Exotic lychee berry and its beneficial properties. Lychee health benefits and harms

19.10.2019

Lychee (Wikipedia even knows about such exotic fruits) is the fruit of an evergreen tree called “Chinese lychee”. This fruit tree growing in the subtropics belongs to the Sapindov family. The lychee tree grows mainly in China, but it can be seen in South America, Africa, Asia, and occasionally in Australia. Lychee reaches a height of 30 meters. Fruits appear on the tree from about May to June.

The lychee fruit (the photo will not let you lie) is a small berry up to 4 cm in diameter, covered with a skin resembling scales with numerous sharp tubercles. The peel of the berry is tough, easily peeled off, revealing a delicate, jelly-like and slightly transparent pulp. It is surprising that under such a “crocodile” skin there is such a delicate fruit. And inside there is a large oval bone, which keeps the shape of the pulp. Lychee has a sour, slightly astringent taste and quite a bit resembles a refined white.

Lychee. How to choose and store

From China, the path is not close. Therefore, lychees are plucked in whole bunches with leaves. The optimum temperature for transportation is not lower than one degree and not higher than six degrees Celsius. Under such conditions, the berries can last up to a month. But at room temperature, they begin to deteriorate after a few days - this can be seen by the color and structure of the skin.

When buying lychee at the market or supermarket, take a close look at the skin. The peel of a ripe berry is red, and a slightly overripe or stale one is brown. The peel should be whole, of medium hardness, without rotten parts, cracks.

It is better to eat lychees right away, since after 4-5 days they already lose some of their properties. They are stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of less than 5-7 degrees. Look on the label when the bunch was picked or transported - from this date we store the berry for no more than a month in the refrigerator.

Lychee. How is a berry eaten?

Lychees are used in different ways in cooking.

You can eat lychees fresh - wash, peel the skin, if you wish, take out the bone, put it in your mouth and enjoy the sweet and sour taste.
You can add it to ready-made or homemade ice cream, curd mass or yogurt, after cutting the berries.
Do you like to bake? Instead of apples or plums, add lychee to the pie - the taste will surprise you. Fortunately, the prices for this exotic product do not bite.
Boil jams, lychee marmalades, jellies and mousses.
Lychee is a fruit, but it is not only suitable for sweet dishes. It can be served with fish and meat, pate and chicken. Yes, in salads, he will not be superfluous.

Lychee Ice Cream Recipe

Squeeze the juice from five medium-sized lemons and mix with a kilogram of lychee. First, the berries must be peeled, cut and pitted. Add half a liter of juice to the mass.

Pre-soaked gelatin (you will find instructions on the gelatin package) is filtered and a quarter of a kilogram of sugar and a little lemon juice... All this is poured into lychees, the mass is mixed, laid out in molds or in a container and left in the freezer for several hours.

Delicious-tasting sherbet ice cream is ready. Enjoy.

The composition and useful properties of lychee

In China, lychees were used in medicine as early as the 2nd century BC. And the Chinese, oh, how they are watching over their health. Judge for yourself, one berry weighing about 20 grams contains potassium, manganese, fluorine, phosphorus, sodium, iodine, calcium, zinc, chlorine, iron, magnesium, sulfur, copper. What kind of fruit or berry do you know that contains so many elements of the periodic table? And no medicine is needed. Lychee also contains vitamins C and H, K and E, PP and group B.

The berry is medium sweet, it can contain from 5-6 to 13-14% sugar. It depends on where the lychee grows and on the type of tree. The calorie content of one fruit is not more than 66 kcal, it contains vegetable, carbohydrates and proteins.

Such a rich content of useful properties in lychee has a beneficial effect on the general health of a person, no matter how pretentious it sounds.

, of which there are a lot in lychee, fights viral infections,.
Potassium is indispensable for cores, for those who have high levels of potassium in their vessels.
Vitamin PP is a means of combating atherosclerosis.

The combination of other microelements also successfully copes with diseases of the kidneys, lungs, liver, stomach and intestinal colic, normalizes blood sugar levels and the activity of the pancreas (you need to eat 10 berries per day).

Lychee contains oligonol, which is. If you take some other herbs with lychee, you can treat cancer or at least slow down the development of this scourge.

Hindus appreciate lychee for strengthening masculine strength, so they eat it regularly. Do you want to know what else this valuable product is useful for? Please!

It relieves thirst as it contains a lot of water. Although the advantage is rather controversial - you can just drink water ...
A few ripe berries eaten before lunch will saturate your body a little, and you do not eat too much at the table.
Treats constipation.
Bronchitis, tuberculosis, asthma are also subject to the action of lychee.
Relieves stress.
Stimulates brain activity.
Treats anemia.
Lychee is filling, so it helps to lose weight or keep it normal. Naturally when used correctly.
Pediatricians will agree that lychee is useful for children as a means of helping to form a skeleton, strengthen teeth and bones.

Having eaten the pulp, do not throw away the peel and bones. Having boiled the peel, we get a remedy that removes excess water from the body. The same broth is a tonic and tonic drink. We dry the seeds, grind them and drink a decoction from them in case of intestinal problems, pain of various kinds, with orchitis, myositis and neuralgia.

Who shouldn't eat lychee?

Lychee is not able to harm anyone. Perhaps for those who are allergic to this exotic fruit. And nutritionists do not advise eating more than one hundred grams of berries per day. Oversaturation threatens with bloating and gas formation.

Can lychees be grown at home?

Lychee is a subtropical culture and it will be difficult to grow it here. And is it necessary, given the growth of the tree. Remember, it can reach 20 or even 30 meters in height!

For those who want to try their hand at breeding and cultivation, the following information will be useful.

For lychees, it is worth creating a dry climate, like in the subtropics. If the air is humid, lychee may not produce fruit.
You can grow lychees vegetatively or from seedlings.
You can wait for fruits already in the sixth year with vegetative propagation or in the 10th year, if grown from seeds.

For the sake of experiment, you can try to grow a decorative lychee at home on a windowsill from a bone - you didn't throw it away when you ate the pulp?

