Lychee: exotic on our table, the health benefits and harms of the Chinese plum. Exotic lychee fruit - fruits, seeds, peel: composition, vitamins, beneficial properties and contraindications for the body of women, men, children, pregnant women, while breastfeeding

Lychee(Chinese plum, dragon's eye) - the fruit of an evergreen tropical tree that grows in countries with a hot climate: Africa, America, Australia, Japan and China. The tree has a large, spreading crown, while reaching a height of 30 m. The branches of a tropical tree are covered with numerous dark green lanceolate leaves. The lychee tree has yellow flowers without petals on long umbellate inflorescences, reaching a length of up to 70 cm.

The fruit is collected and sold in clusters in stores, the fruit is covered with a prickly, tuberous red skin on top. The shape of the lychee is oval and small. Reaches no more than 4 cm in length. Under the peel is a jelly-like white pulp, from which a unique aroma emanates, fully corresponding to the taste of the fruit. In the center of the fruit, under the pulp, there is a large brown bone, which is poisonous when raw.

Vitamin composition

Lychee is considered the most useful fruit belonging to the Sapindaceae family due to its nutritional content.

• Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is present in Chinese plum: 100 g of pulp contains 39 mg of vitamin C. About the same amount is found in lemon.
• The composition of the "dragon's eye" contains vitamins of groups K, E, H and folic acid.
• B vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin, thiamine.

The component composition of a very juicy and sweet fruit contains a lot of vegetable fiber fibers, organic acids and oils. Lychee is extremely rich in minerals, among which there are many micro and macro elements: potassium, magnesium, zinc, sodium, phosphorus, manganese, calcium, etc.

calories

The lychee contains 70 calories per 100 grams of product., at the same time, the fruit has a high energy value and contributes to the rapid saturation of the body. Lychee perfectly satisfies hunger, as it contains a lot of complex carbohydrates.

Let's describe the balance of BJU in the composition of 100 grams of the product:

• proteins - 0.8 grams;
• fats - 0.4 grams;
• carbohydrates - 15.2 grams.

Beneficial features

Regular use of litchi improves the functioning of many systems in the body and prevents certain diseases: anemia, beriberi, diabetes, hypoglycemia and digestion. Also, fruit extract can be found in the composition of cosmetics, since it has pronounced anti-aging and caring properties.

• Lychee improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, due to which it is included in the diet for weight loss in eastern countries. Chinese plum normalizes the acid-base balance in the body, and also improves metabolism. It is recommended to eat fruit for gastritis, peptic ulcer and pancreatic diseases.
• Stimulates the production of digestive secretions, improves appetite and has a positive effect on the digestive process. The tropical fruit is recommended for people suffering from chronic constipation. The abundance of plant fibers present in the composition of the lychee stimulates the peristaltic function of the intestine and slightly weakens.
• It is useful to eat lychee for immunity. Vitamins increase the barrier properties of the body. If you eat fruit in a cold season, when the risk of encountering infectious diseases increases, then the likelihood of getting sick is reduced significantly. In the absence of fresh fruits, you can use canned lychee, they are no less useful.
• It is recommended to eat "dragon's eye" for atherosclerosis and a number of diseases associated with impaired blood circulation and high vascular permeability. Ascorbic acid strengthens the walls of blood vessels, and B vitamins improve hematopoiesis and the functions of liquid tissue. For this reason, it is recommended for people suffering from abnormal pressure to consume an exotic fruit.
• In Asia, men consume lychee on a regular basis. The fruit has a positive effect on potency, it is often called the "fruit of love."
• Lychee peel is used to make a tea that treats diseases of the throat and respiratory system. Tea is sold in small balls, which, after brewing, open up and look like a lush flower. The taste of the drink gives honey shades.

Harm from use

Lychee is a rather healthy and tasty fruit, the harm of which is rather exaggerated, since the fruit can be safely given even to small children. However, if you consume lychee in exorbitant amounts, it can lead to an allergic reaction. Most often, from overeating this fruit, a small rash appears on the face and neck, caused by an excess of vitamin C. In all other respects, the fruit does not pose any danger to the human body.

