Lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical tree native to the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of southeastern China, where cultivation is documented from the 11th century.
There are 4 Lychee trees varieties.
Brewster Lychee
BREWSTER' IS ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVELY PLANTED COMMERCIAL VARIETIES IN FLORIDA. THE FRUIT IS LARGE, DEEP RED, AND IT IS OF EXCELLENT EATING QUALITY. THE TREE IS A VIGOROUS UPRIGHT GROWER THAT IS WELL SUITED TO FLORIDA.
Kaimana
KAIMANA IS GROWN COMMERCIALLY IN HAWAII AND AUSTRALIA, BUT HAS NEVER PERFORMED WELL IN FLORIDA OR CALIFORNIA. THE FRUIT IS LARGE, HEART SHAPED, AND ONE OF THE BEST TASTING, BUT PRODUCTION IS HIGHLY IRREGULAR AND RELATIVELY LIGHT.
Kwai Mai Pink
'KWAI MAI PINK' IS ALSO KNOWN AS BOSWORTH 3. THE FRUIT IS OF GOOD TO EXCELLENT QUALITY, AND IT IS A REGULAR PRODUCER. IT IS NOT A COMMERCIAL CULTIVAR BECAUSE THE FRUIT IS RELATIVELY SMALL, AND IT HAS A PINK SHELL. DESPITE THE ABSENCE OF COMMERCIAL PROMISE IT REMAINS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR THE HOME GARDEN.
Sweetheart
SWEETHEART™ IS HANDS DOWN OUR FINEST LYCHEE. IT IS A CONSISTENT PRODUCER OF HUGE HEART SHAPED FRUIT ALL HAVING CHICKEN TONGUE SEEDS. PRODUCTION IS CLOSE TO THAT OF MAURITIUS INSPIRING SMALL COMMERCIAL PLANTINGS BY GROWERS TARGETING HIGH-END PRODUCE MARKETS AND GOURMET RESTAURANTS. IT IS QUICKLY BECOMING THE VARIETY OF CHOICE BY DOORYARD GROWERS FOR ITS RELIABILITY AND SUPERIOR QUALITY.
Mauritius
MAURITIUS' ORIGINATES IN SOUTHERN CHINA, BUT IT IS NAMED FOR THE ISLAND OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF AFRICA WHERE EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL PLANTINGS HAVE BEEN IN PRODUCTION FOR DECADES. IT IS THE VARIETY OF CHOICE FOR COMMERCIAL GROWERS IN FLORIDA BECAUSE IT IS A REGULAR AND HEAVY PRODUCER. THE FRUIT IS SWEET, PINK TO RED, AND PRODUCES CHICKEN TONGUE SEEDS IN ABOUT ONE OUT OF TEN FRUIT.
Hak IP
HAK IP' MEANS "BLACK LEAF" IN CHINESE, AND IT REFERS TO THE DARK GREEN TO BLACK LEAVES OF THIS SUPERB VARIETY. THE FRUIT IS LARGE, SWEET, AND ALWAYS HAS ABORTED "CHICKEN TONGUE" SEEDS. IT IS BEING GROWN COMMERCIALLY ON A SMALL SCALE, AND IT IS ALREADY ONE OF THE PREFERRED VARIETIES FOR THE HOME GARDEN.
Lychees Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
The lychee (Litchi chinensis) — also known as litchi or lichee — is a small tropical fruit from the soapberry family.
Other popular fruits in this family include rambutan and longan.
Lychees are grown in subtropical regions throughout the world and especially popular in their native China, as well as Southeast Asia.
Known for their sweet and flowery flavor, they’re typically eaten fresh and sometimes used in ice creams or processed into juice, wine, sherbert, and jelly.
They’re a good source of several vitamins, minerals, and healthy antioxidants.
Lychees have an inedible, pink-red, leathery skin, which is removed before consumption. The flesh is white and surrounds a dark seed in the center.
1. Nutrition Facts
Lychees are mainly composed of water and carbs — which make up 82% and 16.5% of the fruit, respectively .
A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of fresh lychees provides the following nutrients. The table below shows the main nutrients in fresh lychees :
Calories: 66
Protein: 0.8 grams
Carbs: 16.5 grams
Sugar: 15.2 grams
Fiber: 1.3 grams
Fat: 0.4 grams
Carbs and Fibers
Besides water, lychees are mainly composed of carbs.
A single lychee — either fresh or dried — contains 1.5–1.7 grams of carbs .
The majority of the carbs in lychees comes from sugars, which are responsible for their sweet taste. They’re relatively low in fiber.
Vitamins and Minerals
Lychees are a decent source of several vitamins and minerals, including:
Vitamin C: The most abundant vitamin in lychees. One lychee provides around 9% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for vitamin C .
Copper: Lychees are a decent source of copper. Inadequate copper intake may have adverse effects on heart health .
Potassium: An essential nutrient that may improve heart health when eaten in sufficient amounts.
Summary Lychees are primarily composed of water and carbs, most of which are sugars. Compared to many other fruits, they’re low in fiber. They’re also high in vitamin C and offer decent amounts of copper and potassium.
Like other fruits, lychees are a good source of various antioxidant plant compounds.
In fact, they have been reported to contain higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols than several other common fruits.
Antioxidants in lychees include:
Epicatechin: A flavonoid that may improve heart health and reduce your risk of cancer and diabetes .
Rutin: A flavonoid which may help protect against chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Oligonol
Oligonol is a dietary supplement that is often mentioned in connection to lychees.
It’s a patented mixture of antioxidants (proanthocyanidins) derived from lychee skin and green tea, developed by the Amino Up Chemical Corporation in Japan.
The antioxidants are chemically altered to increase their uptake from your gut .
Several studies indicate that Oligonol may reduce abdominal fat, fatigue, and inflammation after exercise .
However, as it’s not found naturally in lychee fruits, its health effects don’t apply to lychees.
Summary Like most fruits and vegetables, lychees are a good source of antioxidants and other healthy plant compounds. These include epicatechin and rutin. Fresh lychees don’t contain any Oligonol, as is often claimed.
3. Possible Health Benefits
The health effects of lychees have not been studied yet.
However, including a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet may improve your health and reduce your risk of several chronic diseases .
Lychees contain several healthy minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, such as potassium, copper, vitamin C, epicatechin, and rutin. These may help protect against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes .
Animal studies also indicate that lychee extract may help fight liver cancer .
Still, further studies are needed to confirm the health benefits of lychees in humans.
Summary The health effects of lychees have not been studied directly. However, they contain several nutrients and antioxidants that are important for health.
When eaten in moderation as a part of a healthy diet, lychees do not have any known adverse health effects.
However, lychees have been associated with brain inflammation in South and Southeast Asia.
Whether lychees are responsible is not entirely clear, but scientists have hypothesized that the toxin hypoglycin A may be responsible. Further studies are needed .
Additionally, lychees may cause an allergic reaction in rare cases .
Summary Though lychees have been associated with brain inflammation in parts of Asia, it’s uncertain that they’re the culprit. Eating lychees in moderation should be safe for most people.
The Bottom Line
Lychees are popular in Southeast Asia and China but less common in other countries.
They have a sweet and flowery flavor and are a good source of vitamin C and several beneficial antioxidants. This makes them an excellent addition to a healthy diet.
Comments