Health Benefits of Lychee

Lychee, translated from Chinese as 'gift for a joyful life', surely lives up to its name. The lychee fruit contains vitamins and minerals that promote a healthy diet, it is sweet and delicious and it has been enjoyed joyfully by natives of southeast Asia for centuries.

The health benefits of thee fruit has been tried, proven and touted in countries such as China, India and Indonesia, so much so that lychee made its way into ancient Chinese legend. It is believed that the Emperor of the Tang Dynast would dispatch royal guards some 600 miles to pick lychee in an effort to woo his favorite concubine, to entice her with the sweet, fragrant flesh of the lychee fruit. Today, the lychee fruit in China as a result of such legend, is now a symbol of romance and love.

Anyone who eats the lychee fruit immediately falls in love with it. But if the fact that lychee is so delicious doesn't not convince you to try it, maybe hearing some of the health benefits of lychee will make you give this tropical fruit a second look.

Two studies done conclude that the lychee fruit prevents the growth of cancer cells. Lychee contains flavonoids in its pulp which prove very effective against breast cancer in particular. The Zhejiang Gonshang University and the West China Hospital at Sichuan University in China conducted the studies. So this little fruit that resembles a strawberry can help to protect your body against cancer.

Another health benefit of the lychee fruit is that it is a great source of vitamin C, a vitamin that the body does not produce naturally. Vitamin C helps the body to fight heart disease and cancer, Vitamin C is good for our bones, skin and tissue, and therefore is a very important vitamin to our overall good health.

Through the high content Vitamin C content of the lychee fruit, the fruit benefits those suffering from colds, fevers and sore throats. Lychee also helps the body to digest food properly for the best nutrition and an added boost of health.

Lychee, the Chinese believe, also has the ability to relieve pain and shrink swollen glands. People in China treat these symptoms with the lychee fruit using ancient Chinese medicines and they attest to its powers even though there are currently no studies out there that give scientific weight to this argument.

Along with these health benefits lychee also contains phosphorous, calcium, magnesium and protein. Though the lychee fruit is native to Asia, the popularity and reputation of the fruit as a healthful fruit has contributed to the commercial growth of lychee trees in California and Florida. Lychee can be found in Asian supermarkets in cans or dried or they are found in jellies, jams, marmalades or sauces in Asian cuisine.