In this post,
I am introducing you to Chinese wolfberry (Chinese name: Gou qi zi; Latin: Lycium
barbarum). The part that is used in
Chinese medicine is the fruit of Lycium barbarum. You can usually buy the dried fruits in
Chinese supermarket. They are super
cheap—because they are also used as a cooking ingredient in a lot of Chinese
soups. A $1.99 bag of wolfberry can go a
long way as your daily skincare and wellcare routine.
In Chinese
medicine, wolfberry is believed to be a tonifying herb. (I am always mystified
by the word “tonify.” I usually equal
the word with “restore the balance.”) The
herb is capable of tonifying liver and kidney. Remember that Chinese medicine also believes that
your face is the focal points of all major organs? (I mentioned that in my previous post.) And yes, eyes are the focal outlet of the liver. Therefore, wolfberry is often used as a tonic
for eyes—the herb is capable of improving eye conditions such as blurred
vision, macular degeneration, and other ophthalmic disorders. Wolfberry is also used in TMC formulations
for reducing fever, sweating,
irritability, thirst, nosebleeds, hemoptysis, cough, and wheezing. You can even find this herb on the ingredient
list for TMCs that are used to treat diabetes, hypertension, erectile
dysfunction, dizziness, and tinnitus malaria, and cancer.
Putting on my Chemist hat,
here is the chemical composition for wolfberry1: Betaine;
Valine; Glutamine; Asparagine;b-sitosterol; Stigmasterol; Cholesterol;
Cholest-7-enol; Campesterol; Cholestanol; 24-methylene cholesterol;
28-isofucosterol; 24-methylcholesta-5,24-dienol; 24-ethylcholesta-5,24-dienol;
31-norcycloartanol; 31-norcycloartenol; Cycloeucalenol; Obtusifoliol; 4a,14a,24-trimethylcholesta-8'24-dienol;
4a-methylcholest-8-enol; 4-methylcholest-7-enol; 24-ethyllophenol;
4,24-methyllophenol; Gramisterol; Citrostadienol; 4a-methyl-24-ethylcholesta-7,24-dienol;
Lanost-8-enol; Cycloartanol; Cycloartenol; Lanosterol;b-amyrin; Lupeol;
24-methylenelanost-8-enol; 24-methylenecycloartanol; Taurine; g-aminobutanoic
acid; polysaccharides. As you can see,
lots of amino acids, Vitamins, and essential oils. Good stuff!
Putting my Pharmacology class in good use, here is a list of
pharmacological activities of wolfberry that are suggested or supported by
research.1
- Anti-aging
- Enhancing immunity and counteracting lipid peroxidation
- Counteracting hyperlipidemia
- Increase the expression of interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2R) in humans. (Translating to English—enhancing immunity)
- Protecting the retina from light damages
- Repairing liver damages
- Increase cardiac muscle b receptor (translating to English—strengthen heart muscle function)
- Raising white blood count (translating to English—enhance immunity)
- Stabilize human chorionic membrane cells (translating to English—help protecting and nourishing fetus during pregnancy)
- Antibacterial effect
As with other
berry fruit, Chinese wolfberry is sweet and ok tasting. In my mind, wolfberry is probably more a food
than an herb. For skincare purpose, you
can eat it raw as a snack, make tea (again, you can mix it with other herbs I’ve
introduced and will be introducing here), and make soup. You can also boil the
herb with water for 10-15 min. Drain the
liquid and use it in your mask, toner, and astringent.
Needless to
say, Chinese loves wolfberry, with a good reason. And you should too.
Thanks for
reading!
1. http://articles.directorym.com/Gou_Qi_Zi-a853299.html
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