Longan, the flesh of the dragon’s eye
Long Yan Rou reads “flesh of the dragon’s eye”: once the shell is removed, the translucent flesh reveals the black, round, glossy seed, and the fruit looks like an eye. Its other name, Gui Yuan, comes from Guangxi, where the tree was widely grown. A cousin of the lychee and the rambutan, the longan is a handsome evergreen tree of the warm provinces; the aril of the ripe fruit is used, shelled, stoned and dried. Fujian is considered the reference terroir. It is both a food and a pharmacopoeia plant: it is eaten as is, as an infusion, a decoction or a steamed paste.
Supplementing the Heart and Spleen
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, longan is sweet and warm: sweetness supplements, and its gentle warmth sets things moving without forcing. It is associated with two organs linked by the Blood: the Spleen, which produces it, and the Heart, which governs it and houses the Shen. Tradition sees it as the plant for those worn down by circling thoughts and prolonged worry. It nourishes the Blood in two ways, by strengthening its production by the Spleen and by directly nourishing the Heart Blood, and discreetly augments the Qi. For nourishing, Li Shizhen judged it superior to the lychee, being “moderate and peaceful”.
Calming the mind by giving it a foundation
According to tradition, the Heart houses the Shen; deprived of the Blood that lodges it, the mind no longer has a home. By nourishing the Heart Blood, longan gives it a foundation, instead of constraining it as heavy substances would. Its advantage fits in a word: it is sweet without being cloying, and can be taken for a long time where the great Blood tonics weigh on digestion. With astragalus, it forms the two pillars of Gui Pi Tang, “the decoction that returns to the Spleen”.
Key benefits
Nourished Blood & Supported Heart
Longan nourishes the Blood and supports the Heart, through the Spleen that produces it and directly at the Heart.
Calm Mind & Serenity
By returning to the Shen the Blood that lodges it, it calms the Shen without constraining it.
Vitality & Gentleness
Sweet and warm, it discreetly augments the Qi and tones the body, without weighing on digestion.
