Pharmacological effects of Lycium barbarum

Lycium barbarum is a deciduous shrub with a height of 1.5m-2m. It has a growth period of 35-50 years, with eggplant red or reddish florets and bright red fruits the size of jujube stones. It is a rare and valuable traditional Chinese medicine and tonic, which has the functions of tonifying, treating deficiency, anti-aging, protecting liver and promoting and regulating immune function.

As a medicinal material, Chinese wolfberry has a long history in our country. in addition to the records in the Book of songs, Su Dongpo said in the poem "small Garden Lycium barbarum" in the Song Dynasty: "Rhizome and flower fruit, pick up no waste". It is pointed out that the roots, stems, flowers and fruits of Chinese wolfberry can be used. Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica: "Spring picking Chinese wolfberry leaves, famous Tianjing grass; summer picking flowers, famous long grass; autumn picking son, famous Chinese wolfberry; winter picking root, famous bone skin." At that time, Chinese wolfberry was no longer used as a general medicine, but as a precious medicine and a high-level tonic.

The fruit of Chinese wolfberry is a good medicine for tonifying and treating deficiency, and its efficacy has been discussed in all previous dynasties of Materia Medica. "Dietotherapy Materia Medica" said that Chinese wolfberry can "strengthen muscles and bones, go to fatigue, replenish vital energy". "Materia Medica Huiyan" recorded: "Chinese wolfberry can make qi can be filled, blood can be replenished, Yang can be born, Yin can be long, rheumatism can go, there are ten wonderful Yan." The Compendium of Materia Medica records: "(Lycium barbarum) can tonify the kidney, moisturize the lungs, invigorate essence and benefit qi."

As a nourishing and strengthening agent, Chinese wolfberry has long been proved by clinical application. It is mainly used for the loss of essence and blood due to physical weakness, qi deficiency or overwork, as well as as a tonic for the elderly. For example, Chinese wolfberry wine is used to tonify blood and replenish qi; the ointment made by the combination of Chinese wolfberry and ginseng, tortoise plate and antlers has the effect of filling essence and tonifying marrow, benefiting qi and strength; Chinese wolfberry and Schisandra chinensis soak their offspring tea with boiling water, which can relieve fatigue and improve appetite.

Chinese wolfberry also has a therapeutic effect on chronic diseases of liver and kidney. For the neurasthenia of kidney essence deficiency type, one can use Chinese wolfberry ointment or Qi Yuan ointment, or you can use Chinese wolfberry and Huangjing as pills, which can nourish essence and replenish blood, replenish qi and calm the mind. For chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis with liver yin deficiency, Chinese wolfberry can be combined with Angelica sinensis, Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Ophiopogonis, etc., which can replenish blood and protect the liver.

Chinese wolfberry root bark (ground bone bark), the smell is bitter and cold. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that the root bark of Chinese wolfberry can purge deficiency and heat of liver and kidney, cool blood and replenish vital qi, treat internal evil fever, vomit blood and urine, cough and eliminate thirst, external treatment of muscle heat and sweat, upper head wind pain, chest and rib pain, lower benefit of large and small intestine. "

Scientific research in China has pointed out that Chinese wolfberry can significantly reverse the eight indexes of aging in the blood of the elderly to younger, delay aging and anti-fatigue, and improve the repair ability after deoxyribonucleic acid injury. it can significantly increase the number of white blood cells, the transformation rate of lymphocytes and the phagocytosis rate of macrophages, so that tumor patients do not interrupt radiotherapy because of the decrease in the number of white blood cells.