BeautifulhameshaBlog.com Fashion and Beauty Blog Top 20 Benefits of Litchis or Lychees for Skin, Hair and Health – There are very few things that we like about summer and litchis are one of them. This juicy, exotic fruit is not only delicious, but there are many benefits of litchis for our health and beauty. Records suggest that the cultivation of litchis started in China, and today they are grown in tropical and sub tropical regions across the world. In ancient China, litchis were popular as a “gift for royal life”, which means it was considered as a great honor to gift litchis to the King or the Queen. One of the most important benefits of litchis are its high Vitamin C content. Also, it is rich in minerals and contains a good amount of proteins and dietary fiber. Keep on reading to find out the benefits of litchis or lychees for skin, hair and health.
Check – 7 Best Budget-Friendly Lip Balms in India
Before we begin with the list of benefits of litchis or lychees for skin, hair and health, let us share few facts about litchis below.
What is Litchi
Litchi or lychee is a round or oval shaped or heart shaped fruit with thin, hard, rough textured skin which is pinkish-brown in color. The edible part of the fruit is pulpy and translucent white or pinkish-white in color. There is an inedible seed in the middle. Scientifically known as Litchi chinensis, this fruit belongs to Sapindaceae family. Litchi grows in clusters on an evergreen tree that also bears pretty flowers during spring.
Litchi or lychee is a summer fruit and grows in warm tropical and sub tropical regions. Record shows that it has been cultivated in Southeast China for more than 40 centuries. It is currently grown in many regions of Asia including Israel, India, China, Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Southern Japan. Litchi also grows in Oceania (Northwest Australia), East Africa, America, Spain and some Pacific islands.
Check – 13 Best Homemade Papaya Face Pack Recipes for Smooth & Radiant Skin
Nutritional Facts about Litchi
We have already mentioned that litchis are one of the best natural sources of Vitamin C. Around 71 mg Vitamin C can be found in 100 gms of litchis. However, this fruit is rich in other essential nutrients including vitamin B6, niacin (Vitamin B3), riboflavin (Vitamin B2), folate (Vitamin B9) and minerals like manganese, copper, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and manganese.
- Energy : 66 kcal (3.3%)
- Carbohydrates : 16.53 g (12.7%)
- Protein – 0.83 g (1.5%)
- Total Fat – 0.44 g (2%)
- Cholesterol – 0 mg
- Dietary Fiber – 1.3 g (3.5%)
Vitamins
- Folates -14 µg (3.5%)
- Niacin – 0.603 mg (3.5%)
- Choline – 7.1 mg (1%)
- Pyridoxine – 0.100 mg (9%)
- Riboflavin – 0.065 mg (5%)
- Vitamin A – 0 mg
- Vitamin C – 71.5 mg (119%)
- Thiamin – 0.011 mg (1%)
- Vitamin E – 0.07 mg( 0.5%)
- Vitamin K – 0.4 µg (0.3%)
Electrolytes
- Sodium – 1 mg (0%)
- Potassium – 171 mg (3.5%)
Minerals
- Calcium – 5 mg (0.5%)
- Copper – 0.148 mg (16%)
- Iron – 0.31 mg (4%)
- Magnesium – 10 mg (2.5%)
- Manganese – 0.055 mg (2.5%)
- Phosphorus – 31 mg (4.5%)
- Selenium – 0.6 µg (1%)
- Zinc – 0.07 mg (0.5%)
Different Names for Litchi
- Litchee in Hindi
- Lichi in Gujarati and Marathi
- Lichu in Bengali
- Laichi pazham in Tamil
- Litchi Pandu in Telugu
- Lichi Pazham in Malayalam
So, that was a small brief about litchi and its nutritional facts. Below, you will find out about the best benefits of litchis for skin, hair and health.
Benefits of Litchis for Skin
1. Anti Aging Benefits of Litchis
This is the most important beauty benefits of litchis. We must add anti oxidant rich ingredients in our diet and beauty routine to ward off the signs of aging. Litchis are a great source anti oxidant. They contain oligonol, one of the polyphenols, which is high in antioxidants. It helps in boosting blood circulation and also protects our skin from UVA damages, which is a common cause of premature aging. Topical application of litchi acts as a protective shield for our skin against smoke, sun, and free radicals that tend to dry out our skin and makes way for premature aging.
