Lycium barbarum is a deciduous shrub in the Solanaceae family. The fruit is called wolfberry, and the root bark is called Digupi, both of which can be used as medicine. The young stems and leaves are used as vegetables. "Compendium of Materia Medica" calls wolfberry "the spines are like the thorns of wolfberry, and the stems are like the strips of wolfberry, so it is also named." They are distributed throughout China, mostly wild.
Ningxia wolfberry, a plant belonging to the same genus, is mostly cultivated. The fruit is called western wolfberry or sweet wolfberry and is used for medicinal purposes. It is mainly produced in Ningxia and Gansu and is a famous specialty in China. The plant height is 150-200 cm, the branches are slender, the tips are usually curved and have short thorns. The leaves are alternate or several in clusters, ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are in clusters of 1 to 2, and the corolla is lavender or purple. The berries are oval or oval and red when ripe. Seeds flat and kidney-shaped. Adaptable. Mainly seed propagation, seedling transplanting. Germinate first before sowing. When the seeds are 30% white, mix with wet soil ash and sow. Spring sowing is from late March to early May, and summer sowing is from June to July. The spacing between sowing rows is 40 cm. The amount of seed used per acre is about 0.25 kilograms. In the spring or autumn of the second year, holes should be planted at a spacing of 200 to 250 centimeters between rows. It has strong tillering and branching ability, so young trees need to be shaped to form a good crown structure. Mature trees need to be pruned to facilitate ventilation and light. Diseases and insect pests include black fruit disease, gray leaf spot, mud borer, etc. Planted that year, it will bear fruit in autumn. In Ningxia, most of the fruits are harvested in batches in summer and autumn when they are dark red or orange-red, soft and juicy, and the fruit base is loose, and spread out to dry. Avoid strong light exposure and turning within two days after picking, and dry until the skin wrinkles and then dry and harden the skin.
Lycium barbarum and Ningxia wolfberry fruit have the effects of lowering blood sugar, anti-fatty liver, and anti-atherosclerosis. When used as traditional Chinese medicine, it nourishes the liver and kidneys, replenishes essence and improves eyesight. It is mainly used to treat symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, excessive tearing, kidney deficiency and backache. The root bark has antihypertensive, antipyretic, and antibacterial effects. It can clear away heat and cool blood, reduce deficiency heat, and is mainly used to treat symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and hematuria. It is known that wolfberry fruit contains betaine, zeaxanthin, physalis red pigment and fatty oil, etc.; the root bark contains betaine, sitosterol and vitamin B1. Ningxia wolfberry fruit also contains betaine, physalis red pigment, etc.
The wonderful functions of wolfberry
It is best not to eat it if you have a cold, inflammation, or diarrhea
Many people like to use wolfberry to soak in water, wine, or make soup, but What nutritional value and medicinal effects do wolfberries have? What are the taboos in eating them?
Traditional Chinese medicine has long said that "wolfberry health" is a saying, and it is believed that regular consumption of wolfberry can "strengthen bones and muscles, make the body light and not grow old, and withstand cold and heat". Therefore, it is often used as a nourishing and anti-aging medicine.
Lycium barbarum has a sweet and mild taste. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it can nourish the liver and kidneys, improve eyesight and nourish blood, and enhance people's immunity. For modern people, the most practical effects of wolfberry are anti-fatigue and lowering blood pressure. In addition, wolfberry can protect the liver, lower blood sugar, soften blood vessels, reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and has certain curative effects on patients with fatty liver and diabetes. According to clinical medical verification, wolfberry can also treat chronic renal failure.
Eating wolfberry regularly can improve your beauty, which many people don’t know. This is because wolfberry can improve the skin's ability to absorb oxygen. In addition, it can also have a whitening effect.
Although wolfberry has good nourishing and therapeutic effects, it is not suitable for all people. Because it has a strong effect of warming the body, it is best not to eat it if you are suffering from a cold, fever, inflammation of the body, or diarrhea.
The most suitable people to eat wolfberry are those with weak constitution and poor immunity. Moreover, you must persist for a long time and eat a little every day to achieve results.
Do not consume excessive amounts of any tonic, and wolfberry is no exception. Generally speaking, it is more appropriate for healthy adults to eat about 20 grams of wolfberry a day; if you want to think about the therapeutic effect, it is best to eat about 30 grams a day. Now, many animal experiments on the toxicity of wolfberry have proven that wolfberry is a very safe food that does not contain any toxins and can be eaten for a long time.
Traditional Chinese medicine has long said that "wolfberry maintains health", and many people also like to use it to soak in water, make soup or cook porridge. In terms of eating methods, chewing it directly is more conducive to exerting the health effects of wolfberry.
Eating wolfberry regularly can "strengthen bones and muscles, and resist cold and heat."