Moisten the cloth and wrap the washed bone in it. Put in a warm place for a week or two. Do not forget to moisten the cloth.
The stone can be planted in the ground when it swells a little. The top layer of the earth is about 2 cm.
We buy the soil for lychee drained, sourish, generously flavored with fertilizers,
To make the seed sprout hatch faster, you can split it a little.
We pour our bone with water that has settled for a couple of days room temperature... Do not forget to loosen the ground.
You can fertilize the soil as soon as a sprout appears from it.

Make sure that the ground does not become waterlogged, otherwise the plant will die. As the lychee grows, repot it in a larger pot so that the roots are not cramped. For the first couple of years, the tree can be shaped by pruning.

Whether the tree will bloom and bear fruit is difficult to say. Yet this is an overseas guest, and he has his own character. But if you do not try to grow it, then it will definitely not bear fruit ...

Weakened immunity? Are you overweight and any related problems? Blood pressure rises, signs of vegetative-vascular dystonia are observed, general weakness and loss of strength are felt? All of these problems are eliminated with regular use of lychee. A fruit, the beneficial properties of which were known to Chinese healers in the II century BC. e., is still actively used in oriental medicine.

Fresh lychee fruits appear more and more often in the season on the shelves of our supermarkets. Do not miss out on this healthy and simply delicious product. Why do doctors and nutritionists unanimously recommend including Chinese plums in the daily menu? Let's figure it out together.

Composition

The exotic oriental fruit is especially rich in vitamin PP (nicotinic acid), which is involved in metabolic and restorative processes in the body, supports the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. With a lack of this substance, we are threatened with atherosclerosis and early dementia. In addition, lychee contains vitamins C, K, E and group B. A rather rare combination, we note.

If we talk about mineral salts, then most of all in the Chinese plum of potassium and magnesium, there is also iron, phosphorus, calcium, fluorine, copper and zinc.

The fruit is 80% water, which makes it a dietary product. Despite the high level of carbohydrates and sugars, lychee, even in large quantities, will not harm the figure, at the same time it satisfies hunger and thirst well.

Exotic fruits are also appreciated for the presence of:

dietary fiber;
pectin substances (natural enterosorbents);
organic acids;
antioxidants, among which the most valuable is oligonol, which is used to fight cancer.

Calorie content

Sweet, well-filling after mental or physical exertion, lychee is absolutely not high in calories. 100 g of fruit contains only 65 kcal. This, of course, does not mean that you can eat it in kilograms, otherwise you can provoke an allergic reaction.

Measure is good in everything.

What is useful

Only the pulp of the Chinese plum, peeled and pitted, is used for food. And here an article about how lychees are eaten comes in handy. However, other parts of this unique plant are also used for medicinal purposes.

Fruit

Official medicine recommends lychee as an emollient for coughs. It is also known that due to the high content of oligonol, fruits are a natural immunostimulant, inhibiting any pathological processes occurring in cells, including the formation of cancerous tumors.
Lychee is effective for viral diseases, colds and all sorts of inflammations. It has a general strengthening effect on the body, increasing its resistance to adverse external factors.

Healing fruit from China also helps with problems such as:

intestinal malfunctions, primarily atony and constipation;
gastritis;
metabolic disease;
excess weight;
diabetes;
anemia and anemia;
increased fragility of bones and teeth;
excess cholesterol and vascular blockage;
improper work of the cardiovascular system;
hypertension;
nervous disorders;
chronic fatigue syndrome and decreased performance;
skin rashes of a different nature.

The flavonoids included in lychee have a powerful anti-aging effect. With regular use of the fruit, you can notice how the skin becomes fresher and cleaner, nails and hair are strengthened, you feel cheerful, a surge of strength.

In eastern countries, the Chinese plum is considered a strong aphrodisiac, calling it nothing but "the fruit of love." For example, Indian newlyweds were surely treated to this fruit on their wedding day, believing that then the first wedding night would pass "without a hitch."

To maximize the benefits of lychee for the body, you need to eat it fresh, or squeeze the juice. Dried fruit also practically does not lose its properties. But canned fruits are more of a gourmet delicacy than a really healing product.

Peel

Not only the pulp can be used for your own health. Lychee peel also has beneficial properties.
It is dried and added to herbal teas, shown with neuroses, depressive conditions or decreased tone. A drink from the peel without any additives helps with edema - it removes excess fluid well. They also drink it for intestinal diseases of a bacterial nature, or for sore throat and upper respiratory tract.

The broth can be prepared at home.

Lychee skins are dried outdoors and then ground in a coffee grinder.
1 tbsp. l. raw materials are poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for 10 - 15 minutes.
The resulting drink is filtered. Take 3 times a day for ¼ glass, before meals.

Useful properties of the bone

Chinese plum seeds are considered poisonous and not edible. However, Chinese traditional healers often use seed powder in pain relievers, as well as in the treatment of neuralgia, orchitis, metabolic disorders and indigestion.

The tool is also used against helminths, although its effectiveness has not been scientifically proven.

Lychee seed preparations should only be taken after consulting a doctor.

Lychee extract

Finds application in the cosmetic industry. The extract has moisturizing, protective and strengthening properties.

It is used for cooking:

anti-aging creams and masks
sunscreen cosmetics
milk for makeup remover
lotions for problem skin
regenerating serums, shampoos and balms
styling products

Much less often, black teas of elite varieties are flavored with lychee extract.

At home, you can make masks from the pulp of fresh lychee. They cleanse and whiten the skin well, eliminate fine wrinkles and improve muscle tone, relieving us of age-related changes in the face contour.

Slimming benefits

Chinese plums are included in weight loss diets. The fruit is good because, saturating the body with carbohydrates, it simultaneously speeds up metabolism and prevents body fat.
There is a lot of water in lychee - this helps to cleanse and eliminate toxins that provoke overeating. Fruits are low in calories, but they eliminate hunger for a long time, reducing the amount of food eaten per day.

Of course, lychee is too exotic for us to arrange a mono-diet on it. But it is possible and even necessary to introduce a product into the traditional weight loss menu. It will support the body in a stressful situation that occurs with any restrictions in the usual way of eating.

