Many good Chinese medicinal herbs can also be used as ingredients. The Longan fruit is the seed of the Wutong family plant, Euphoria longan. It is highly nutritious and not only helps regulate the digestive system but also has detoxifying and insecticidal properties, as well as anti-aging effects. So how do we differentiate between real and fake Longan fruits? Let me show you three tips!
[Nutritional Value of Longan Fruits]
Longan fruits can detoxify the body, relieve nausea, boost immune system, provide energy, improve eyesight, and aid digestion.
Longan fruits can be eaten directly after being cooked. The flesh of the Longan seed, when peeled, is soft and white, resembling a small bird's egg. It is delicate and beautiful, with a flavor similar to chestnuts. It has a slightly sweet and fragrant taste, and the texture is reminiscent of egg yolks. Not only is it full of flavor, it also helps with digestion, detoxification, and killing intestinal worms!
Other medicinal properties of Longan fruits include treating stomach pain, gastritis, paralysis, injuries, fractures, external bleeding, and rheumatic lower back and leg pain.
[How to Differentiate between Real and Fake Longan Fruits]
Longan fruits have a "twin sister" called "fake Euphoria longan". The two sisters bloom and bear fruit at the same time, showing great harmony. Due to the similar timing of their fruiting with the birth of the "Seven Sisters" of China, the fake Euphoria longan is also known as "Seven Sisters fruit", "Sai Euphoria longan", "Crested skin", etc. The appearance, fruit, and leaves of real and fake Longan fruits are remarkably similar, so how can we differentiate between them?
First tip: Look at the leaves
The leaves of Longan fruits are rectangular or elliptical, while the leaves of fake Euphoria longan are lanceolate.
Second tip: Look at the flowers
There is a significant difference in the appearance of the flowers. Longan fruit flowers are creamy yellow or fiery pink, shaped like small lanterns.
Third tip: Look at the fruit
If you still can't differentiate, here is the ultimate tip! Longan fruits generally have 1 to 4 seeds per fruit, usually 3 seeds, with a size between pigeon eggs and broad beans.
Fake Euphoria longan fruits generally have 5 to 7 seeds per fruit, similar in size to peanuts and resembling black pearls. It is difficult to distinguish between real and fake, but both of these "twin sisters" are native tree species in the southern part of Guangdong Province. They are hardy and have certain edible and medicinal value.
[Medicinal Properties and Benefits of Longan Fruits]
1. Warming the stomach and killing parasites
Longan fruits have the effects of nourishing the stomach, clearing the intestines, clearing heat and dampness, and improving eyesight. They are especially suitable for consumption in the southern climate. They can expel roundworms from the body, especially when there is abdominal pain caused by roundworms moving upwards. Using Longan fruits for treatment can be effective. For treatment, you can boil 7 Longan fruits and 7 Euphorbia helioscopia seeds together in water.
2. Improving memory
Longan fruits contain various beneficial trace elements for the human body, among which phosphorus and zinc are the most important. These substances can improve the activity of brain cells and significantly enhance memory, making them ideal for people who frequently use their brains.
3. Protecting the eyes
Longan fruits contain abundant vitamin A, which directly affects the human visual nerves. It can prevent vision decline and retinal degeneration, reducing the occurrence of night blindness.
4. Delaying aging
In addition, Longan fruits contain some active ingredients and phenolic substances, which can regulate the digestive system, promote physical development, and eliminate free radicals in the body. This is beneficial for delaying aging and improving physical fitness.
