Longan
Dimocarpus longan · 龙眼肉
Fruits. Chinese Medicine.
Also called Long yan rou, Dragon's eye, Dragon eye fruit, Lungan
Pinyin: Lóng Yǎn Ròu
Spanish: Longán
A sweet dried fruit eaten as food. Chinese medicine uses it to calm the spirit and support blood and energy.
Did you know? Its name means dragon eye, because the translucent flesh of the peeled fruit looks like an eyeball.
What it may help, and how strong the proof is
- Sleep. Used in Gui Pi Tang for poor sleep and worry. No good human trials test longan alone.Traditional proof
- Energy & tiredness. Traditional use for tiredness and weakness after illness. Mostly tradition and lab work.Traditional proof
- Anemia & blood building. Traditional blood tonic. No good human trials.Traditional proof
Parts of the body
Traditional use
Traditional Chinese Medicine uses long yan rou to nourish blood, calm the spirit and support the Heart and Spleen. It is a key herb in Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction), used in tradition for poor sleep and worry.
How it is classified
How people take it
Eaten dried as food or simmered in tea and soups, in normal food amounts. No medical dose studies exist for the fruit.
Food, tea, decoction and powder.
Where to get it
Grown in southern China, Thailand and Vietnam. Sold dried, as whole fruit or as dried flesh. Some dried longan is sulfured for color, so check labels if you are sensitive to sulfites.
Be careful
Safe as food for most people. Large amounts may cause bloating or loose stools. Longan is high in sugar. People allergic to lychee may react to longan too.
Avoid if: diabetes medicines; lychee allergy.
Mixing with other things
- Works well together
Longan and sour jujube seed are both in Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction) for worry and poor sleep.
- Works well together
Longan and poria are both in Gui Pi Tang.
- Works well together
Longan and huang qi are both in Gui Pi Tang, which builds Qi and blood.
- Works well together
Longan and ginseng are both in Gui Pi Tang.
Found in these formulas
Restore the Spleen (TCM)
The honest take
Longan is a sweet, food-level fruit with little risk. Its sleep and blood claims come mostly from tradition inside formulas like Gui Pi Tang. For most people, its sugar content matters more than any medicinal effect.