Product harm: when is it better to give up lychee

Like any fruit that does not grow in our latitudes, which means "not familiar" to the body at the genetic level, the Chinese plum can cause allergies. It is not recommended to give lychee to children under 3 years old, and at an older age it should be offered with caution, several pieces a day. Unripe fruits are especially dangerous for children, they cause poisoning.

The fruit is contraindicated:

with gout
pregnant and lactating women
people with renal failure

Diabetics should consume the fruit in small quantities, as it dramatically lowers blood sugar levels.

Summing up, we can say with confidence that with moderate use, lychee can only bring benefits, and the potential risk will be minimized. The main thing is to choose and store this fruit correctly.

Eat right, know when to stop in everything and be healthy!

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Lychee: calorie content, how to choose, how to store, as it is, health benefits and harms

Lychee: health benefits and harms

Good afternoon, my dear readers! Lychee is a fruit of the sapind family that is not quite familiar to our area, well unknown. It is imported to us mainly from the African Republic, from America and from Asia.

On sale, this fruit can be found under different names, in particular, like Chinese plum, laysi, liji, fox.

The overseas fruit is distinguished by its small size, a bumpy brick color with a dense skin and a juicy sweet pulp that resembles a jelly-like consistency.

Let's see if there is any benefit in lychee fruits, how to use them correctly and where is the best place to store an exotic product.

Lychee: calories

Lychee is a low-calorie overseas fruit. Calorie content in this case will depend on the type (variety) and growing conditions of the fruit. On average, 100 grams of lychee pulp accounts for 65 to 75 Kcal.

Lychee: beneficial properties

Lychee is a product with oriental roots, and therefore, for the most part, it is used in the preparation of various medicinal recipes healers of Asian countries. They recommend consuming 7-10 lychee fruits a day:

To improve immunity;

To lower sugar;

To cleanse the blood from cholesterol plaques;

With diseases of the pancreas and liver;

With constipation;

If the intestines do not work properly;

For the prevention of kidney and lung diseases;

For the treatment of tuberculosis;

Slimming;

For the prevention of heart disease;

For the prevention of atherosclerosis;

To quench your thirst;

For the treatment of cancer;

To improve potency and sex drive.

Lychee fruit: useful properties of the bone

As a rule, lychees are eaten fresh and only the pulp of the product. Few people know that the fruit bone is of particular benefit.

Once in the body, the composition is ground into a powder (it must be mixed with other products), namely in this form you can consume lychee bones, has an analgesic effect, and also helps:

With orchitis;

With intestinal disorders and some other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;

With neuralgia;

With metabolic disorders.

Among other things, from the seeds ground into powder, adding some other ingredients to the powder, Chinese healers prepare tea and decoctions, which are then consumed in medicinal purposes, usually for the prevention of worms and the treatment of diarrhea. However, there is still no evidence and confirmation that these funds really help to cope with these diseases.

Attention! Representatives of traditional medicine claim that in addition to useful properties, lychee seeds also contain poison, which, consumed in large quantities, can lead to serious poisoning. Before using Exotic Fruit Seed Powder, seek professional advice from your doctor.

How to choose a lychee fruit?

1. To choose a tasty and juicy, ripe lychee, you should first carefully examine the fruits. Fruits with a rich red skin are considered good. In this case, there should not be any dark or rotten spots on them. The color should be uniform throughout the fruit.

2. And the second rule, when choosing an exotic product, touch it by touch. Ripe fruits are soft to the touch.

Lychee fruit. Photo. How it grows.

How to store lychee at home?

1. It is not difficult to store lychees at home, in principle, like any other fruit. It is enough to put the food out of the bag on a plate and put it right in the room in the coolest place, that is, not near the stove or electric kettles. That being said, remember that ripe lychees spoil very quickly.

2. If you are going to eat the purchased fruits in 1-2 days, store them in the room.

3. If you purchased products in advance, and you want to serve them to guests in 3-5 days, then put the lychee without a bag in the refrigerator, in a special storage compartment fresh vegetables and fruits.

4. Canned and dried lychees are stored for the longest time, and therefore, if you want to keep the product for several months, just cook it sweet dessert in the form of jam or dry the fruit, after removing the peel from them.

How to clean lychee properly?

What is the right way to eat lychee?

In Asia, lychees are commonly used to make vinegar and wine. Europeans, however, usually add the pulp of this fruit to various drinks and desserts.

Meanwhile, both one and the other eat lychee fresh, but in order to really appreciate the full taste and juiciness of this fruit, it is important to know how to peel it correctly, and this can be done in several ways.

1. Take the fruit, make a small incision in the area of the stalk with a knife, remove the skin from the product by picking it up with a fingernail, cut the pulp in half, remove the bone and eat the fruit.

2. Take one fruit in your hands, give it a little with your fingers in the middle and turn the peel with one hand clockwise, and the other counterclockwise, removing the skin, thus also remove the bone from the pulp and then consume the product. Perform similar procedures with each fruit.

3. Another option for cleaning and consuming lychee is to carefully cut off the shell of the fruit with a sharp knife, then cut the pulp, remove the bone and eat the pulp whole.

Lychee: what does it taste like?

The small oval-shaped fruits of the lychee taste very juicy and resemble a mixture of strawberries and pineapple. It is very refreshing and light taste, which leaves behind an amazing aftertaste.

It is worth noting that well-ripened fruits have such a taste, that is, fruits with a uniform dark red peel.

Attention! If you purchased an unripe or spoiled lychee, you should not eat it. This can provoke poisoning. When buying exotic fruits, always check for foreign brown or any other stains, as well as for softness.

Lychee: contraindications

A large number of people who know about the benefits of lychee believe that this fruit simply cannot be harmful, and in this they are very mistaken.

Video: Lychee: how to clean, as is, useful properties

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Lychee: beneficial properties and harm to health

Long gone are the days when monotonous purchases were sold on store shelves. Nowadays, you can get almost everything, including Exotic fruits... These include lychee, which can bring both benefits and harm to health. FACES USE AND HARM | what are the benefits of lychee, useful properties of lychee calorie content

The second name of the fruit is Chinese plum. Its fruits are ovoid and have a tough, lumpy skin. Inside there is a white or cream-colored pulp, which in its consistency is a bit like jelly.

