Muzaffarpur a small Indian city in the state of Bihar was affected by an unknown disease which killed 100 children each year, others were barely saved from death. No one knew what was the cause of the disease and how to treat it.
After 3 years of extensive research a combined team of American and Indian scientists concluded that the deaths were result of Lychee (lichee).
Muzaffararpur is a lychee producing region where poor children ate fallen lychee in the orchards. Lychee contains a toxin called ‘Hypoglycin’ which reduces the body ability to produce glucose. These poor children didn’t eat dinner which reduced their glucose level and after eating lychee glucose level dropped further.
At night the children woke screaming because of the swollen brain, parents took them to hospital but still 100 children died because of the lychee.
After the research the government and doctors asked the people to avoid lychee on empty stomach in huge amounts.