Lychees are a yummy fruit grown on the islands of Hawaii. When we were in Hawaii last month we didn’t get to do a tour that was just about lychee but we did see a few trees that were full of beautiful fruit. It’s summer so it’s the perfect time to enjoy these little bursts of flavor.

Growing Lychees
Lychee/Litchi is a tropical fruit native to low elevation lands of China, Taiwan, South East Asia and of course Hawaii. The little clusters are usually oval or round and grow on a slow-growing, medium-sized evergreen tree. They are covered with a red-colored, rough-textured, easily removable rind. Inside is a sweet translucent ball of yumminess but it has a seed that you for sure don’t want to bite into.
According to Kaye Family Farms in Hawaii, lychee can be grown in almost any type of soil from sea level to 2000 ft elevation. They love well drained, acidic soil. They also love humidity in the summer for the fruit and cold in the winter for the flowers. Hawaii has so many microclimates that picking the right area to grow lychees is very important. It does make me think they should grow well in South Carolina but I think maybe the frost is what would kill them? Maybe we will give it a try.
Lychee in Skincare
Some of the benefits of lychee in skincare are a great source of skin-friendly nutrients like thiamin, niacin, and copper. Thiamin assists the body in metabolizing fats and protein for healthy skin. Niacin boosts the hydration levels in the skin while copper, in small quantities, helps to speed up the healing of damaged skin. All these benefits make lychee a super fruit for your skin.
Lychees are extremely juicy and helps keep the body hydrated. Of course this means healthy, hydrated skin. There is no chance of dehydration when you consume this fruit.
The Health Benefits of Lychee
According to Top Food Facts, lychee also have the following health benefits:
- All the rich fibers helps maintain digestive health. It helps to keep the stomach clear of harmful toxins, and prevents the problems of constipation. It also has the ability to cleanse the colon. Furthermore, the lychee is a natural diuretic, and helps relieve pain caused due to kidney stones.
- The high vitamin C content in it makes this fruit extremely beneficial for our bone and skin health. Moreover, it strengthens the body’s immune system, and the ability to fight different types of disease.
- Lychee fruit extract is great for those looking to lose weight around the abdomen, and for those who aim to improve their metabolism.
- Supposedly it helps against potential heart attacks. It clears out blood clots and keeps the cells healthy.
- It contains fatty acids that are essential in order to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. This means, it aids the digestion of other healthy foods.
- Lastly, instead of opting for a cola, or a cup of coffee, or a sugary treat for an energy boost, try having a couple of lychees and see the difference it makes to your overall energy levels.
Lychee is an amazing source of Vitamin C. It provides about 72 mg of this vitamin per 100 grams! It is a great source of potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Eating Lychees
How do you eat these little guys? Peel and eat of course, or add them to a fruit salad, or enjoy it with ice cream. Top a cake with pieces of fresh lychee.
You can even add it to flavor your stir fried vegetables. It’s like having the best of both worlds! I think I need to eat a ton of these!
And of course you can enjoy it in a facial treatment with our Pineapple Lychee Facial!