The taste of lychee is sweetish, but with a slight sourness. It certainly refreshes, invigorates and adds strength. And inside the fruit there is a large bone that is not eaten.

Healthy fruit lychee

It is worth noting that the exotic fruit presented is more than 80% liquid. At the same time, all biologically active elements are ideally balanced with each other.

Interesting: Medicinal properties and contraindications for lingonberry leaf

Nutritionists also note that 100 g of fresh lychee fruits contain:

0.3 g dietary fiber;
0.4 g fat;
0.8 g protein;
16.5 g carbohydrates.

Such a composition, so to speak, is considered optimal for the human body, so if you do not lean on the berries too much, they will not harm your health.

Lychee: why it should be introduced into your diet

The Chinese plum contains quite a lot useful vitamins- thiamine, riboflavin, choline, pyridoxine, folates, ascorbic acid, alpha tocopherol, nicotinic acid and phylloquinone.

This already suggests that lychee has invaluable health benefits, although in some cases it can be harmful. But first, it is still worth focusing on the positive aspects.

So, the Chinese plum is most often used:

in case of malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract;
during metabolic disorders;
for the treatment of obesity and healthy weight loss;
to solve the problem of long-term constipation.

At the same time, the beneficial properties of lychee are used in cosmetology. For example, berry extract is added to creams and lotions in order to improve the condition of dry and sensitive skin, slow down aging and reduce the harmful effects of the environment.

How does lychee grow

Unfortunately, lychees cannot be used in homemade cosmetics. Therefore, you will have to spend a little time to find already finished products.

More about beneficial properties

Lychee is considered dietary product... It is also strongly recommended to introduce it into the diet when a person suffers from:

Anemia and anemia. Indeed, the berries contain a sufficient amount of iron and copper, which are responsible for the production of red blood cells.
Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. And all due to the fact that there is a lot of potassium in the berries. It is he who has a positive effect and strengthens the heart muscle.
Atherosclerosis. Nicotinic acid affects vasodilation and improves blood flow. It is also great for fighting bad cholesterol.
Dyspepsia and liver disease. And all thanks to the fact that after the presented exotic fruits have been eaten, the food is better digested.
Tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma and colds. Since lychee pulp has expectorant properties, it will help to heal from these diseases much faster.
Kidney and urinary tract problems. The improvement in the condition will become much better, as the Chinese plum is secreted for its diuretic effect on the body.
Oncological formations. Doctors say that although lychee is not able to completely cure a patient in the oncological department, after its use, free radicals are neutralized. Due to this, metabolic processes are also improved.
Erectile dysfunction. During the main treatment, a man can start eating lychee to improve his own condition. Indeed, in China there is even a saying about this. It says that the lychee fruit is equal to three torches (and one torch, as you know, supports the fire for at least half an hour).

Peeled fruits

Is it possible to eat Chinese plum for diabetes

Lychee can be beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes, but care should be taken not to harm your health. So there are some details worth paying attention to.

Exotic berries really help keep your blood glucose levels under control. But only if you use them no more than 10 pieces per day. You can only eat fresh fruits, since there is a large amount of granulated sugar in canned lychees.

A few words about prevention

An exotic berry from China is suitable not only for treatment, but also for the prevention of all of the above diseases. You just need to make sure that there are no contraindications and follow simple recommendations.

Lychee contains a large amount of vitamins

Who is it dangerous to eat lychee fruits

Chinese plum should not be given to young children and adolescents under the age of 14. This warning came after a case in India, when babies ate pulp without parental supervision and soon died. Unfortunately, not a single doctor could name the exact cause of death.

People with:

poor diet (malnutrition);
low blood glucose levels;
gout;
allergic to exotic fruits.

In order for lychees to bring only health benefits, and not harm the body, they should not be eaten on an empty stomach. It is also worth making sure that the fruits are ripe and immediately get rid of the seed.

Chinese plum: how not to make a mistake when buying

Buying exotic berry in the store, you should make sure that the peel has a "clean" red or burgundy hue. That is, there should be no green or white blotches. In this case, you should not be afraid of yellowish spots - their presence is considered acceptable.

Green fruits should be immediately put aside - they will no longer ripen and will remain tasteless. By eating them, a person in best case poisoned.

Lychee juice

And a little more about the peel - it is dense, slightly pliable. That is, in the case when it is pressed with force with fingers, it should bend a little. When the peel is dry, it is a sign of a poor quality product. The risk of buying overripe or rotten berries increases.

How to properly clean a Chinese plum

At the very beginning, the fruits are thoroughly washed with cool water. If necessary, you can rub the rind with your fingers to remove dust and dirt. Then you should dry them with a towel and let them lie down for at least half a minute.

If the fruit is ripe, the peel will have a dark red hue, and the "shell" is very hard to the touch. It is enough just to pick it up with a knife from the side of the stalk, so that it is easy to peel the fruit.

Do I need to throw away the peel

After cleaning, the "carapace" is best dried and stored in a separate pouch for medicinal purposes. Doctors from China believe that lychee peel can provide almost the same health benefits as the fruit itself. And this is almost without any risk.

For example, from dried slices, you can make a tincture for a sore throat and to increase the protective functions of the body. To do this, it is enough to pour a spoonful of crusts with 200 ml of boiling water, bring to a "pleasant" temperature and take this drink 2 times a day immediately before meals.

How to peel fruit

In order to avoid the formation of tumors, some experts recommend preparing a decoction from a tablespoon of lychee peel and the same amount of lemongrass leaves. The resulting mixture must be poured with a liter of boiling water, put on fire for 10 minutes, strain and drink 200 ml up to 4 times before eating.

How much fruit eaten per day is considered normal

If we are talking about an adult, then the weight of the lychee should not exceed 300 g. Children with great care can be given 100 g of the product, but it is best to start with a smaller amount.