How to use litchis or lychees for anti aging
- Take 4-5 litchis, remove the seeds and the skin. Put them in a blender and then add 1/4 of a ripe banana. Blend together to make a smooth paste and apply the mixture on the face and neck. Massage gently for couple of minutes and then keep it on the skin for another 15-20 minutes. Wash off with fresh water. Repeat regularly.
- Put few peeled and de-seeded litchis in a blender to get litchi pulp. Add two tsp raw honey to the litchi pulp and mix together. Apply this on the face and neck and massage for a minute or two. Let it sit on the skin for next 20 minutes and then wash off with fresh water. Repeat regularly.
2. Gets Rid of Patchy Complexion
Now a days patchy complexion has become a common problem. Litchis are one of the best natural remedies to get rid of the patchy complexion and restore healthy skin. This fruit is a rich source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for healthy skin as it helps in evening out the complexion and make the skin glowing. Furthermore, the anti oxidant benefits of litchis help to keep the skin healthy by reducing oxidative damage to our skin cells.
Check – 12 Magical Home Remedies for Split Ends without Cutting Hair
How to use litchis to get rid of patchy complexion
First peel and de-seed 4-5 litchis. Mash them and extract the juice. Add few drops of lavender oil to the litchi juice and mix together. Apply the mixture on the face with the help of a cotton ball. Let it sit on the skin for 15-20 minutes, before removing with a clean, wet cloth. Apply regularly to get flawless skin.
3. Hydrates the Skin
Proper hydration is the key to a healthy skin. It keeps our skin soft, supple, youthful and prevent dullness and dryness. If you are looking for the best natural way to keep your skin hydrated, then do take help of these exotic fruits. Furthermore, litchis are high in water content, which is why they are considered as a great source of hydration and moisturization for our skin. Adding litchis to your daily diet or regular consumption of litchi juice is very beneficial to keep the skin hydrated and well moisturized.
Check – 23 Must Know Benefits of Watermelon for Skin, Hair and Health
4. Anti Acne Benefits of Litchis
This is one of the lesser known beauty benefits of litchis. Acne is a major skin problem for most of us. Many at times we spend thousands for anti acne treatments available in the market. But they are not always able to produce the result we expect. Natural remedies work always better than commercial solutions. Litchis can be your best bet, if you too are troubled with acne. It is high is vitamin C, which is considered beneficial for acne treatment. It helps in getting rid of excess oil on the skin, which is one of the major causes of acne. Moreover, the anti oxidant benefits of litchis help in protecting the skin from acne caused by free radicals.
How to use litchis for acne treatment
- Put few litchis in a blender after removing the seeds and the skin. Add some milk and yogurt as well. Blend together and prepare a smooth paste. Apply this on the face and wait till it gets dry. Wash off with fresh water. Repeat regularly.
- Alternatively, you can also apply freshly squeezed litchi juice on the acne affected parts of the face to get positive results.
5. Treats Sunburns
During summer, its easy to develop sunburn. Long and frequent exposure to the sun is very damaging for our skin. It causes redness on the skin along with blisters. In severe cases, it becomes painful as well. Litchis are enriched with the goodness of vitamin E, which is known for its ability to reverse sun damage. Litchis or lychees also contain oligonol, one of the polyphenols, which is high in antioxidants. It helps in boosting blood circulation and accelerates the healing process of the skin. Also it can protect our skin from UVA damages.
Check – How to Soothe Sunburned Skin
How to use litchis to treat sunburn
First peel and de-seed 4-5 litchis. Mash them and then extract the juice. Take couple of vitamin E capsules and puncture them to add the oil to the litchi juice. Mix together and then apply the mixture on the affected parts of the skin. Wait for 30 minutes and then rinse off with cold water. Repeat regularly until the situation improves.