Eating stale fruits leads to digestive problems: indigestion and bloating. Lychee has the same effect when combined with protein and starch-containing products. Therefore, the daily rate of consumed fruits should be 6-8 pieces.

To protect yourself from harmful effects, you need to check the sensitivity to the fruit. To do this, eat 1-2 fruits and wait for several hours. If no negative reactions from health have been revealed, then lychee can be added to your menu.

Contraindications

Lychee actually has no contraindications, except for serious pathological disorders of the digestive system. You should also refrain from using lychee when:

• diabetes mellitus;
• kidney disease;
• liver pathologies;
• pregnancy;
• breastfeeding until the baby is 3 months old.

In all other cases, the lychee will only be useful.

"Dragon's eye" in cooking

The lychee has a tough skin that must be removed before eating. It is not difficult to remove the inedible layer of the fruit, which can be done with a knife or fingers. Freshly picked fruit from a tree has a soft peel that is carefully cut with a knife. Lychee, which has already lain down for some time, acquires a denser, harder peel resembling a shell. You can peel the fruit with your fingers, as if ridding a hard-boiled egg of its calcium shell.

As for eating lychee, they can be a great snack in fresh or canned form. The fruit has a very pleasant taste and aroma, so it is included in many recipes for desserts and meat dishes.

1. In countries where the described fruit is more common, surprisingly tasty jam is made from it.
2. Lychee dessert sauces are known all over the world, as well as desserts that include this fruit as an ingredient, for example, ice cream, pancakes or even cakes.
3. Drinks, mousses, jelly are made from Chinese plums.
4. Lychee is also suitable for making wine, which has a sweet and sour taste and fruity aroma.

Selecting and storing litchi

Chinese plum is not sold in every store, so not everyone knows how to choose a fruit and what to look for when buying. Lychee is a capricious product, so fruits are sold in bunches - this way they last longer. When purchasing fruits, look at the peel, which should be red and slightly soft. A very hard shell and an unnatural brown color signal the unsuitability of the fruit.

The fruit can be stored at temperatures up to 7 ° for 1 month, and at a temperature above this mark, a ripe berry is usable for only 3 days. For this reason, when buying lychee, it is necessary to send it to the refrigerator upon returning home. After eating the fruit, you should not throw away the date-shaped stone, since litchi can be grown from the stone at home by placing it in the ground and watering it with plenty of water.

• Lighting: daylight hours are approximately 12 hours. We need bright diffused light from western or eastern window sills.
• Temperature: all year round not below 20 ˚C.
• Watering: regular, moderate, best watered through the pan.
• top dressing: from the second year of life - 1-2 times a month with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer in half the dosage or weak solutions of organic fertilizers.
• pruning: as needed at the beginning of the growing season.
• reproduction: at home only with seeds (pits).
• 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.

Read more about growing lychee below.

Lychee fruit - description

Lychee is an evergreen tree with a spreading crown, under natural conditions reaching a height of 10 to 30 m. Its leaves are compound, pinnate, consisting of 4-8 lanceolate or elongated-ovate leaves with a sharp apex. The surface of the leaves is glossy, dark green, and the underside is grayish. The 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 fall off. Lychee fruits, 2.5 to 4 cm long, are clothed in a red peel, covered with numerous sharp tubercles. Inside the fruit is a light jelly-like sweet pulp, which easily leaves the peel and has a barely perceptible wine flavor. In the middle of the fruit is an oval dark brown bone. In the tropics, lychees ripen in May or June.

Growing lychee from seed

How to grow lychee at home.

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

In the photo: Lychee tree branch with berries

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

As soon as the first reddish leaves of the lychee 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 lychees require twelve hours of daylight to develop normally. As for the air temperature in the room, even in winter it should not be lower than 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 a pot by pouring water into the pan. Develop a watering regimen so that the plant does not suffer from either a lack or excess of moisture in the roots, and at all times maintain high humidity in the room.

Lychee nutrition.

The first time the substrate in a pot with lychee is fertilized three months after germination, and then fertilizing is not applied until the plant is at least a year old. From the second year of life, litchi are fed 1-2 times a month with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers in moderate concentration. The plant also responds well to organic top dressing 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.

