Lychee (fruit): properties and benefits for your health

Lychee is a fresh and nutritious food that children can really like. The most important season for this fruit is during November, December, January and February, although in some regions it is easy to find lychee throughout the year.

Besides being a very rich fruit, lychee has interesting properties and health benefits. For this reason, it is recommended that children and older adults consume it frequently.

We show you here everything you need to know about this peculiar-looking fruit.

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Lychee, the fruit with multiple properties and benefits for your health

Lychee has a flavor between sour and sweet. It is a small fruit, with a red, rough and hard skin, but it is easy to remove. Inside, its pulp is white, with a texture similar to that of a grape; It has a large, elongated brown seed.

Lychee is a fruit with properties and benefits for your health that you should know about. It is ideal for strengthening the immune system during the winter season, so whenever possible take advantage of lychee season to eat and enjoy it.

1. Vitamin C

Lychee is a fruit very rich in vitamin C. It has amounts similar to any citrus fruit, making it an alternative to oranges, lemons and mandarins. Vitamin C fulfills several functions in the body, the most important of which is to allow the absorption of iron.

Being a source of vitamin C, lychee helps strengthen the immune system. Thanks to this, it helps prevent respiratory diseases, common in the winter season. It also contributes to the production of collagen.

2. Cardiovascular health

The cardiovascular system is benefited by this fruit. Because it contains antioxidants, flavonoids, and fiber, lychee provides the body with nutrients necessary to maintain good cardiovascular health.

One of the main antioxidants contained in lychee is oligonol, this compound increases nitric oxide levels in the blood, which causes a dilation of blood vessels and with this it is possible to lower blood pressure, so it is recommended for people hypertensive.

3. Anti-inflammatory

One of the benefits of lychee is its anti-inflammatory effect. For athletes, it is recommended to eat a serving of this fruit as an aid in helping to reduce inflammation of the muscles.

Research is currently under development trying to demonstrate the efficiency of lychee to help in various inflammatory diseases. Nevertheless, many people use this fruit to relieve pain from colitis or other inflammations.

4. Against free radicals

Lychee contains antioxidants that help fight free radicals. Foods that have antioxidants among their compounds fight the damage that free radicals do to the body, not only in the skin, but also in the cells.

This is extremely important, as free radicals accelerate the aging of the organs. Antioxidants help reduce this damage, which is why the consumption of lychee is effective in fighting cell aging.

5. Strengthens the immune system

Lychee vitamins and minerals protect the immune system. It contains vitamins B1 and B2, vitamin C, protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. In addition to the antioxidants that this tropical fruit also contains.

All these properties help the immune system to strengthen and help fight diseases caused by viruses and bacteria. Despite its prolonged consumption, it also helps fight certain chronic diseases such as hypertension and even cancer.

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6. Diuretic

Lychee works as a mild diuretic. This fruit, thanks to the antioxidants it contains, mainly oligonol, helps the body not retain fluids. Fluid retention causes bloating and favors the development of cardiovascular diseases.

That is why it is important to combat fluid retention. Lychee works for this purpose, although only in a mild to moderate condition. It is said to serve as a light and natural diuretic.

7. Against stomach discomfort

A lychee infusion can ease an upset stomach. A property of lychee that has been used in traditional medicine is to relieve stomach discomfort such as indigestion or inflammation.

Its use is recommended in the form of an infusion, because it is more effective and its properties are enhanced to bring relief to the stomach. This is because, as already mentioned, lychee has anti-inflammatory properties.

8. Prevents anemia

Due to its vitamin C content, lychee helps prevent anemia. Vitamin C is essential for iron to bind properly to the body. For this reason, a constant intake of this vitamin is recommended.

Lychee contains the same amount of vitamin C as citrus fruits, for this reason it can be recommended to consume it in diets that are focused on the prevention or reduction of anemia. In addition to the fact that together with vitamin C it provides other nutrients to the body.

9. Fight bad cholesterol

Consuming lychee could help to get bad cholesterol under control. The antioxidants contained in lychee help maintain good cardiovascular health, in addition to contributing to good blood flow and dilation of the vessels.

All of this helps prevent bad cholesterol from accumulating excessively in the veins. So the regular consumption of lychee, along with a healthy diet, helps reduce low cholesterol and thus fight possible cardiovascular diseases.

10. Against throat inflammation

An effective home remedy against throat inflamation includes lychee. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, lychee has been used to reduce inflammation of the throat. Either from a bad use of the voice or an infection, the larynx can become inflamed, and the symptoms are really annoying.

The roots and bark of lychee are prepared in an infusion to obtain their anti-inflammatory benefits, and with this reduce the annoyance. It can even have an analgesic effect, which is why in herbal medicine this home remedy is used for sore throats.

Bibliographic references

• Morton, Julia F. (1987). "Fruits of warm climates". Purdue University center for New Crops & Plants Products.

• Spencer, Peter S.; Valerie S. Palmer (2017). "The enigma of litchi toxicity: an emerging health concern in southern Asia". thelancet.com.