Wolfberry and Wolfberry extract.

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2.Constituents and Pharmacology of wolfberry.

Barbary Wolfberry Extract.Wolfberry Polysaccharides.LBP.Lycium barbarum L.Lycium Berry extract.Lycii Berries photo picture image The fruit contains beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamins B1 and B2, beta-sitosterol (an anti-inflammatory agent), linoleic acid (a fatty acid), immunologically active polysaccharides (5-8%), sesquiterpenoids (cyperone, solavetivone), tetraterpenoids (zeaxanthin, physalin), and betaine (0.1%).

 Chinese pharmacological research, conducted during the past forty years, revealed that lycium extracts administered to mice could enhance non-specific immunity, promote production of red blood cells, increase production of interleukin-2 (IL-2), and reverse the inhibition of white blood cells caused by cancer drugs. The principal active components are polysaccharides, betaine, and physalin.

 In a review of research on lycium fruit appearing in Recent Advances in Chinese Herbal Drugs,polysaccharides from lycium fruit, like those from astragalus and ganoderma, enhance cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. In a dose of just 5-10 mg/kg daily for one week, lycium fruit polysaccharides could increase activity of T cells, cytotoxic T cells, and natural killer cells in laboratory animals. The amount of polysaccharides in lycium fruit of the soft edible variety is probably not more than 5%, so this amount corresponds to a human dosage of about 7-14 grams of the whole fruit. In a study of lycium, reported in the Journal of the Beijing Medical University (1992), it was noted that lycium fruit reduced antibodies associated with allergy-type reactions, which was presumed to be accomplished through the mechanisms of promoting CD8 T cells and regulating cytokines. Probably as a result of this activity, lycium fruit has been reported to be a useful treatment for psoriasis.

 Several plant polysaccharides have been shown to enhance IL-2 production; the enhancing effect of lycium polysaccharides on IL-2 activity was reported by the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Beijing (1989). In the U.S., IL-2 has been under study as an immune promoting factor since 1983, used for some cancers and for HIV infection.
 Betaine, when added to chicken feed, enhances growth of the animals and egg production, and it is currently used in poultry farming because of these effects. Lycium fruit given to rats lowered their blood cholesterol and blood sugar; given to rabbits, it inhibited the formation of atherosclerosis. Betaine was shown to protect the livers of laboratory animals from the impact of toxic chemicals; other pharmacologic studies have shown that it is an anticonvulsant, sedative, and vasodilator.

 In 1974, it was reported that betaine could treat various chronic liver diseases; lycium fruit is often administered with another Chinese herbal fruit, schizandra, for that purpose. In recent years, betaine has been included in some Western nutritional supplement products, especially those used for improving muscle mass. Betaine is an alkaloid, sometimes classed as an amino acid, that is found also in capsicum, silybum (the source of the liver-protective flavonoid silymarin), and beets (Beta vulgaris, from which betaine gets its name). Betaine is used by the liver to produce choline, a compound which calms nervousness, enhances memory, and protects against fatty liver disease. In the sugar beet, which is the commercial source of the isolated compound, betaine is present at a level of 0.3-0.7%.

 Another plant in the Solanaceae family, Physalis angulata, contains physalin (one of the lycium ingredients) as a major active component. The herb is used as a treatment for hepatitis B. Extracts of physalis have been shown to increase splenic natural killer cell activity in normal and tumor-bearing mice, with anticancer effects for several cancer lines.
 Lycium fruit has been given to treat sexual impotence. It was reported that by taking lycium fruit orally and in the form of an alcohol extract, it could markedly increase androgen levels in the blood, making patients feel more energetic. It is likely that sitosterols or terpenoids are responsible for this effect. The daily dosage of lycium fruit needed to obtain these effects is about 10 grams/day.
 Like other commonly eaten fruits, lycium is non-toxic. Toxicity studies showed that injection of 2.4 grams/kg of lycium fruit extract did not cause adverse reactions, but at the huge dosage of 25 g/kg, toxic reactions were rapid. The LD50 was determined to be about 8.3 grams/kg (about one pound of the dried fruit, extracted and injected, for a human).

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last edit date:28th,April.2009.