Lychee clipping.

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 after that maintain its shape by shortening shoots that are too long. 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 diseases. Plant troubles can result from insufficient or improper care. For example, due to excessive watering, the roots of the plant can rot, and with insufficient moisture, the lychee will begin to wither and wither. Follow our recommendations, and your tree will never get sick.

In the photo: Lychee branch with berries

Lychee pests.

Lychee is also resistant to pests, but if aphids, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, scale insects or mealybugs start up on some indoor plants, they can also move to lychee. Therefore, regularly inspect your plant collection and, at the first symptoms of infection with one or another pest, take immediate action: 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 cultivars of the plant are:

• green hanging- 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;
• glutinous rice balls- the fruits of this variety have a dense and sweet pulp with a 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 it does not exist at all;
• sweet osmanthus- a variety with sweet fruits that have the smell of osmanthus, in a bright red and very bumpy skin;
• Green Yatu- in this variety, the peel of the fruit is covered with dark green specks;
• black sheet- an early ripe variety with fleshy fruits, the peel of which secretes a juice similar to red ink;
• May Red- the earliest variety, the fruit of which is harvested in May;
• The smile of the concubine- the oldest variety of early ripening. The fruits and peel of the plant secrete red juice.

In the photo: Lychee berries - a healthy fruit

Lychee fruit properties - harm and benefit

Useful properties of litchi.

Lychee fruits contain substances useful for the human body: vitamins E, K, C, H, PP and group B (B1, B3, B6), magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iodine, manganese, zinc, selenium, iron, calcium, potassium, pectins and organic acids.

Oriental medicine uses lychee fruits to normalize sugar levels in diabetes, treat and prevent atherosclerosis, improve the functioning of the kidneys, liver and lungs. People with cardiovascular diseases are shown to use lychee fruits, as they contain potassium in their pulp. Lychee has also been proven to be beneficial for anemia, high blood cholesterol, pancreatic diseases, and intestinal disorders. In Hindu medicine, lychee fruits are considered an aphrodisiac that enhances sexual desire and male power.

Lychee fruit - contraindications.

Lychee fruits are contraindicated only for those who have found their individual intolerance. For everyone else, they only benefit, but stale fruits with a dark skin can cause intestinal upset.

The article will tell you in detail about how to grow an exotic plant at home - lychee, as well as how to care for it.

The fruit called "lychee" is very unusual and is considered exotic. Someone calls him a fruit, others say that lychee is a berry. Be that as it may, lychee not only has a pleasant and rich taste, but also great benefits. The benefit of the fetus is that it has a unique biochemical composition - a mass of vitamins and trace elements.

It is immediately worth noting that the lychee is not a large fruit, its diameter is approximately 3-4 cm. The weight of one berry does not exceed 15-20 grams. A feature of the exotic fruit is its dense and slightly prickly peel, which covers the juicy and jelly-like pulp.

The color of the pulp is milky. A large dark brown seed is hidden inside the pulp. The taste of lychee is very pleasant. The ripe fruit has a sweet hue with a slight sourness. If you try to find a comparison with other fruits, then the taste of the pulp is somewhat reminiscent of cherries and pineapples. The aroma of the pulp is very fresh and sweet.

Lychee is a fruit common in Asia: China, Japan, India, Thailand. In these countries, the lychee is often called the "dragon's eye" for its visual similarity to the eye: a white apple and a black eye. For its beneficial and nutritional qualities, lychee has gained popularity in folk medicine. Many even consider it an aphrodisiac for its rich zinc content, and therefore lychee is a must-have treat on the tables of newlyweds.

Frequent use of litchi can have a beneficial effect on all body systems, increasing body tone, improving vascular function, “killing” cholesterol and lowering sugar. The great merit of litchi is the ability to regulate the water-salt balance in the body, relieve swelling and promote weight loss.

IMPORTANT: Not only the pulp of the fruit is eaten. Healing decoctions are prepared from the lychee peel. The bone, for example, in Vietnam and China is fried with spices in oil, raw lychee bone is considered poisonous.

