Lychee Seed and Longan Seed Decoction

Why people make this decoction

In Chinese folk medicine, the hard seeds of lychee and longan fruit have long been considered useful for conditions involving stagnant qi in the lower abdomen — including the type of discomfort that accompanies an inguinal (small-intestine) hernia. Multiple traditional food-therapy texts reference lychee seed in particular for its ability to “move stagnant qi and disperse cold,” qualities that practitioners associate with the pulling sensation or dull pain that a hernia can produce.

The seeds are the part you usually discard when eating the fruit. Many families collect and dry them during the summer when lychees and longans are in season, so they have a supply on hand year-round.