Miraculous health drink: “Longan extract”, an important economic plant

When Longan Extract Becomes the Ultimate Health Drink
It was found that longan extract can be an excellent health drink, from fighting cancer, providing benefits to the body, both as an antioxidant, to relieving aches and pains, helping with sleep, and much more.

Longan is a fruit that is considered an important economic plant, with an export value of several billion baht per year. In addition to eating fresh fruit or cooking it into desserts, such as Khao Niew Piak Longan, it can also be processed into various products to increase its value, such as longan extract. For nutritional value, it was found that the flesh of longan fruit consists of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A, B, B2, niacin, vitamin C, amino acids, and sugars that make longan sweet, namely glucose, sucrose, and fructose.

Dr. Thitsa Weerasamai, Head of the Anti-Aging Medicine Center, Phyathai 1 Hospital, said that people in the present era have to face stress through various events, which we cannot see with the naked eye and do not have any symptoms, but will accumulate over time. If it happens continuously, it will cause the deterioration of cells or important organs of the body. In medical terms, it is called “Inflammatory process” or “aging” results in a decrease in all aspects of the body’s efficiency, such as insomnia, forgetfulness, aches and pains, sagging skin, and an increased risk of coronary artery disease, etc.

Traditional Chinese medicine is another accepted science, using various herbs and fruits to make medicine for people. Longan is extracted and used as an ingredient in medicine because longan that has been extracted has a sweet taste and medicinal properties, nourishes the spleen, heart, and blood, helps improve blood circulation, relieves insomnia, repairs worn-out parts of the body, and nourishes the optic nerve.

Li Shi Zhen, a Chinese herbalist, created the Chinese herbal medicine recipe Ben Chao Gang Mu, which is still used in modern medicine. It is stated that longan is an herb that helps to make people more youthful, can balance the body, helps to relax, and improves the quality of sleep. However, the Chinese believe that eating a large amount of fresh longan will not directly cure the disease, but will cause internal heat.

However, food technology has been used to develop healthy foods through medical research called “nutraceuticals” or foods that provide nutritional benefits similar to medicine, and concentrated longan extracts are becoming more interesting. In addition, there is also the use of food technology to develop many healthy foods through medical research called “nutraceuticals” or foods that provide nutritional benefits similar to medicine, one of which is currently of interest is “concentrated longan extracts” because longan pulp contains vitamins C, B12, minerals that have properties to nourish the heart, nerves, skin, help digest food, reduce inflammation, and solve insomnia according to Chinese medicine. However, to be effective, you need to eat a large amount of fresh longan pulp, 40-50 kilograms per time, which is difficult. Therefore, the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, conducted a study by extracting longan pulp into a concentrated drink that is easy to consume. It found benefits from the components of 5 important bioactive compounds, which are in this concentrated longan extract. That helps restore the body from the inside out, including:

1. Gallic acid

2. Ellagic acid

3. Tannic acid

4. GABA

5. Corilagin

However, research has found that the 5 benefits in the concentrated extract of longan help improve sleep quality, reduce blood pressure levels. Even in syrup form, it does not increase blood sugar or fat levels. It does not adversely affect liver and kidney function, helps relieve muscle aches and pains, and helps you sleep deeper and better. When you wake up to work, you feel refreshed and not forgetful.

It can be seen that longan is a fruit that, in addition to its economic and food value, also has medicinal benefits. Due to its outstanding antioxidant properties, longan has the potential to be developed into a natural antioxidant and applied in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. In particular, the extract from longan seeds and peels has been found to have pharmacological effects and many interesting important substances. Which should be further studied, especially in human studies, to benefit health. And it also increases the value of waste materials from consumption.

Reference

pharmacy.mahidol

chulabhorn research institute