Lychee: Health Benefits & Its Side Effects

Lychee is one of the favorite fruits of people during summer. This sweet little jelly-like fruit not only tastes good but also has medicinal properties. It has antioxidant properties and works as a stimulant for the immune system. Its chemical composition helps in reducing pain and swelling. But do you know eating lychee can kill you as well? To get a better understanding of this, watch our YouTube Video, “Lychee: Health Benefits & Its Side Effects”.

How Lychees Are Dangerous For Your Health?

Not every lychee is dangerous, but you need to ensure that the one you are consuming is not harmful to your health. Lychees look beautiful in bright red color. But have you noticed some green lychees as well in the bunch when you get them home? These green unripe lychees are the dangerous ones. They are so harmful that if you consume them on an empty stomach you can die as well.

Why Unripe Lychees Are Dangerous?

• Unripe lychee contains the chemicals Hypoglycin A, which causes severe vomiting, and methylene cyclopropyl-glycine (MCPG) which causes a sharp drop in sugar levels in blood. That further leads to nausea and unconsciousness which may result in coma and deaths.
• When consumed by malnourished children it can cause high fever followed by seizures.

What Are Hypoglycin A and MCPG?

Hypoglycin A is an amino acid that is naturally found in the unripened lychee, while MCPG is a poisonous compound present in the seeds of lychee.

Side Effects of Lychee:

Apart from the severe health conditions caused by unripe lychees, fresh and healthy-looking lychees may also cause harm to you. Some of the common side effects are given below:

• 1. Eating too much lychee may pose a risk of toxicity in the body due to the accumulation of metallic compounds,
• 2. Skin itching,
• 3. Swelling in the throat and lips,
• 4. Rashes,
• 5. Loose motions.

Follow us at Lloyd Institute of Forensic Science to learn more about such interesting topics.

Health Benefits of Lychee:

Apart from the ill effects of Lychee, there are health benefits to consuming it as well. Some of the benefits are:

• Shows antioxidant properties,
• Act as liver protective,
• Help in lowering blood sugar,
• Helps in reducing lipid levels,
• Help in managing body weight as it has low-calorie content,
• Shows anticancer properties,
• Helps in reducing blood pressure,
• Improves the immune system,
• Reduce fat accumulation in blood vessels,
• Provides dietary fibers,
• Aid in digestion as it increases metabolism,
• Contains Vitamin A, B, and C,
• Contains Flavonoids that help in inflammation.