Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits of Longan

When it comes to delicious tropical fruits, longan is one exotic option and it happens to have a lot of amazing health benefits. The health benefits of longan actually include helping to increase blood circulation, reduce stress, boost the immune system, and improve skin health among other things. If you’re wondering more about this amazing fruit, feel free to keep reading.

What is Longan?

Longan is the fruit of longan tree. Scientifically, it is known as the Dimocarpus longan. It’s also categorized in the bigger cluster of soapberries that are comprised of some various exotic fruits like guarana, slat lime, ackee, and lychee. Longan is native to the regions of South Asia. In fact, it has been harvested and cultivated there for generations now.

The fruit actually looks like a grape or a berry, with a tiny, and smooth seed at the center of it. When the fruit gets ripe, the outer coating of it becomes hard. This is good when they harvest them because makes it much easier to remove the flesh. The flesh of the longan fruit is white in color and has a mildly sweet and juicy flavor. It’s important to note that removing the seed of the fruit is necessary before you start eating it.

Most commonly, you can find longan in dessert courses and flavoring agents for various beverages. You can also dry the fruit to enjoy as a snack. The fruit isn’t just beneficial in the culinary field, it is also used as part of traditional medicine in Asia.

Nutritional Values of Longan

Longan fruits are full of anti-oxidants and vitamins, including 80% of the RDA for vitamin C and notable amounts of vitamin A. Furthermore, longan are amazingly low in calories. In fact, they contain about 20 calories per ounce. There also are few carbohydrates in longan, which make them a great choice for people following low carbohydrate diets.

Longan are also rich in potassium, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and copper. Not only that, but the antioxidant properties of longan may actually be beneficial in increasing the overall wellness of the body.

Here’s a more detailed nutrition breakdown of longan:

Health Benefits of Benefits Longan

Here are the most staggering health benefits of longan:

• Helps reduce sweating: The longan seeds are known to be beneficial in counteracting heavy sweating. This is mainly because of the fat, tannin, and saponins content of longan, which constrict the tissue and stop blood and other bodily fluids from secreting.
• Helps in improving the skin health: The anti-aging properties of the longan are beneficial in improving skin health. Furthermore, they are also beneficial in minimizing the cracking and peeling of skin and improving the skin tone.
• Helps in relieving stress: Longan are beneficial in cutting down stress as well as fatigue, which makes it beneficial for the heart. It also helps in reducing the risk of strokes and cardiac arrest.
• Rich vitamin C content: The high levels of vitamin C in longan are beneficial in protecting the body against harmful diseases.
• Low-calorie content: For those who want to cut down their body fat, longan can be a great help since they’re so low in calories.
• Helps in boosting the energy levels: One of the best and essential health benefits of longan is their ability to enhance energy levels.
• Helps in preventing anemia: The fruit is beneficial in improving blood circulation and increase the assimilation of iron all over the body. This will, in turn, prevent the manifestation of anemia.
• Help improve wound healing: In addition to aiding wound healing, they also help in increasing longevity.
• Helps in treating nerve problems: Longan have a relaxing effect on nerves and are beneficial in enhancing the function of nerves. Furthermore, they’re also beneficial in reducing fatigue and irritability.

Side Effects of Longan

Even though there are a lot of health benefits of longan, just like any other fruits, excessive or improper consumption may cause some side effects. Here are possible side effects from eating longan:

• Upset stomach: Having a sensitive stomach is a no-no for this fruit because it may cause an upset stomach, vomiting, or diarrhea.
• Pregnancy: If you are pregnant, it’s recommended to talk to your doctor before consuming this fruit.

Since longan can help prevent heavy sweating, they may also contribute to conditions associated with lack of sweating, such as hypohidrosis. Hypohidrosis is a condition wherein a person is not able to sweat normally. This condition is not easy to diagnose and is quite sudden. Thus, it is important to have knowledge about the causes, symptoms, as well as the treatments for hypohidrosis, especially when eating a fruit that may contribute to the condition.

Hypohidrosis: What is this condition?

Hypohidrosis, also known as Anhidrosis, is a condition which is commonly characterized by the inability of the body to sweat properly. This may lead to the body withholding bodily fluids that would otherwise be eliminated through perspiration. This also means that the toxins in the body that are usually eliminated via sweating are not capable of leaving the body, which can be a dangerous situation.

In addition, sweating is an essential process of the body, which enables us to cool our bodies. When a body is not able to regulate the internal temperature in this particular way, it may overheat and lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which could be deadly.

Occasionally, hypohidrosis may just affect a particular part of the body. This is not that dangerous, since the sweat can still leave the body. However, this must still be taken seriously because the condition may get worse and become dangerous. If the entire body is not able to sweat, then your life may become at risk.

Symptoms of Hypohidrosis or Anhidrosis

The most common symptoms of Anhidrosis include:

• Feeling hot
• Flushing
• Weakness
• Dizziness due to the overheating of the body
• Lack of or less sweating in response to heat

The absence of sweating can be localized, generalized, or can be seen is various patches. Some areas that sweat may overcompensate for the lack of sweating in various parts of the body, resulting in some body parts producing copious amounts of sweat, while others produce none. The generalized hypohidrosis affects most of the parts of the body.

When the body fails to cool in a proper manner, it may lead to heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Primarily, after doing physical exertion or as a response to hot weather. The hypohidrosis may develop as an illness on its own or it may be associated with some other conditions, like skin injury or diabetes.

Causes of Hypohidrosis or Anhidrosis

The condition occurs when the sweat glands in the body don’t work properly at all.

Here are some possible reasons for this:

• Clogged sweat gland ducts because of bacterial infections or dead skin
• Scleroderma or systematic sclerosis. This progressive autoimmune diseases may cause the skin to tighten and get harden.
• Trauma to the sweat glands.
• Skin damage or skin conditions, including leprosy and severe burns.
• Horner syndrome, which is caused by damage to the sympathetic nervous system in the neck.
• Lung cancer, which may cause hypohidrosis on one side of the body.
• Sjorgren’s syndrome, a chronic disorder of the immune system that may affect the proper functioning of the sweat glands, leading to hypohidrosis.
• Trauma to the nerves that control the sweating.

Risk Factors for Hypohidrosis

Apart from older age, there are some more factors that may increase the risk of Anhidrosis, including the following:

• Skin conditions, like psoriasis and various types of rashes.
• Diabetes, which may affect the sweat glands.
• Genetic mutations, which may change the genes and cause some abnormalities, leading to improper functioning of the sweat glands.

Treatments for Hypohidrosis or Anhidrosis

If you already have started experiencing various symptoms of heat exhaustion, you may try to find a much cooler location for as long as possible. For an instance, if you are outside, you should try to look for a shady area to rest in. It may also be beneficial to lie down and stop all strenuous activity.

There are some home treatments for hypohidrosis that may help, including the following:

• Cucumber juice: This may improve sweat production, thus, increasing hydration.
• Baking soda: This is beneficial in increasing a person’s ability to sweat by increasing the capillary flow. This is one of the easiest-to-find home treatments for hypohidrosis.
• Soybean and ginger supplements: Adding these to the diet plan may help in improving the blood flow as well as promote proper perspiration.