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More
Information:
Other
Common Names
Lycium barbarum L.
Page
Number In Radiant Health
140
Pharmaceutical
Latin
Fructus Lycii
Pinyin
Gou Qi Zi
Treasures
Yin Jing, Blood
Treasure
Rating
*****
Atmospheric
Energy
Neutral
Organ
Meridian Systems
Liver, Kidney
Primary
Functions
To tonify the Kidneys and promote the production of
essence, to strengthen the legs, to nourish the Liver
and brighten the eyes, to moisten the lungs
Qualities
This delicious fruit is very widely used throughout Asia
as a superb Yin essence and blood tonic. It is one of
the most popular herbs in the world. Regular consumption
of Lycium is traditionally believed to lead to a long,
vigorous and happy life. And it is said that prolonged
consumption of Lycium will promote cheerfulness and
brighten the Spirit. Lycium is also said to brighten the
eyes and improve vision. Lycium strengthens the legs and
has long been a favorite herb of Chinese martial artists
and athletes. Lycium fruit is widely believed to
increase sexual fluids and enhance fertility. Lycium,
like Ginseng and Ganoderma, is a quintessential tonic
herb.
Lycium has long been used as a longevity herb. It is one
of the premier anti-aging herbs of Asian herbalism and
is believed to fortify the system against disease and to
provide the energy to overcome difficult obstacles.
This herb is now being used in clinical settings for a
number of common maladies. Lycium is used in the
treatment of consumptive disease accompanied by thirst
such early-onset diabetes and tuberculosis, dizziness,
blurred vision, and chronic cough.
Lycium has been tested as an anti-obesity drug. Patients
were given 30 grams each morning and each afternoon to
be made into a tea. Results were excellent. Most
patients lost significant weight.
Lycium is commonly used in the treatment of diabetes.
8-10 grams of fruit is steamed and eaten each time,
three times daily (steaming softens the fruits). The
daily dosage range of 8-30 grams is typical of medical
applications in China.
Lycium fruit, as an ingredient in prescriptions, has
been used in a number of recent clinical trials for
treatment of bone marrow deficiency conditions (low
production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and
platelets).
It has been reported that Lycium has been used in the
treatment of atrophic gastritis weakened digestion due
to reduced stomach activity. Patients consume 10 grams
of the whole fruits each time, twice daily before meals
for two months or longer.
Lycium is commonly used by first trimester mothers to
prevent morning sickness. 50 grams of Lycium is boiled
along with 50 grams of Scute for 30 minutes. Drinking
this tea is a quick and effective remedy for morning
sickness.
Blended with Yang tonic herbs such as Deer Antler,
Morinda and Cordyceps, with Qi tonics such as Astragalus
and Ginseng, and with Astringent herbs such as
Schizandra and Cornus, Lycium is one of the fundamental
sexual tonic herbs in Chinese herbalism.
It is said in China that eating a handful of Lycium a
day will make to happy for the entire day. Such a
practice has a cumulative effect. Eventually, you can't
stop smiling.
Scientific
Data
Fresh Ning Xia Lycium has the highest content of
beta-carotene among all foods on earth. Beta-carotene
can be transformed into vitamin A under the influence of
human liver enzymes. Therefor, vitamin A ultimately
plays a major influence in Lycium's actions. Lycium's
function on the eyes is related to this factor. Lycium's
vitamin B1 and B2 contents are significant and the
vitamin C content of freeze-dried Lycium has been
measured to be 73 mg / 100 grams.
The fruit also contains vitamin C, beta-sitosterol (an
anti-inflammatory agent), linoleic acid (a fatty acid),
sesquiterpenoids (cyperone, solavetivone),
tetraterpenoids (zeaxanthin, physalin), and betaine
(0.1%).
Lycium contains 18 kinds of amino acids, of which 8 are
indispensable amino acids for the human body (such as
isoleucine and tryptophan). 50% of Lycium's amino acids
are free amino acid. Lycium contains numerous trace
elements, of which the main ones are zinc, iron and
copper. Mature fruits contain about 11 mg. of iron per
100 grams. Ning Xia Lycium contains 45% glucose, 7%
fructose and 5.5% glucose.