Is it possible to grow lychee from a seed on a windowsill, like a house flower?

Lychee is an exotic, but very beautiful plant that has not only bright red fruits, but also graceful glossy leaves: elongated, pointed, long. It is more common for a plant to grow in warm Asian countries, but under all conditions, it is also possible to grow a small lychee on your windowsill.

It is important to know that you can only grow lychee from the seed that was in the fresh berry (dried and canned fruits will not work). Of course, homemade lychee will often not be able to please you with abundant fruits, but, nevertheless, under close attention and your careful care, you can find a beautiful plant.

How to choose a pot, land for planting lychee?

After you eat the lychee pulp itself, try to remove the stone as carefully as possible so as not to spoil or damage it. In order to grow something you will need a small pot, no more than 8-9 cm in diameter.

Before planting, be sure to make a sufficient number of holes in the bottom of the pot so that the water does not stagnate in it and does not allow the plant to rot, draining completely. You can put a layer of drainage on the bottom of the pot (special pebbles that retain moisture, but let water through). Before planting, prepare the “right” soil for lychee - a mixture of earth and peat.

IMPORTANT: It is best to choose a lychee pot that is made from a natural material, such as clay or ceramic. In a plastic pot, the plant can "suffocate".

Lychee bone: how to germinate and plant?

It is important to know that when planting, it is necessary to put not one, but approximately 4-5 litchi seeds into the ground. This is done quite simply: a bone is inserted vertically into soft soil with a finger, no more than 2-3 centimeters deep. From above there should be no more than 1-1.5 cm of soil. The likelihood that the sprout will sprout is high.

After that, moisten the soil and tighten the pot with plastic wrap (food wrap works best). This will allow the sprout to be in constant moisture and it will not be able to dry out. For the first time, the pot should be placed in a warm, but not the sunniest place (next to the battery, for example).

The time it takes for the sprout to sprout is 1.5-2 weeks. During this time, it is important to check the pot, adding moisture if required. The soil should never be dry. Tighten the pot with foil each time. After a sprout appears on the surface, the film can be removed and the plant placed on the eastern windowsill (there should be little sun).

Lychee fruit - how a plant grows in a pot, at home: photo

After the sprout sprouts, you should carefully care for your lychee. First of all, temperature matters. A young plant needs a temperature regime of 23 to 25 degrees. The first few weeks after the sprouts appear on the surface, the lychee grows quite quickly and actively, their height can reach 20 centimeters.

However, after violent growth in the "first months of life", the plant "stops" and stops growing in size. The reason for this is the strengthening of the root system. The roots are so strong that if you have grown the plant in a plastic cup so far, you may notice it burst.

Lychee needs light for about 12-15 hours a day, but he "does not like" direct sunlight. In the cool season, provide litchi with additional illumination. Make sure that the lychee does not dry out, as the plant does not tolerate dry soil at all. Litchi should be watered as the topsoil dries out.

Litchi should not be watered with cold water, it is best to settle and room temperature. Raise the humidity in the room as often as possible and spray the plant with a spray bottle. Only an adult plant should be fed with organic fertilizers, not “younger” than 3-4 months.

Video: "Lychee - growing at home"

Lychee (otherwise "fox", "liji", "Chinese plum", "laise", "dragon eye") is a tasty and healthy fruit that can be found not only in the countries of Southeast Asia, but also in domestic supermarkets.

Recently exported to us to a greater extent from Vietnam and Thailand. Nevertheless, many still do not know what it tastes like and how to use it. The benefits and harms of the "Chinese plum" are of interest to many consumers. Let's try to figure this out.

What does a lychee look like?

This fruit is small (from 2.5 to 3.5 cm in diameter) and weighs about 15, maximum 20 g. It has an oval or ovoid shape. The reddish or pinkish lychee peel is dense, but brittle, consists of numerous tubercles. The jelly-like juicy pulp of the fruit has a white or creamy hue. It has an excellent, refreshing, sweet and sour taste and pleasant aroma. Inside the fruit is an inedible seed, oblong, dark brown in color. This is what a lychee fruit looks like, the photo clearly demonstrates this.