Thus, lychee will not do any harm - a person can only feel its invaluable health benefits, both physical and mental.

Home storage rules

The health benefits and harms of lychee directly depend on how the fruits are stored after purchase. Indeed, at room temperature, the berries remain fresh and edible for only 3 days.

In the refrigerator or in a cool place at 7 ° C, lychees can be stored from a week to 10 days. But this is only if the outer shell remains completely intact and untouched all this time.

Lychee fruit: photo

Lychee can be eaten raw or added to desserts such as cakes, pancake fillings, jellies or homemade candy. But again, these treats won't last too long. So you don't have to cook many servings in case the dish is not to everyone's taste.

Lychee fruit. Benefit and harm.

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The benefits and harms of lychee fruit for the body

Lychee is one of the tastiest, sweetest and most juicy fruits to be seen alongside mangoes in the markets during the hot, sunny summer season. The lychee fruit is adorable when it grows on trees and is an eye-catcher for many fruit lovers. Lychee is used in many healthy foods, desserts, juices, and ice creams.

A little about the fruit

It is a medium-sized evergreen tree 40-50 feet tall, sometimes reaching up to 100 feet in height. Its oval or round fruit is about 4-5 centimeters long, 3 centimeters in diameter and weighs about 10 grams. The outer coating can be easily removed after the berries are ripe. The fleshy part of the fruit is very juicy and sweet.

The plant belongs to the Sapindaceae family and has the botanical name Lesbian lychee. This tropical fruit is generally cultivated in southern China, which is the birthplace of the lychee. In China, the fruit has a special meaning for people. Much has been written in ancient Chinese texts regarding the importance of lychee. It is now grown in all parts of the world. In America, the plant is widely cultivated in Hawaii, Florida and California.

For cancer prevention

Lychee contains ample amounts of antioxidants and phyto-nutrients like flavonoids (quercetin and kaempferol), vitamin C, polyphenols, and proanthocyanidins. Free radicals are the culprit in oxidative stress that changes the nature of normal cells into cancer cells. These antioxidants neutralize free radicals responsible for cancer and inflammation and prevent degenerative diseases from functioning. The beta-carotene in lychee also fights most cancers. Lychee prevents colon cancer due to the availability of adequate amounts of fiber, pectin and water. This fruit also treats breast, prostate and liver cancers.

Lychee Skin Care

Lychee is delicious fruit which improves the condition of the skin. Its fruits are effective in cleansing the skin, which leads to less acne formation. It is a rich source of vitamin C, and besides, lychee is famous for its large amount of water in its composition, which makes the skin well hydrated. This fruit is also beneficial for the skin due to the content of nutrients such as thiamine, copper and niacin. Thiamine is responsible for the metabolism of fats and proteins. Copper helps the healing process of damaged cells, while niacin moisturizes the skin.

Medicinal use

Lychee contains an important phytochemical called oligonol that has antioxidant and anti-influenza properties. Lychee improves blood flow to organs, is good for the skin, prevents UV rays and also helps in weight loss. Adequate antioxidants and phyto-nutrients like flavonoids (quercetin and kaempferol), vitamin C, polyphenols and proanthocyanidin allow it to fight free radicals that lead to the development of many diseases.

Lychee for a healthy heart

Lychee is a rich source of antioxidants in the form of vitamin C, oligonol, and is the second most polyphenol among fruits. They all lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, thus reducing the likelihood of heart-related problems such as heart attack, stroke and hypertension. As a fibrous fruit, it controls the formation of fat, which is also beneficial for the heart.

The potassium found in lychee is also beneficial for this organ as it tends to regulate the heart rate by balancing electrolytes and maintaining sodium levels. At the same time, copper is effective in making red blood cells. It is recommended to take 1 glass of lychee daily - this will help normalize the heartbeat and prevent all types of cardiovascular diseases.

For strong bones

Lychee is packed with minerals that are good for healthy bones. The presence of phosphorus and magnesium helps to make bones stronger, while copper and manganese reduce the tendency of bones to become brittle. Zinc and copper increase the effectiveness of vitamin D, which is essential for healthy and strong bones.

To improve digestion

Lychee is known for its ability to cleanse the stomach. It helps treat heartburn and burning sensation. Lychee seeds are astringent and are often used to kill intestinal worms. The hairy part of lychee contains a lot of pectin, which removes toxins from the intestines and provides improved colon health. Fiber and pectin increase stool volume and prevent constipation and colon cancer. They stimulate peristalsis, as well as the secretion of gastric juice.

Benefits of lychee juice

Lychee juice also has many health benefits and is used as a medicine. Since this seasonal fruit, you should try to consume its juice during June, July and August. Some of the amazing health benefits of lychee juice are listed below.

Lychee juice has no fat or cholesterol, but is rich in fiber that fills the stomach. Thus, this drink is beneficial for those looking to lose weight.
It acts as an anti-aging agent thanks to its high vitamin C content and sufficient water supply.
Lychee juice helps keep muscles well hydrated and protects the skin from acne, wrinkles, blemishes and more.
Lychee is good for the hair as it has enough vitamin C to circulate blood around the scalp, which helps nourish the hair follicles.
Its juice strengthens the immune system, as vitamin C prevents colds, coughs and flu.
It improves metabolism due to the content of oligonol, vitamin C and sufficient fiber.
The proanthocyanidins from lychee juice have antiviral properties.
Lychee prevents anemia, as the fruit is rich in copper, which is essential for the development of RBC.
Helps fight stress as it contains an abundance of vitamin B6.

Precautionary measures

Lychees can give the following side effects... This fruit contains a sufficient amount of sugar, so patients with diabetes should consume it with caution, as blood sugar imbalances can occur. By its nature, lychee falls into the category of foods that can cause imbalances in the proportions of nutrients in the body. Excessive consumption of lychee can lead to nosebleeds, fever, and sore throat.

