Pinyin: Longyanrou
Aliases
Longyan, Guiyuan, Yuanyanrou, Longyanggan
Source
Plant of the Sapindaceae family, Longan (Dimocarpus longan)Dimocarpus longanDried aril of Lour.
Botanical Description
Evergreen tree, usually about 10 m tall. With buttress roots. Branchlets stout, sparsely appressed-pubescent, scattered with pale lenticels. Leaves even-pinnate, alternate; petiole including rachis 15-30 cm long; leaflets 4-5 pairs, petiolules usually not exceeding 5 mm; leaf blades thinly leathery, oblong-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, often asymmetric on both sides, 6-15 cm long, 2.5-5 cm wide, apex acuminate, sometimes slightly obtuse, adaxially dark green and glossy, abaxially pale green, glabrous on both surfaces. Inflorescence large, many-branched, terminal and nearly axillary, densely stellate-pubescent; pedicels short; sepals nearly leathery, triangular-ovate, about 2.5 mm long, both surfaces covered with yellowish-brown tomentum and fascicled stellate hairs; sepals and petals 5 each, petals milky white, lanceolate, nearly as long as sepals, abaxially sparsely pubescent; stamens 8; fruit subglobose, drupaceous, indehiscent, 1.2-2.5 cm in diameter, usually yellowish-brown, surface slightly rough; seeds tea-brown, shiny, completely enclosed by fleshy aril. Flowering period March to April, fruiting period July to September.
Habitat and Distribution
Cultivation is widespread from southwestern to southeastern China, mostly on embankments and in gardens; wild or semi-wild populations are also found in open forests in Guangdong, southern Guangxi, and Yunnan.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest the ripe fruit in summer and autumn, dry it, remove the shell and kernel, then sun-dry until dry and non-sticky.
Medicinal Properties
This product consists of longitudinally split irregular thin slices or sac-like pieces, approximately 1.5 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, and about 0.1 cm thick. The color ranges from brownish-yellow to brownish-brown, and it is semi-transparent. The outer surface is wrinkled and uneven, while the inner surface is shiny with fine longitudinal wrinkles. The thin slices are soft and moist, whereas the sac-like pieces are slightly harder. The odor is faintly aromatic, and the taste is sweet.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains glucose, sucrose, acids, choline and other constituents.
Pharmacology
Antibacterial; sedative and stomachic; anti-fatigue.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, warm. Enters the Heart and Spleen channels.
Functions and Indications
Tonifies the Heart and Spleen, nourishes Blood and calms the Spirit. Used for Qi and Blood deficiency, palpitations and anxiety, forgetfulness and insomnia, Blood deficiency with sallow complexion.
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decoct in water, 10-15 g, large dose 30-60 g; or made into paste; or steeped in wine; or prepared into pills or powder.
Precautions and Contraindications
Patients with pre-existing phlegm-fire and dampness-stagnation with epigastric fullness should use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For excessive anxiety, overwork impairing the Heart and Spleen, forgetfulness, and palpitations: Baizhu (Atractylodes macrocephala) 30 g, Fushen (Poria with host wood removed) 30 g, Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus, root removed) 30 g, Longyanrou (Longan Aril) 30 g, Suanzaoren (Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa, stir-fried and shell removed) 30 g, Renshen (Panax ginseng) 15 g, Muxiang (Saussurea costus, not exposed to fire) 15 g, Gancao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis, honey-fried) 7.5 g. Grind the above ingredients. Each dose: 12 g, decocted with 1.5 cups of water, 5 slices of Shengjiang (fresh ginger), and 2 pieces of Dazao (jujube). Reduce to 70% of the volume, strain, and take warm, regardless of meal times. (Gui Pi Tang from *Jisheng Fang*) 2. For greatly tonifying Qi and Blood: Peel fresh Longyan (longan) and place in a bamboo-tube-shaped porcelain bowl. For each 30 g of flesh, add 2 g of white sugar. For those with a constitution prone to internal Heat, add Xiyangshen (Panax quinquefolium) slices in the same amount as the sugar. Cover the bowl mouth with a layer of silk gauze. Steam over a rice cooker daily, repeating up to 100 times. For the elderly, weak, or those without Phlegm-Heat or loose stools, take one spoonful, brewed with boiling water. It greatly tonifies Qi and Blood, with effects surpassing Renshen and Huangqi. It is especially beneficial for women during childbirth. (Yu Ling Gao from *Suixiju Yinshi Pu*) 3. For postpartum edema in women: Longyanrou (Longan Aril), Shengjiang (fresh ginger), and Dazao (jujube). Decoct together and take the decoction. (From *Quanzhou Bencao*) 4. For Spleen deficiency with diarrhea: 14 pieces of Longyanrou (Longan Aril) and 3 slices of Shengjiang (fresh ginger). Decoct together and take the decoction. (From *Quanzhou Bencao*)