This interesting fruit grows in clusters on evergreen trees of the Sapindaceae family, reaching a height of 30 m. They have a dense, spreading crown. Their leaves are dense and leathery, usually a rich dark green hue. Lychee trees bloom with numerous yellowish flowers, collected in hanging inflorescences, similar to "umbrellas".

Where did this come from

China is considered to be the homeland of the lychee, where this fruit has been grown for over 1000 years. Since ancient times, the Chinese called this fruit because of the bright combination of red peel, white pulp and brown seed. In Europe, this tasty fruit was known only in the 17th century. Where does lychee grow now? Today, trees of the Sapindaceae family are actively bearing fruit in vast areas of Southeast Asia, Australia, in the countries of South America and Africa (South Africa), as well as in the southern United States. This fruit is exported to Russia mainly from the northern regions of Vietnam and Thailand. Harvested in the subtropics in May-June, cutting the bunches together with the stem part of the branch. Individually harvested fruits spoil extremely quickly and begin to ferment.

Lychee - a storehouse of vitamins and minerals

This tropical fruit has a variety as it contains a lot of vitamins. The dragon's eye is rich in valuable micro and macro elements. Lychee contains B vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. Also, the "dragon eye" contains vitamins K, E, H and folic acid. Especially a lot of vitamin C in its composition. In addition, lychee is rich in healthy dietary fiber and plenty of pure water. In addition, the Chinese plum is also rich in minerals, including copper, fluorine, zinc, manganese, and iodine. It contains phosphorus, sodium, calcium, iron, sulfur and potassium. The sugar content in lychee varies between 5-15% depending on where the fruit grows.

Lychee fruit. Benefit and harm

Such a high content of valuable vitamins, micro and macro elements, as well as fiber and pure water makes the "Chinese plum" an extremely useful product. It saturates a person with the necessary substances, gives strength and vigor. Lychee has a wonderful tonic effect on the body as a whole, mobilizes the immune system. It has been known in China since ancient times that "dragon's eye" is the strongest natural aphrodisiac. It is able to rejuvenate the body, activate attraction and maintain "love" functions at the proper level. Lychee fruit has been successfully used for the prevention and treatment of many serious diseases. Its benefits and harms are, in fact, disproportionate. Counts,

It cannot cause serious harm to human health. But its benefits are enormous. However, it is advisable to be careful when consuming the fruit. Do not immediately eat too much lychee. Otherwise, an allergic reaction may occur. It manifests itself as acne on the skin and damage to the mucous membrane in the oral cavity. To begin with, you should try one or two fruits and track the reaction of the body. If everything is in order, you can fearlessly eat up to 250 g of "Chinese plum" per day (for adults). Children over 2 years old should consume about 100 g of fruit. It is undesirable to include litchi in the diet of one-year-old babies. "Chinese plum" is contraindicated for those who have been found to have its individual intolerance.

How is lychee fruit used in folk medicine? how is it useful?

This tropical fruit is widely used in folk oriental medicine. It can and should be used to prevent beriberi and anemia. Lychee is often used to prevent cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis, because it contains a significant amount of potassium.

The fetus also contains nicotinic acid, which has a positive effect on lipid metabolism in the body. Helps cleanse blood from cholesterol and dilates blood vessels lychee fruit. What else is useful? It is used to normalize blood sugar levels, so it is indicated for people with diabetes or hypoglycemia. In addition, useful decoctions and infusions are made on the basis of the "Chinese plum", which normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, have a mild laxative effect, and have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the liver and kidneys. Lychee preparations are prescribed for people with lung diseases, including those suffering from bronchitis, asthma, or those with tuberculosis. These drugs make breathing easier and normalize the function of the respiratory system. Regular consumption of lychee is useful for those who have peptic ulcer, gastritis and pancreatic diseases. In oriental medicine, "Chinese plum" in combination with lemongrass is even used to treat cancer, including breast cancer. Is lychee peel good for you? It is no less valuable than the pulp of the fruit. Lychee peel is used to prepare decoctions and infusions that have a pronounced diuretic effect. They contribute to the removal of excess fluid from the tissues of the body, as well as increase the overall tone and improve well-being.

