Potential Roles of Longan as a Natural Remedy with Tremendous Nutraceutical Values

Abstract

Background: Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) is a characteristic Sapindaceae fruit native to China and is a seasonal non-climacteric fruit with unique flavor, rich nutrients, and high economic value. Longan was used as a traditional Chinese medicine for various purposes, such as soothing nerves, relieving insomnia and increasing blood metabolism. Longan fruits are alternately eaten fresh, and they have elegant and sweet-tasting flesh. This fruit can also be processed to make dried pulp, jam, drinks, wine and canned fruit. Objective: The aim of this manuscript is to survey the chemical and natural constituents of longan and show the importance of longan in both modern and traditional pharmaceutical sciences. Methods: The goal of this article was to emphasize the most important benefits and pharmaceutical advantages of longan. The manuscript consists of randomized control experiments, review articles, observations and analytical studies, which have been gathered from various sources such as Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct. A review of the literature was done by using the keywords such as longan Dimocarpus, longan natural products, traditional Chinese medicine, and pharmaceutical benefits. Results: The most important chemical constituents of the pericarp of longan are friedelin, friedelanol, (24R)-stigmast-4-en-3-one, β-sitosterol, β-(2-furly) acrylic acid, 6-hydroxy-7- methoxycoumarin, β-daucosterol, corilagin, gallic acid, heptyl p-hydroxybenzoate, methyl gallate, 4-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-ellagic acid, and ellagic acid. The most notable antioxidant compounds extracted from longan shells are scopoletin, isovanillin, astragalin, quercetin, β- phenylethyl alcohol and hyperin. The most important biological properties of longan pericarp are tyrosinase inhibitory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-glycated, anticancer, memory-increasing impact, and other parameters that have a significant contribution to human health. Conclusion: This review article finds that longan is an excellent source of constituents with beneficial nutritional and bioactive characteristics. More clinical research may be needed to reveal the countless substances and their impacts in longan that may affect public health.