6. Provides Healthy Skin
Litchis are must if you want flawless, healthy, glowing skin. This fruit is an excellent source of various nutrients like vitamins, minerals, anti oxidants, etc. The anti oxidants drive away the free radicals and protect our skin from oxidative damage, which can otherwise lead to fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, etc. Litchis also contain thiamin, which boosts our metabolism and also aids in keeping the skin healthy. The copper present in litchis is beneficial to heal damaged skin cells. Niacin is another component of litchi, which helps in keeping the skin properly hydrated and moisturized and thus avoid skin problems like acne, spots, rough skin, etc. Regular consumption of litchis or litchi juice help in keeping the skin healthy from within.
Benefits of Litchis for Hair
After taking about best skin benefits of litchis, we will now discuss how litchi is beneficial for our hair.
7. Boosts Hair Growth
Suffering from lack of hair growth is very common among both men and women. However, for obvious reasons it hurts women the most. Litchis can be your answer if you are looking for a safer and better alternative to market bought solutions. It is a rich source of anti oxidants, which fight off the free radicals and prevent them from doing any damage to our hair. Also litchis are high in copper, which is very beneficial to stimulate the hair follicles and help in healthy hair growth. Moreover, all the nutrients present in litchis nourish hair follicles and lead to better hair growth.
Check – 20 Best Fruit Face Mask for Summer You can Try at Home
How to use litchis to boost hair growth
Put 10 peeled and de-seeded litchis in a blender to get litchi pulp and extract the juice. Add two tbsp aloe vera gel to the litchi juice and mix both of them together. Apply it on the scalp and then massage for couple of minutes. Let it sit for another hour and wash off with a mild shampoo. Repeat once in a week.
8. Treats Dull and Damaged Hair
If your hair is losing its shine, then its high time that you include litchis in your hair care regime. Litchis are high in vitamin C, which helps to bring back the natural shine of our hair. Moreover, it also contains good amount of copper and iron, which are essential for shiny, black hair. The anti oxidant benefits of litchis protect our hair from damages done by free radicals. The other components present in litchi nourish the hair and also restore its natural shine.
How to use litchis or lychees to treat dull and damaged hair
- Take 10-12 litchis, peel and remove the seeds. Put them in the blender and make its pulp ready. Add your regular hair oil to the litchi pulp and mix together. Apply the mixture on the scalp and massage thoroughly. Leave it on for an hour and wash off with a mild shampoo.
- Alternatively, you can use the litchi pulp or juice itself on the hair and scalp to bring back the shine and lustre to the hair.
Also read
Top 10 Fruits for Glowing Skin – Must Know
Fruits that Brighten the Skin Instantly
22 Surprising Benefits of Coconut Water for Skin, Hair and Health
15 Amazing Benefits of Pomegranate Juice for Skin, Hair and Health
9. Boosts Blood Circulation on the Scalp
Healthy hair starts with healthy scalp and if you want healthy scalp, then its important to ensure better blood circulation on the scalp. Improved blood circulation means increased supply of nutrients to the hair follicles to rejuvenate them. Litchis are high in vitamin C, which plays a vital role in boosting blood circulation on the scalp. This in turn help to nourish the hair follicles and ensures that our hair stays long, strong and healthy. Furthermore, improved blood circulation also minimizes the risk of various scalp infections.
Benefits of Litchis for Health
I hope you enjoyed knowing about the benefits of litchis for our skin and hair. Keep on reading to find out what are the benefits of litchis for our health.
10. Improves Digestion
Suffering from indigestion frequently? Add litchis to your daily diet. These fruits are high in dietary fiber. As we already know, foods that are rich in fiber, help in regulating our bowel movement and improves our digestive health. Fibers also stimulate the release of gastric and digestive juices, which leads to better digestion of the food as well as improved absorption of the nutrients. Moreover, litchis are high in water, which also helps in soothing the stomach.
11. Good for Heart
Litchis are good for our heart, thanks to their anti oxidant properties. Litchis contain a compound known as oligonol. It helps in boosting the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is vital for our cardiovascular health. It helps in expanding the blood vessels, which in turn ensures smooth blood flow and thus it reduces the chance of blood clotting. This is how litchis help in boosting our heart health.