"Chinese plum" in diet food

Nutritionists recommend eating lychee in order to saturate the body with water, as well as reduce hunger. The "Chinese plum" contains pectin. It allows you to quickly saturate the body, giving nutrition to the beneficial intestinal microflora. Therefore, it is recommended to consume several lychee fruits before each meal, which will reduce the standard serving of food and not overeat. The calorie content of lychee is only 76 kcal / 100 g, so people who carefully monitor their weight can safely eat it.

How to choose a good, fresh fruit in the store?

If you want to purchase high-quality, tasty fruits, you must be guided by the following simple rules. First, when choosing a lychee, you need to pay attention to the color of its peel. It should be pink or red. The brown color indicates that the fruit was plucked from the tree a long time ago and has already deteriorated. The taste of dark-colored lychee will be unpleasant, and the smell will be sharper and stronger. The light yellow color of the fruit, on the contrary, indicates its immaturity. This fruit is also not worth buying. Secondly, when choosing a "Chinese plum" you need to pay attention to the presence of damage. A good fruit will not have any suspicious spots, dents, cracks. Thirdly, the lychee should be resilient, as if it would "burst" soon. Too soft or, conversely, hard fruit should not be taken. Fourthly, in the place where the petiole was located, there should be no white spots and mold. And finally, the smell of lychee should be pleasant, fresh, slightly reminiscent of the scent of a rose. Too heavy and sweet indicates overripe and stale fruit.

"Dragon's eye" in cooking

How to eat lychee? The fruit just needs to be washed under running water, peeled, and then the inedible bone removed. The juicy pulp of the fruit can be eaten fresh. Reminiscent of a mixture of strawberries, white grapes, currants and dried apricots lychee fruit. Its taste is pleasant, sweet and sour, fresh. In addition to fresh consumption, lychee canned, dried, frozen and heat-treated. Drinks, desserts are made from it, including delicious ice cream, a variety of sauces, mousses, and jellies. On the basis of lychee, an excellent golden wine is also made, with a pleasant fruity aromatic and soft sweet and sour aftertaste.

"Dragon's eye" is also used in the preparation of dishes from game, meat and sea fish. In Chinese restaurants, you can enjoy deep-fried shrimp with sweet and sour sauce with lychee (Lizhi Xia Qiu). If you manage to get a fresh "Chinese plum", be sure to try the homemade sweet and sour chicken with almonds and lychee sauce. In addition, the fruit is used in the preparation of a variety of pastries, it is added to the filling of pies and pies, cookies and cakes are made from it.

How to store lychee?

The issue of storing the "dragon's eye" deserves special attention. In general, it is advisable to eat this fruit as soon as possible - on the first day after purchase. At room temperature, litchi can be safely kept for 2-3 days. In the refrigerator, at 7°C, lychee can be kept for one or two weeks, provided that the shell is intact and not damaged. In general, this fruit deteriorates quite quickly, its peel darkens and the amount of vitamins in its composition decreases. If you want to keep lychees for a long time, we advise you to peel the fruits and freeze them. You can also dry the fruit or preserve it. In China, pickled lychees are stored inside bamboo stalks. In India and Vietnam, whole fruits are dried, after which the peel becomes hard, while such fruits are called "nuts". In this article, we looked at an interesting Chinese fruit - lychee, the benefits and harms of which are of concern to many consumers. As you can see, the "Chinese plum" has practically no contraindications and therefore can be fearlessly eaten. Moreover, it is rich in vitamins, minerals and has a lot of undeniable advantages! Be sure to try this delicious exotic product.

The other day, my daughter called from St. Petersburg and said that they had lychee fruit on sale, they bought it for testing, they really liked it. Naturally, I was interested in what a lychee fruit is, useful properties and contraindications of a new exotic for me and how to eat it. My daughter strongly recommended not to pass by this fruit if I see it in our supermarkets.

What is lychee, where does it grow, photo

I already talked about one, we will study lychee. Let's start, of course, with a photo. The fruits are beautiful, bright, but without recommendations, I would definitely pass by, who knows what is under this red pimply crust.