Lychee (lat.Litchi chinensis), or litchi chinese Is a plant of the Sapindaceae family, which is also called liji, fox, laysi or Chinese plum. There is documentary evidence that in China this fruit tree was cultivated already in the II century BC, but now it is grown in all countries of Southeast Asia. Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza wrote that the lychee fruit resembles a plum that does not burden the stomach and can be eaten in any quantity, which is why he called this culture the Chinese plum. The lychee was brought to Europe by the French botanist Pierre Sonner from his trip to Southeast Asia and China. It was in the 18th century. How are lychees eaten? These fruits are good in fresh and canned form; ice cream, jelly and other desserts are made from them, as well as traditional Chinese wine. We will tell you how you can grow a lychee from a bone at home, as well as what are the benefits or harms of lychee.

Planting and caring for lychees (in short)

Lighting: daylight hours are approximately 12 hours. You need a bright diffused light from western or eastern windowsills.
Temperature: all year round not lower than 20 ˚C.
Watering: regular, moderate, best watered through a sump.
Top dressing: from the second year of life - 1-2 times a month with a solution of a complex mineral fertilizer in a half dosage or with weak solutions of organic fertilizers.
Cropping: as needed at the start of the growing season.
Reproduction: at home only with seeds (bones).
Pests: aphids, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, scale insects or mealybugs.
Diseases: root rot.
Properties: the fruits of the plant are considered medicinal and are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Lychee fruit - description

Lychee is an evergreen tree with a spreading crown, in natural conditions reaching a height of 10 to 30 m. Its leaves are compound, feathery, consisting of 4-8 lanceolate or elongated ovate leaves with a sharp top. The surface of the leaves is glossy, dark green, and the underside is grayish. Flowers, collected in lush umbrellas up to 70 cm long, do not have petals and consist of a greenish or yellowish calyx. Usually, no more than 15 ovaries develop from the numerous flowers of the inflorescence into fruits, and the rest crumble. Lychee fruits from 2.5 to 4 cm long are clothed in a red rind, covered with numerous sharp tubercles. Inside the fruit, there is a light, jelly-like, sweet pulp that easily comes off the peel and has a barely perceptible wine flavor. In the middle of the fruit is an oval, dark brown seed. In the tropics, lychee fruits ripen in May or June.

Growing lychee from a bone

How to grow lychee at home

In our latitudes, lychee is an outlandish plant, therefore it is difficult to acquire its seedlings in the garden pavilion. But you can try to grow a tree from a bone on your windowsill. To do this, you need to buy ripe (with a strong aroma, in a red peel and with a juicy translucent pulp) lychee fruits, separate the seed from the pulp, wrap the seed with a damp cloth or gauze and keep it in it for a week, keeping the wrapper moist.

Photo: A branch of a lychee tree with berries

The swollen seed is freed from the tissue and planted in a pot with drainage holes, on the bottom of which a layer of expanded clay is first laid, and then a flower soil. The seed is planted at a depth of 2 cm. Planting multiple seeds will increase your chances of success. After planting, the soil in the pot is watered with cold water. The seed is germinated at a temperature of 25-30 ºC, while the soil should be slightly damp all the time. Sprouts can be expected to appear in 1-4 weeks, but they may appear later.

As soon as the first reddish lychee leaves unfold, the pot is placed on a well-lit windowsill, covering the plant from direct sunlight, and at the stage of development of 4-5 true leaves, the seedlings are transplanted into a large container. Keep in mind that a lychee needs 12 hours of daylight for normal development. As for the air temperature in the room, even in winter it should be at least 20 ºC.

Lychee care at home

Watering lychee

Lychee is a moisture-loving tropical plant, so seedlings are sprayed twice a day with boiled or filtered water from a spray bottle. Watering the substrate should be regular but moderate. To moisten the substrate, water at room temperature passed through a filter or settled for two days is also used. It is most convenient to moisten the soil in the pot by adding water to the pan. Develop such a watering regime so that the plant does not suffer from either a lack or an excess of moisture in the roots, and maintain high humidity in the room all the time.

Top dressing lychee

The first time the substrate in a pot with lychee is fertilized three months after germination, and then no fertilizing is applied until the plant is at least a year old. From the second year of life, lychees are fed 1-2 times a month with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers in moderate concentration. The plant also responds well to organic fertilizing in the form of a mullein solution (1:15). Fertilizers applied to the substrate contribute to the formation of buds and stimulate the plant to bear fruit.

Pruning lychee

Lychee grows slowly, so it does not need frequent pruning. You will only need to form the crown of the tree in the first two years of life, and then maintain its shape by shortening too long shoots. Even if the tree does not bear fruit, do not be upset: after all, not every amateur grower has such an attractive exotic plant in his house.

Lychee pests and diseases

Lychee diseases

Lychee at home is rarely affected by disease. Trouble with the plant can arise as a result of insufficient or improper care. For example, due to excessive watering, the roots of the plant can rot, and if there is insufficient moisture, the lychee will begin to wither and wither. Follow our recommendations, and your tree will never hurt.

Photo: Litchi branch with berries

Lychee pests

Lychee is also resistant to pests, but if aphids, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, scale insects or mealybugs start on any indoor plants, they can also get over to lychees. Therefore, regularly inspect your plant collection and at the first symptoms of infection with one or another pest, take action immediately: treat the occupied plant with a solution of an insecticidal or acaricidal preparation prepared in accordance with the instructions.

Types and varieties of lychee

Breeders have bred many varieties and hybrids of lychee, but this crop is widely grown only in Asia. The most famous plant cultivars are:

Green dangling- a tree with light green leaves, on the fruits of which a green stripe is barely visible. The fruits do not lose their freshness and taste even three days after peeling them off;
Sticky rice balls - the fruits of this variety have a dense and sweet pulp with the taste of honey, they have a red peel without tubercles, and the seed is much smaller than that of the fruits of other varieties, or there is none at all;
Sweet osmanthus- a variety with sweet fruits that smell like osmanthus, with a bright red and very bumpy skin;
Green Yatu- in this variety, the peel of the fruit is covered with a dark green speck;
Black leaf- an early ripe variety with fleshy fruits, the skin of which gives off a juice similar to red ink;
May red- the earliest variety, the harvest of which is harvested in May;
Concubine smile- the oldest early ripening variety. The fruits and rind of the plant produce red sap.