Check – What Does the Color of Period Blood Mean
12. Controls Blood Pressure
This is another major health benefits of litchis. Litchis are high in potassium. Potassium helps our body to maintain a fluid balance, which is important for proper metabolic functions. Also potassium helps in lowering the stress on our cardiovascular system by expanding the blood vessels and reducing the chance of blood clotting. Also litchis are very low in sodium, which is important to control the fluid balance in our body and maintain blood pressure level.
13. Can Prevent Cancer
Litchis have anti cancer effects. According to researches, litchi extracts contain powerful anti oxidants and flavonoids. They have anti cancer benefits, which are specially effective to prevent breast cancer. Studies have proved that the polyphenolic compounds and proanthocyanidins found in litchi are more powerful than vitamin C in fighting off the free radicals and protecting our body from various diseases including premature aging, cancer, heart diseases, etc. Health experts suggests to take litchis in any form on daily basis to prevent cancer and other fatal diseases.
14. Anti Viral Benefits of Litchis
Researches have shown that litchis have anti viral effects. The proanthocyanidins in litchis have anti viral benefits. Furthermore, litchitannin A2 in litchi can prevent the outbreak of different viruses.
15. Prevent Loss of Vision
Litchis or lychees are important for our eye health. They can help preventing cataract, which can be developed with aging. It makes our vision unclear and also affects millions of people. Studies have shown that litchis are beneficial to prevent cataract because of their phytochemicals. These phytochemicals posses anti oxidant and anti neoplastic properties, which prevent abnormal growth of cells and eventually help in inhibiting cataract.
16. Acts as a Immunity Booster
Litchis are great for our immune system. This fruit is rich in vitamin C. In fact, it contains more than 100% of the daily requirement of vitamin C. This particular vitamin is essential for boosting our immunity. Vitamin C helps in boosting the activity of white blood cells, which in turn acts as a natural defense system of our body and protect it from foreign materials.
17. Improves Blood Circulation
Litchis are known to improve our blood circulation through out the body. It is rich in copper. Just like iron, copper is also necessary for the formation of red blood cells or RBCs. The more amount of RBC means better blood circulation all over the body. The blood is responsible for carrying oxygen and other nutrients to various organs. So when we have better blood circulation, more amount of oxygen and nutrients reach organs and cells and help to maintain a healthy functional body.
18. Helps in Weight Loss
If you are determined to lose the extra kilos, then make sure to add litchis to your daily diet. Its a low calorie fruit and contains a lot of water, which explains why litchis are good for losing weight. Moreover, it is rich in fiber, which also aids in weight loss. Any food with high amount of fiber gives a feeling of saturation and prevent unhealthy snacking.
19. Gives Stronger Bones
Litchis are good for our bones. The fruit comes loaded with minerals such as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus etc. These minerals are essential for healthy bones, as they increase the calcium absorption in the bones.
20. Heals Influenza
This is one of the major health benefits of litchis. Influenza is a communicable disease and it is caused by viruses. Studies have shown that influenza viruses are resistant to common anti viral drugs. If not treated on time, influenza can lead to severe health issues such as pneumonia. Health experts recommend to consume litchi or litchi juice as it has the power to counter the virus. Litchis contain phenolic acids which help to protect our body from viruses, while its high amount of Vitamin C protects the respiratory system from infections.
Check – Top 10 Fruits for Glowing Skin
Side Effects of Litchis
So far, we have discussed various benefits of litchis for our health and beauty. But there are some side effects of eating litchis as well, and we think you must be aware of them.
- Litchis or lychees are rich in sugar, hence diabetic patients must be careful before eating them. The high amount of sugar present in litchis can disrupt the blood sugar level and also cause complications.
- Litchis are considered as a “hot food”, which means excessive consumption of litchis can disturb our body’s nutrient level. This is why, some people experience fever, bleeding nose or sore throat after eating litchis. However, when taken in moderation, litchis do not cause any risk to our health.
How to Store Litchis
Litchis are not difficult to store. They can be kept at room temperature for up to 5 days, and can be refrigerated for up to 5 weeks. To prevent moisture loss, the fruits should be wrapped in a paper towel and then kept in a perforated plastic bag. One must remember not to peel the litchis except just before eating them.
So these were some of the major benefits of litchis for our skin, hair and health. I hope you found the article helpful and it provided you a lot of reasons to add these exotic fruits to your daily diet.