Inside the fruit is a rather large brown bone, around which is a white translucent pulp, and it is eaten.
As the daughter said, the pulp is sweet, juicy, jelly-like, somewhat reminiscent of grapes, but more fragrant. I read reviews on the net, yes, someone compares the taste with grapes, someone finds notes of bergamot, a taste of raspberries, strawberries, someone compares it with rose petal jelly.

Where does this exotic fruit come from?

Although today this plant is cultivated in many countries that belong to the dry subtropics, South China is considered the birthplace of lychee. Therefore, one of the names of this fruit is "Chinese plum". If you hear such names as "fox", "liji", "dragon eye", know that they are talking about lychee. In the cut, the fruit really looks like a dragon's eye.

This unusual fruit grows on fairly large trees, similar to our willows, the height can reach more than 15 meters. Tree wood is used in the manufacture of joinery and in construction, and is valued as a durable material that does not rot.

Lychee flowers are a yellow-green calyx, without petals, with protruding stamens. Fragrant flowers are collected in a brush, but not all flowers from the brush will become fruits, some of the flowers crumble. During flowering, there are always a lot of bees on the brushes and lychee honey turns out to be fragrant, golden in color.

Small fruits, 2 - 5 cm in diameter and weighing 10 - 25 grams, are collected in bunches. Ripened fruits are also harvested in clusters, as they are plucked separately, they deteriorate faster. There are more than 100 varieties. The fruit is interesting and valuable in that it belongs to the early ones and appears on the markets in late spring, early summer, when there are practically no other fruits.

Lychee fruit - useful properties and contraindications

The fact that this is a fruit already speaks of its benefits, because it is known that sufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables improves health, reduces the risk of developing a variety of chronic diseases.

But what can be interesting about lychee, because they say about it that it is mainly water and carbohydrates. So maybe this fruit was created only for pleasure?

But no, studies have shown that there is something in lychee that may be of interest to those who like to receive not only pleasure from food, but also benefits.

Chemical composition and nutritional value of Chinese plum

1. As I said above, lychee consists mainly of water, and this is 82% and carbohydrates - 16.5%, the amount of fat and protein is minimal.
2. Although the fruit is sweet, for those who like to monitor their weight, the calorie content is quite attractive - 66 kcal per 100 g. product.
3. Contains pectin, has a low level of fiber.
4. The composition of the fruit includes various vitamins and minerals, organic acids, but the most interesting thing that attracts this fruit is the high content of vitamin C, copper, potassium and nicotinic acid.
5. The fruit also contains valuable antioxidant compounds.

Health Benefits of Lychee

Let us consider in more detail what benefits the above-mentioned substances contained in lychee provide.

• Scientists have discovered in lychee such valuable antioxidant polyphenols as epicatechin and rutin, which can protect the human body from such serious diseases as cancer, diabetes and a number of cardiovascular diseases.
• The high content of potassium has a beneficial effect on heart health.
• Copper, which is part of the lychee, provides invaluable assistance to the body, affecting the synthesis of blood cells, being responsible for the production of female sex hormones, positively affecting the entire endocrine, digestive system. Copper improves the condition of connective and bone tissue, improves immunity, affects the production of hemoglobin, activates tyrosine, the lack of which reduces the mental and physical activity of a person.
• Nicotinic acid is also an important element, because without it our body cannot fully function. It affects the normal functioning of the liver, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract, improves the cardiovascular system, cleanses the body of toxins, and lowers blood sugar levels.
• Nutritionists are showing interest in the lychee fruit, as it, with its low calorie content, is able to satisfy hunger, plus the diuretic effect of the fruit, all this works well for weight loss.
• Chinese scientists came to the conclusion that lychee, with its regular use, increases the body's resistance to stress.
• The high content of vitamin C helps the body fight colds, asthma and tuberculosis.
• With kidney disease, this fruit is used as a decongestant.

Scientists have discovered polyphenol oligonol in lychee - a unique substance that helps to free the human body from many free radicals. This is a very important property of this substance, because it is free radicals that contribute to the aging of body cells and reduce its protective functions.