In the photo: Lychee berries are a healthy fruit

An overview of the exotic lychee fruit: what kind of fruit is it, where it grows and when it is harvested, how to eat it, taste, beneficial properties, calorie content, chemical composition, contraindications.

The content of the article:

Chinese lychee fruit is the fruit of an evergreen tree that grows in the tropics: Thailand, Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Africa, America. It has a wide spreading crown, and the trunk grows to a height of 15-30 meters. The botanical name is Litchi chinensis of the family Sapindaceae class dicotyledonous division angiosperms. There are also names: liji, litchi, lynchi, lisi, laysi and chinese plum. The branches of the tree are covered with beautiful shiny dark green leaves (compound, pair-pinnate) lanceolate, pointed at the tip. Curiously, lychee flowers do not have petals, it is a yellowish calyx on umbellate inflorescences about 70 cm long. The fruit also ripens in clusters and is harvested from May to June.

Pictured is a lychee tree

The fruit of the Chinese plum is red, covered with peaked tubercles, oval, 2.5 to 4 centimeters long. Inside, under the skin of the lychee, there is a jelly-like light pulp with a pleasant grape sweet taste. A hard oval brown bone is "hidden" in the pulp.

How to choose and eat lychees

Fresh fruits are bright in color. The darker the skin color of this tropical fruit, the longer it has lasted and the worse the taste. For food, those lychees are used that are not squeezed by fingers, dense, elastic, without holes and dents.

There are several varieties of this tasty product, but all the peel is not suitable for food. To get to the edible part, you need to get rid of the bumpy shell: it can be easily cleaned with your fingers, for convenience you can bite it and then clean it off with your hands. What is eaten inside the lychee is a translucent whitish flesh, firm, not creamy, it tastes like a berry sweet with a wine grape aftertaste, a large stone inside, which is easily separated from the flesh. They say that those who have tasted this tropical fruit at least once will fall in love with it forever. It is not for nothing that in our century lychee is ahead of any fruit in its popularity in Southeast Asia and is famous not only for its taste.

Lychees are tasty and nutritious fresh, they are completely dried (and this already becomes a nut), peeled (removed the bone) and preserved in sugar syrup, prepare jelly, ice cream and other desserts from them. The Chinese add this fruit to their traditional wine.

In Thailand, the price of one kilogram of lychee is about 40-70 baht ($ 1.3-2.2). They are always sold on a branch, since the fruit is poorly stored and after tearing off the berry it quickly deteriorates.

The chemical composition and calorie content of lychee

Lychee is not a high-calorie fruit and besides being very tasty, it is also very useful in dietary nutrition... For beauty, the fruit is a very valuable product: the high content of B vitamins maintains healthy hair and nails. So:

The calorie content of lychee per 100 g is 66 kcal (276 kJ), as well as this:

Carbohydrates - 16.53 g
Proteins - 0.83 g
Fat - 0.44 g
Water - 81.76 g
Dietary fiber 1.5 g
Disaccharides 15.23 g

Vitamins:

B1 (thiamine) - 0.011 mg
(niacin) - 0.6 mg
B6 (pyridoxine) - 0.1 mg
E (tocopherol) - 0.07 mg
C (ascorbic acid) - 71.5 mg
K - 0.4 μg

Micro and macro elements:

Potassium - 171 mg
Magnesium - 10 mg
Phosphorus - 31 mg
Calcium - 5 mg
Iron - 0.31 mg
Sodium - 1 mg
Zinc - 0.07 mg
Selenium - 0.6 mcg
Manganese - 0.055 mg

Useful properties of lychee

In the photo, the shell, bones and pulp of lychee

Pleasant refreshing taste invigorates not only because of juiciness. The pulp of the fruit is of course rich in pure water, vitamins and, in general, has a tonic invigorating effect on a person. Depending on the lychee variety, the percentage of sugar content ranges from 6 to 15 percent. The fruit also contains a lot of healthy dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, proteins and a little fat. Large amounts of vitamin C, potassium and magnesium support the cardiovascular system of the body. Due to the high content of niacin, in traditional Chinese medicine, lychee is used as a remedy for atherosclerosis and with its help, it reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood.

Lychees are also beneficial for keeping the intestinal tract working, they are rich in fiber. Even with diabetes, the fetus is useful for gastritis, anemia and other diseases. For example, these berries are "prescribed" for coughing, with an increase in the glands in the throat, their seeds help with neuralgia, orchitis and relieve pain. And in India, for a long time, lychee seeds have been collected, ground into powder, and then taken as medicine with intestinal problems.

Contraindications of lychee fruit

Everyone who does not have an individual intolerance to the product can enjoy the taste of lychee.
And also, try to eat only fresh fruits, with a dark colored lychee peel can cause digestive upset.

In addition to the lychee fruit, there is a mammal of the same name from the genus of water goats - the African Lychee antelope.

Chinese plum fruit began to be called in the middle of the 17th century, after the European Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza described it as a plum that can be eaten in large quantities without harm to the stomach.

The Chinese ate this fruit even before our era (about the 2nd century BC). One ancient Chinese emperor even executed his gardeners for failing to grow lychee trees in North China.

