful for improving the health and functionality of nervous system
• Its consumption is closely related with maintaining a healthy electrolyte balance in body and proper electrolyte balance is essentially required for maintaining normal functioning of nervous system. It has seen that all electrical signals of body, which are required for every action, generally passed through electrolytes

Health benefits

Role on immunity

• Longan contains significant amount of Vitamin C, which play vital role in strengthening immune system. Vitamin C found in longan helps in stimulating the production of WBC, which ultimately helps the body to fight against infections
• Its antioxidant activity is also accountable for protecting immune cells from oxidative damages hence promotes their functionality as a result enhances body’s resistance power
• Its consumption helps to decrease the susceptibility of developing chronic diseases

Role on digestive health

• Consumption of fresh as well as dried longan is extremely beneficial for digestive health as they both contain desirable amount of fibre
• It helps to prevent constipation
• It is also associated with improving the health of intestinal beneficial microbes thus helps in improving overall gut health
• It helps to improve colonic health as well

• It also helps to prevent diarrhoea, stomach cramping, bloating and abdominal discomfort

Role on mental health

• Consumption of longan helps to provide a boost to the mental health
• It is closely related with improving mood
• It has seen that in traditional Chinese medicine longan tea is widely used as an important remedial action for anxiety
• It is associated with supporting cognitive functions as well
• It also helps to enhance memory as well as learning ability by enhancing the survival rate of immature neuron

Role on energy level

• It helps to boost up the metabolism thus plays significant role in improving the energy level of the body
• It is also associated with preventing dizziness or general weakness

Role on vision

• It plays imperative role in improving vision
• It also helps to protect the eye from free radical induced oxidative damages thus lowers the risk of developing eye disorders
• It is very effective for decreasing the susceptibility of age related macular degeneration

Role on skin

• Longan is loaded with antioxidant thus its consumption is thought to be very effective for improving skin health as it helps to protect the skin from oxidative damages, which ultimately lowers the risk of developing dermal disorders

• Vitamin C present in longan helps in stimulating collagen synthesis that helps to improve skin elasticity
• It also enhances skin glow
• It helps to provide the skin a younger look as well

Therapeutic uses

It is widely used for various therapeutic purposes, like –

• It has been traditionally used as an imperative remedial action for hypertension. Potassium present in longan helps in decreasing elevated blood pressure
• It helps to prevent insomnia as well
• It helps to promote circulation and all the credit goes to its iron content. Iron present in longan helps in the production of hemoglobin and it also helps in maturing RBC, which ultimately helps to reduce the risk of developing anemia
• It helps in weight management as well. It has seen that its consumption is related with suppressing appetite as its fibre content helps to provide a feeling of stomach fullness thus decreases over eating, which ultimately facilitates weight reduction. On the other hand it does not provide enough calories on its oxidation thus its consumption does not increase the risk of gaining weight
• It is also associated with accelerating wound healing process. Its Vitamin C content is accountable for synthesizing collagen, an important part of connective tissue, which helps to repair the damages of cells and tissues

• It has seen that the extract of longan seed has been traditionally used in Vietnam for treating snakebite as it contains saponin, which plays vital role in absorbing venom

Culinary uses

• Fresh longan can be consumed alone
• Dried or canned longan can also be consumed and they can be utilized as flavoring agent as well
• It can be consumed with salads
• It can also be consumed with mint or citrus fruits
• It can be used for preparing smoothie as well
• Dried longan can also be cooked with oatmeal
• Canned longan can be added to curries
• It can be used for preparing tea
• It can be also used for preparing jam and jellies
• It can be consumed with soup as well
• It can also be used for preparing pudding and various desserts

General consideration of using longan fruit

• It is better to choose ripe longan for consumption
• It is better to purchase those longans, which have deep tan colour and while purchasing make sure that longan should not be bruised
• Fresh longan should be kept in refrigerator for preventing its spoilage and it can be stored there for about two weeks

Risk factors

• Excessive consumption of longan may develop various gastrointestinal disorders
• It is better for pregnant women to consult with health experts before including it in their diet

Huang, G.J., Wang, B.S., Lin, W.C., Huang, S.S., Lee, C.Y., Yen, M.T. and Huang, M.H., 2012. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) pericarp. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012.

Jiang, Y., Joyce, D. and Lin, H., 2011. Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.). In Postharvest biology and technology of tropical and subtropical fruits (pp. 408-425e). Woodhead Publishing.

Lal, N., Sahu, N., Jayswal, D.K., Diwan, G. and Tandon, K., 2020. Traditional, medicinal and nutraceutical values of minor fruit: Longan. Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 39, pp.59-70.

Shahrajabian, M.H., Sun, W. and Cheng, Q., 2019. Modern pharmacological actions of longan fruits and their usages in traditional herbal remedies. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies, 7(4), pp.179-185.

Zhang, X., Guo, S., Ho, C.T. and Bai, N., 2020. Phytochemical constituents and biological activities of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) fruit: a review. Food Science and Human Wellness, 9(2), pp.95-102.