It is difficult for the body to obtain this substance in a natural way, simply by using lychee, therefore, in Japan, they developed the Oligonol food supplement.
The drug, made using an exclusive technology from lychee peel and green tea, rejuvenates the skin, helps get rid of excess fat, improves blood circulation, maintains vascular elasticity, prevents blood stasis during sedentary work, and helps the body recover quickly during heavy physical exertion and stress.

Application in traditional medicine

Lychee fruit has been known in China since ancient times and is one of the symbols of this country, so its beneficial properties are well known and it is actively used in folk medicine.

• The Chinese use litchi fruit to prevent atherosclerosis, to reduce bad cholesterol in the blood and normalize metabolic processes in the body.
• Fruit pulp syrup is used for anemia.
• Throat diseases are treated with a decoction of lychee flowers, used as a gargle.
• For neurosis, depressive states, fatigue, a drink infused on the peel of the fruit is prepared.
• Lychee is used as a component of various fees for oncological diseases.
• The fruits are used for diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract.
• The fruit is used in home cosmetology, making various masks for the face and hair.

Lychee fruit - contraindications and possible harm

Lychee is the fruit about which we can safely say that it has no contraindications.

True, no one has canceled such a thing as individual intolerance. Therefore, at the first meeting, you should not lean heavily on lychee, even if you really like it, because for us it is an exotic product. Wait a few hours, if the body tells you yes, then enjoy the taste of lychee.

But even with a positive outcome, it is not recommended to consume more than 250 grams per day for adults and 100 grams for children, as there may be irritation on the oral mucosa.

Excessive eating can also cause flatulence.

How to eat lychee and store

No special skills are required to eat lychee. In a ripe fruit, the soft tuberous peel is easily removed, then the pulp must be freed from the stone and the product is ready for use.

For those who are not familiar with the lychee fruit, it will be interesting to watch the video.

Lychee is used not only fresh. The shelf life of fresh fruits is not very long, no more than 30 days at temperatures up to 7 degrees, provided that the fruits are carefully removed from the tree in clusters. To keep the product for a longer period, it is dried, frozen and canned. According to connoisseurs of this product, it is tasty in any form.

The Chinese use lychee to make various drinks:

• make wine from fruit
• get a delicious and aromatic drink by adding pieces of fruit to a glass of champagne or dry wine
• saketini - an aperitif made from sake, dry vermouth and lychee syrup
• kongou - a tonic drink that is obtained by infusing black leaf tea on lychee peel. It is drunk both hot and chilled with pieces of ice.

Use the fruit when serving dishes of pork, lamb, game, fish. It is used as an ingredient in salads, in the preparation of sauces and desserts.

It is important to know that lychee does not combine well with starch, bananas and white flour, this combination can cause severe flatulence.

How to choose a Chinese plum

The purchase will meet expectations if you choose fruits with a bright, pink-red skin that is soft to the touch.

A hard, dark brown peel testifies to the age of the product.

Interesting about lychee

Previously, in ancient times, litchi had the right to eat only for rich and noble people. The poor were forbidden to eat fruit under pain of execution, they were connected only to collect and transport fruits.

In India and China, the lychee fruit is classified as an aphrodisiac and, calling it the “fruit of love”, is used as a means of stimulating potency in men. For these purposes, prepare a decoction of lychee peel.

In China, they make a special wine, which in translation is called "disturbing the soul, awakening love." In ancient times, this plant was used as a love potion.

In Thailand, the fruit is so fond of that they already consider it their own. In one of the provinces of Thailand, during the harvest, they organize a "Lychee Festival", it is accompanied by city fairs, musical performances, and even a beauty contest is held and to receive the title of "Miss Lychee", this is very honorable.

How to plant and grow lychee at home

For those who like to grow exotic at home, I suggest watching a video with tips on growing lychee from the stone and caring for the plant.

In such an interesting fruit - lychee fruit, now we know everything about it, about its beneficial properties and contraindications, about how to choose, clean, store it. It remains only to meet the Chinese plum in our supermarkets, buy and eat with pleasure.

Elena Kasatova. See you by the fireplace.