Lychee fruit: composition and useful properties. Lychee fruit in medicine and cooking. How to eat lychee

Lychee is an unusual and even outlandish name for us, and the one who hears it for the first time will not think to immediately imagine a tropical fruit. And this fruit, like many previously unknown fruits, is not only tasty, but also healthy.
What is lychee

What is lychee? This is the name of a tree from the sapindian family: the family is very large - there are about 150 genera in it, and there are much more species - as many as 2000. The vast majority of these species grow only in the tropics: in America, Asia, Africa, but in Australia there are not so many ...
We will tell you a little about those types of lychee that grow in Asia. This fruit has other names: "fox" and "liji", and from these names one might think that China is its homeland.
Perhaps this is so: in ancient China, lychees were really used - mentions of this are found in documents dating back to the 2nd century BC. Then the fruit got to neighboring countries, and there they also appreciated it - they began to grow all over Southeast Asia, and then on other continents.
Lychee came to Europe much later - only in the 17th century. For the first time, Europeans were able to read its detailed description in a book by Gonzalez de Mendoza, a Spanish writer interested in Chinese history. He wrote that lychees are like plums, and you can eat them as much as you like - there will be no heaviness in the stomach. Therefore, one of the names of lychee is Chinese plum, and these fruits are grown today in many countries - even in the southern states of the United States.
Lychee fruits are small, ovoid or oval, up to 3.5 cm in diameter, and weigh at most about 20 grams. The peel of the fruit is dense, pimpled and bumpy, of a deep red color, and it is quite easy to separate from the pulp. The pulp in lychee fruits is very interesting - jelly-like, with a white or creamy tint, and inside it there is a large brown seed. The taste of this pulp is very pleasant and refreshing - sweet and sour, and the aroma is not inferior to it - you want to inhale it again and again.

Composition and useful properties of lychee fruit

The Chinese often call the lychee "dragon's eye": white pulp, dark seed. Lychee has a very rich vitamin composition and many useful properties. It contains a lot of healthy clean water, quite a lot of complex carbohydrates, there are proteins, a little fat and dietary fiber. The amount of sugar in lychee fruits depends on the area in which the fruits grew, as well as on their variety: it can be about 6-14%.
Vitamins - C, E, H, K, group B; minerals - potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, chlorine, phosphorus, iron, iodine, manganese, copper, zinc, fluorine. There are few calories in lychee, but more than other similar fruits - about 76 kcal per 100 grams. There is much more vitamin C in lychee than other vitamins, and potassium comes first from minerals - therefore, the lychee fruit is very useful for hearts.
The Chinese have always believed that its use helps the heart, and today in China it is used to prevent cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, and also to lower the level of "bad" cholesterol in the body.
Lychee has a tonic effect on the body, and in the countries of the East it is also considered a strong aphrodisiac - the Indians even say that lychee is the fruit of love. It quenches thirst, relieves constipation, normalizes the work of the stomach and intestines, and helps to lose weight. The use of lychee is recommended for anemia, liver and pancreas diseases, gastritis, peptic ulcer and diabetes.
In combination with lemongrass and other medicinal herbs, lychee is used in China to treat cancer. Lychee peel is also used: a decoction from it helps prevent the accumulation of fluid in the tissues and increases the tone of the body.

Lychee fruit in medicine

Oriental medicine especially often uses lychee to treat diseases of the kidneys, liver and lungs - these organs are considered the main ones by oriental specialists.
Lychee improves kidney and liver function, and has a beneficial effect on lung function: this fruit is recommended for bronchitis, asthma and tuberculosis. With diabetes, it is enough to eat 10 fruits a day to normalize blood sugar levels.

Many countries in Southeast Asia make good money by growing and selling lychee. For example, in Thailand, the export share of this fruit is quite a large part among all the others: the area where lychee grows is constantly increasing - it is profitable to grow lychee because it is stored for a long time and can be freely transported to other countries.
You can feel the real taste of lychee only by tasting the fresh fruit, but even in dried, ice cream and even canned form, these fruits retain many of their useful properties. Frozen lychees can be stored for more than a month, and at the same time they will not lose their taste and healing qualities.
In Vietnam, lychees are also grown - in the northern regions, and they are also exported to many countries of the world, including Russia.
When you buy lychee in a store, pay attention to the color of the peel of the fruit: a dark peel means that this fruit was removed from the branch a long time ago, and it is tasteless, and there is little use in it. Fresh fruit has a red skin, soft, but not too much, and has no damage.

As there is lychee. Lychee fruit in cooking

It is very easy to eat lychee: the fruit must be washed, peeled, and the pulp put on a plate. To us, lychee fruits can somewhat resemble cherries - the seeds are pulled out of them, like seeds. You can add peeled lychee fruits to champagne - it turns into an amazing drink.
Lychees are added to desserts and sauces, ice cream and drinks, they are used for filling pies, and enterprising Chinese have learned to make wine out of it. Lychee goes well with fish, chicken and even pork; you can serve lychee with pate and fried dishes, and it is always good in salads.

Pancakes stuffed with fruit

You can cook different dishes, but we suggest you try the fruit-filled pancakes as a dessert. At first glance, the recipe seems somewhat exotic, but today it is not difficult to buy any fruit, so it is worth trying - children will especially like it.
You need to take a little flour - only 150 g, one whole egg and one yolk, 300 ml of coconut milk, banana, papaya and mango - 1 pc., Passionfruit - 2 pcs., And lychee - 4 pcs. In addition, you will need lime juice, 2 tablespoons. liquid honey, 3-4 fresh mint leaves, 1 tbsp. powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and vegetable oil for frying.
Sift flour, add eggs, and then, gradually adding coconut milk and butter, knead the dough. Cover it and leave for half an hour. To cook fruit filling: In a deep bowl, mix the peeled and chopped banana and papaya, pour over the lime juice, stir, add the chopped mango and passionfruit, lychee and honey. Bake 8-10 from the prepared dough thin pancakes, put the filling in the center of each, roll the pancakes into a cone, put on a plate, sprinkle icing sugar and decorate with mint.
You can also make homemade ice cream with lychee: it will resemble industrial ice cream, but it will be much healthier and safer. Peel 1 kg of lychee, cut, take out the seeds, mix with the juice of 5 lemons and ½ liter of pineapple juice. Prepare gelatin in advance: soak the plate for 10 minutes in cold water, squeeze, and then dissolve it together with sugar (250 g) in a part of lemon juice, and also add to lychee. Stir everything well and put it in the freezer in a plastic container. In a few hours, the dessert is ready.
Are there any contraindications to eating lychee fruit? Surprisingly, they are practically nonexistent: lychees can be harmful only with individual intolerance, but they cannot be abused either - in this case, allergic reactions may appear. Children can eat these tasty fruits a little - no more than 100 grams per day, otherwise they may develop acne on the skin. In adults, with excessive use of lychee, the oral mucosa suffers.
Author: Gataulina Galina