What is longan?

What Is Longan?
Longan (Dimocarpus longan) is a small, round, sweet, and watery fruit that is verry similar to lychee fruit. It has a yellowish-brown thick shell, also known as a pericarp, which hardens as it ages.

When it‘s young and fresh, you can peel the pericarp off to get a translucent, white, watery pulp embedding a big black seed, almost like an eye. You need to separate the seed to eat it. However, the seeds can also be processed to obtain essential oils and extracts.

These super delicious tropical fruits of the Sapindaceae family are grown widely in Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, and China. Locals use longan in sorbets, jellies, salads, desserts, and puddings.

But longan is not just another exotic South-Asian fruit since it has been used for many years in traditional medicine.

Let’s explore the different ways longan can help your body and nurse you to health.