Lycium has been undergoing intense scrutiny as a cancer
drug in China and Japan. Lycium fruit, as well as an
extract from its leaves, can kill many kinds of cancer
cells in vitro. In vivo studies and human studies are
proving to be highly promising. Ning Xia Lycium contains
124 ppm of organic Germanium. Germanium has been
demonstrated to have anti-cancer activity. Japanese
studies indicate that organic Germanium is effective in
treating liver cancer, lung cancer, uterine cancer,
cervical cancer, and testicular cancer when combined
with other drugs. Lycium has been found to induce the
production in human beings of g-interferon. Interferon
can depress and even kill cancer cells. Germanium
possesses the power to take over the hydrogen ion from
cancer cells. Losing hydrogen ions can cause depression
and even death to cancer cells. Besides Germanium,
Lycium has other components that act against cancer.
These other components appear to be able to depress or
block the synthesis of the cancer cells DNA, which
interferes with the cell's ability to divide and thus
lowers the reproductive capacity of the cancer cells.
Preparation
and Utilization
: May be consumed alone, but mostly used in formulas.
Combine with:
1. Rehmannia (steamed) to strengthen Jing, nourish
Kidney yin, and build blood
2. Ginseng Root to strengthen the Heart and Kidney
3. Chrysanthemum flower and Ophiopogon to tonify Kidney
yin, nourish Jing, disperse Liver heat and clear the
eyes
4. Schizandra to tonify Kidney and Liver yin and
strengthen Jing
Primary
Combinations
: May be consumed alone, but mostly used in formulas.
Combine with:
1. Rehmannia (steamed) to strengthen Jing, nourish
Kidney yin, and build blood
2. Ginseng Root to strengthen the Heart and Kidney
3. Chrysanthemum flower and Ophiopogon to tonify Kidney
yin, nourish Jing, disperse Liver heat and clear the
eyes
4. Schizandra to tonify Kidney and Liver yin and
strengthen Jing
Varieties
and Grading
Because of Lycium's great fame over many, many
centuries, it has been collected and cultivated in
almost every region of China. It grows on hillsides and
ridges in most areas of China. The best Lycium grows in
cool climatic areas. The Lycium is collected in the
summer and autumn when the fruit is mature. It is spread
thin on bamboo mats and dried in semi-shady sunlight.
The farmers must be very careful not to touch the fruit
with their hands during the drying process because this
will cause the fruit to turn very dark, which is
unacceptable.
There are two primary varieties of Lycium. The first is
called Ning Xia Lycium. This Lycium is the preferred
herb of herbal connoisseurs. It is big, has thick fruit
meat, has few seeds and its taste is sweet and
exquisite. Ning Xia Lycium is further graded according
to size, larger ones selling for considerably more than
smaller ones. The larger ones tend to be sweeter, and
have a juicier texture. Grade 1 Ning Xia Lycium has no
more than 370 fruits per 50 grams. Grade 2 has no more
than 580 grains per 50 grams. Grad 4 has no more than
1100 grains per 50 grams and no more than 15% damaged
fruit.
A second variety is known as Blood Lycium. Blood Lycium
is of a lower quality than Ning Xia Lycium. The Blood
Lycium Fruit tends to be relatively small, has numerous
seeds, has a bright glossy skin that is thicker and
tougher than that of Ning Xia Lycium, and is
considerably less sweet. Often, Blood Lycium has a
distinct tartness that overwhelms the sweetness. Grade 1
Blood Lycium contains no more than 600 fruit grains per
50 grams. Blood Lycium is OK, and it still has the tonic
benefits associated with Lycium, but it is far inferior
to Ning Xia Lycium.
Blood Lycium is very commonly found in Chinese herb
markets, but it is not commonly found in America. Almost
all of it is picked up commercially in China by Asian or
American manufacturers who process the herb into
off-the-shelf products. Premium manufacturers will still
use Ning Xia Lycium, but the lower cost of Blood Lycium
temps most producers to select it for packaged products.
There are other minor varieties of Lycium available in
America. Shandong Lycium is similar to Ning Xia, but is
not as sweet and are not usually as plump. They are thus
less expensive.
At the herb shop, you may select your Lycium by looking
at it, feeling it and tasting it. It should have a
uniform color that is not too bright. Some suppliers in
Asia dye the fruit red to make it more
"attractive" to naive buyers. It should not
have any dark fruit mixed in---dark fruit is oxidized
and spoiled. The fruit should be firm and not mushy.
