The lychee is a super healthy fruit that not only helps prevent serious diseases but also helps to cure them. Lychee is a tasty fresh egg-shaped fruit. It originally comes from China. Nowadays it is grown in a variety of tropical and subtropical climates. It is a fruit with many medicinal properties. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.

Contents:

• Lychee vitamin explosion
• Good for the liver
• Lychee against candida
• Type 2 diabetes
• Good for the heart
• Anti-breast cancer
• Good for well-being
• Chinese painkiller
• Lychee as a snack fruit
• Eating tips for lychee

Lychee vitamin explosion

Lychee is bursting with vitamins and is an excellent source of vitamin C. 80 Grams of Lychee is enough for the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin C. Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6 and B11 are also found in ample quantities in the lychee. It also contains the minerals potassium, copper and phosphorus in large quantities. It contains many healthy polyphenols such as Cyanidin-3-glucoside, an important anthocyanin, and it contains malvidin-3-glucoside to a slightly lesser extent. Cyanidin-3-glucoside is a substance that, according to scientific articles, is absorbed very efficiently into the body and has a preventive effect against lung cancer and leukemia.

Good for the liver

Lychees are good for the liver. Scientific research on rats shows that after consuming substances from the lychee, the rats are better equipped if they ingest a toxin such as tetrachloromethane (stain water). The liver was able to produce serums more quickly that removed the poison from the rats’ bodies. The researchers conclude from this that lychee strengthens the purifying effect of the liver.

Lychee against candida

Lychee has also been tested for its effectiveness against candida. It turned out that the lychee fruit controls the fungus candida. The polyphenol oligonol is responsible for this. This powerful phytonutrient prevents the flu. A few lychees a day helps keep the flu at bay.

Type 2 diabetes

The first studies indicate a positive effect of the lychee on type 2 diabetes. The disease is said to reduce the risk of diabetes. A scientific study on mice found that there was less inflammation at the cellular level that ultimately leads to diabetes. Oligonol acts as a kind of regulator of processes that prevent diabetes. Clearly less lipid oxidation was observed in the kidneys. The ROS (oxygen radicals) levels in the kidneys also became much lower after taking oligonol, which is again good news for diabetes patients.

Good for the heart

Lychee tea is a good way to prevent cardiovascular problems. Research has been conducted in the United States into drinking black tea with lychee flavor. It turned out that people who drank 4 cups of lychee tea per day for a month had significantly less problems with poorly functioning blood vessels. It prevents blood clotting. This makes lychee good for the heart, which keeps the blood flowing through the vessels. The effect already occurred when people drank one and a half cups of black lychee tea.

Anti-breast cancer

According to scientific research, the lychee has a risk-reducing effect on breast cancer formation. Lychee slows the growth of cancer cells through apoptosis; the sudden death of a cancer cell. It is therefore very good to eat if you have cancer and therefore fits well in an anti-cancer diet.

Good for well-being

Lychee makes you feel good, according to an Indian source. This good, positive feeling would radiate to your body, causing diseases to disappear. The lychee is also said to ensure a good energy balance in the body, making you less likely to experience fatigue.

Chinese painkiller

The lychee has been extensively researched at Chinese and Indian universities for its anti-cancer effect. Since the lychee originally grows in Southeast Asia, more attention is paid to the healthy effects of lychee than in Europe and the US. In traditional Chinese medicine, the lychee fruit has been used for millennia as a painkiller and to combat swollen glands. Recently, several Chinese universities have shown that it works against all cancers, but most against breast cancer.In tropical countries you can often buy lychee juice, which is a super tasty refreshing drink. Source: B.navez, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)

Lychee as a snack fruit

Lychee is a good snack fruit, but you have to peel it. However, this happens very quickly. You have to do it carefully so as not to let the juice flow out. Break open the peel with a fingernail and then bring your hand to your mouth while grasping the peel. Once it is at mouth height, you can simply drop the lychee in. You can keep clean hands, but a napkin is not an unnecessary luxury. You also need a container for the rather large kernels.

Eating tips for lychee

Lychees can be bought in Chinese supermarkets without pits, but they are a lot less tasty than fresh fruit. Due to the large seed, the lychee is not ideal for use in a salad. Or you have to deseed it first. That is sometimes very easy. But a lychee that is not ripe enough has the disadvantage that the flesh remains stuck around the stone. Pitted lychees are delicious in a green salad with lettuce leaves, as well as in a fruit salad. You can make a tasty summer salad with it. Once pitted, you can slice the lychee to put in a dessert over homemade ice cream. That’s a wonderful combination!