Mushy fruit is spoiled. Larger fruit is best. Always
taste Lycium before you buy it. It should be delectable.
Great Lycium is very sweet and a total pleasure to eat
raw or cooked.
Contraindications
Lycium has absolutely no toxicity. However, it should
not be used in the cases of hyperactive fire due to an
exopathogen, or if you are suffering from Spleen
deficiency with dampness and diarrhea.
History
: Lycium has been considered a major antiaging herb for
over 2500 hundred years. It was described as a superior
herb in the Spirit Farmer's Herbal. Tao Hong Jing
(456-536 AD), a Taoist master and physician, wrote in
his famous herbal classic "Commentary on the Spirit
Farmer's Herbal," that "Lycium tonifies Jing
and Qi and strengthens the Yin Tao within a human."
There is an incredible Chinese story in which Lycium
plays a major role. The very widespread knowledge of
this story in Asia has made Lycium even more popular in
China in the past century. One man, Li Qing Yuen, is
said to have lived to be 252 years old. His life span
has been verified by modern scholars. Born in 1678 in
the mountainous southwest of China, he ran away from
home at the age of eleven with three travelers. These
travelers were in the herbal trade. Together the boy and
his three teachers traveled throughout China, Tibet, and
Southeast Asia, encountering many dangerous situations,
but all the while studying the herbal traditions of all
the various regions.
As Li Qing Yuen became older, he became a practicing
herbalist, and was well known for his amazing vigor and
excellent health. Then one day, when he was around fifty
years old, while out on a hike, he met a very old man
who, in spite of his venerable old age, could out-walk
Li Qing Yuen. This impressed Master Li very much because
he believed that brisk walking was both a way to health
and longevity and a sign of inner health. Li Qing Yuen
inquired as to the old sage's secret. He was told that
if every day he consumed a "soup" of Lycium he
would soon attain a new standard of health. Li Qing Yuen
did just that and continued to consume the soup daily
until he was over one hundred and thirty years old !
Naturally, he was greatly revered by all those who knew
him and he had many disciples who followed him. Even at
this very old age, his sight was keen and his legs were
strong, and he continued to take his daily vigorous
walks. One day, he was on a journey through treacherous
mountains. In the mountains he met a Taoist hermit who
claimed to be five hundred years old. Humbled by the
great illumination of the old Taoist, Li Qing Yuen
begged the Taoist sage to tell him his secrets. The old
Taoist, recognizing the sincerity of Li, taught him the
secrets of Taoist Yoga (also known as Nei Gong,
"the Inner Alchemy") and recommended that Li
consume a daily dose of Panax Ginseng combined with
Polygonum (Radix Polygonum multiflorum). Ginseng is
well-known in the West; Polygonum multiflorum is not yet
well-known here, but is highly prized in the Orient as a
longevity herb, in the same class with ginseng. He
continued to consume his Lycium soup daily.
It is said that Master Li also changed his diet so as to
consume little meat or root vegetables and limited his
consumption of grain. Instead, he lived mainly on
steamed above-ground vegetables and herbs. He lived to
be 252 years old, dying in 1930, reportedly after a
banquet presented in his honor by a government official.
He had married during his lifetime fourteen times and
lived through eleven generations of his own descendants,
of which he had almost two hundred during two and a half
centuries of life.
Though Li Qing Yuen's case is rare, in that it has been
reasonably authenticated by both Eastern and Western
scholars, tradition is rich in the Orient in the lore of
Taoists living to ages unimaginable by us. It is well
known that among the Chinese population, the Taoists far
outlived all other people. Many lived to be centurions
and few died prematurely. The Taoist art of longevity,
known as the "Art of Radiant Health" is one of
the great legacies of the East. And Lycium has played a
major part in Taoist health practice since ancient
times. Though it is a common herb, it is one that the
Taoists consider to be transcendental.
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This
delicious fruit is very widely used as an excellent Yin
Jing and blood tonic. Regular consumption of Lycium is
traditionally believed to lead to a long, vigorous and
happy life. It is said that prolonged consumption of
Lycium will promote cheerfulness and vitality. Lycium is
also said to brighten the eyes and improve vision. It
strengthens the legs and has long been a favorite herb
of Chinese martial artists and athletes.