Modern research also shows that it has the effects of enhancing immunity, delaying aging, and anti-cancer, and is often used as a nourishing food. In addition to these health care effects, the medicinal value of wolfberry is mainly reflected in the auxiliary treatment of diseases such as diabetes, fatty liver, male infertility, obesity, nighttime xerostomia in the elderly, and chronic atrophic gastritis. In addition, wolfberry can improve the skin's ability to absorb nutrients, and regular consumption can have a whitening effect.
However, when wolfberry is soaked in water or made into soup, the medicinal effect cannot be fully exerted. Due to factors such as water temperature and soaking time, only some of the medicinal ingredients in wolfberry can be released into the water or soup. Chew directly with your mouth, the nutrients in wolfberry will be absorbed more fully. But when chewing wolfberry, you should pay attention to it. It is best to reduce the amount you eat, otherwise it will be easy to over-nourished. Generally speaking, it is more appropriate for healthy adults to eat about 20 grams of wolfberry a day; if you want to have a therapeutic effect, you can eat about 30 grams a day. When picking wolfberries, choose those that are large, red in color, thick in flesh, soft in texture, sweet but not bitter, stick to your teeth when chewed, and can dye your saliva red and yellow. Such wolfberries are of the best quality.
Although wolfberry has good nourishing and therapeutic effects, it is not suitable for everyone. People with weak constitution and poor resistance should usually eat more wolfberry, but wolfberry has a strong effect of warming the body. Therefore, people who are suffering from colds, fever, inflammation, and diarrhea are best not to eat it.
"Compendium of Materia Medica" once recorded that villagers in Nanqiu, Penglai County, like to eat wolfberry and live longer. It can be seen that the ancients were very concerned about the longevity of wolfberry. Ningxia wolfberry is now the most famous, and wolfberry from Hebei, Gansu, and Qinghai is also said to be superior. Lycium barbarum is sweet and mild in nature and belongs to the liver, kidney, and lung meridians. It can nourish the kidneys and essence, nourish the liver and improve eyesight, moisten the lungs and nourish yin, and is used for diseases such as kidney yin deficiency, liver qi deficiency, lower limb weakness, dizziness and tinnitus, spermatorrhea, infertility, vision loss, and chlorosis.
Wolfberry contains betaine, carotene, a variety of unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids and multiple vitamins. Betaine can inhibit fat deposition in the liver, prevent cirrhosis, and protect normal liver cells. Animal experiments indicate that Ningxia wolfberry aqueous extract has a certain protective effect on liver fat deposition in mice caused by carbon tetrachloride and prevents liver function disorders. It has also been reported that wolfberry also has a certain effect on lowering blood lipids and blood sugar. "Soup Materia Medica" states that " It is mainly used to induce drinking when thirsty, and it can relieve kidney disease. "Folk prescriptions also use 10 grams of this product, steam it and chew it, 2-3 times a day to treat thirst. According to traditional Chinese medicine, quenching thirst is consistent with diabetes, but wolfberry contains high sugar content, 19.3 grams per 100 grams. Therefore, the dosage of wolfberry for diabetic patients should weigh the pros and cons and carefully consider it.
Many studies have confirmed that wolfberry extract can promote cellular immune function, enhance lymphocyte proliferation and the production of tumor necrosis factor, and also has a two-way mediating effect on interleukin II. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide extracted from wolfberry fruit has been shown to have radiosensitivity in animals. It can protect mice from low immune function caused by radiation damage and has an effect on improving reduced white blood cells. Experiments have also shown that wolfberry polysaccharide can maintain the normal development of cells and improve the repair ability of damaged DNA.
Lycium barbarum should be stored in a dry and ventilated place, avoid high temperatures, and prevent insects. Excessive smoking with sulfur can make wolfberry bright and bright red in appearance. When purchasing, be careful not to focus solely on appearance. The medicinal properties of wolfberry are nourishing and greasy, so it is not suitable for those with external symptoms of excessive heat, severe dampness, and loose stools.
There are many ways to use wolfberry with meals and for medicinal purposes. It can be steamed or boiled. Wash the wolfberry in advance and pay attention to the dosage. Generally, it should be taken in small amounts for a long time. Do not take too much in one meal. . The medicinal or dietary formulas used for health care are as follows:
Nourishing liver and kidney formula: used for dizziness, dizziness, difficulty in joint flexion and extension, irritability, night sweats and other symptoms caused by liver and kidney yin deficiency. Take 30 grams of wolfberry, 10 grams of cordyceps, and 50 grams of lily. Wash and add water to bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Add 500 grams of pork liver or lamb liver and appropriate seasoning. Cook for another 30 minutes. Eat the liver in portions. Have soup.
Recipe for nourishing the liver and improving eyesight: suitable for symptoms such as dry eyes, blurred vision, dizziness, and visual fatigue caused by insufficient liver blood.
100 grams of wolfberry, 100 grams of Ligustrum lucidum, and 50 grams of chrysanthemum, roasted, ground into fine powder or put into capsules, 2 times a day, 10 grams each time.
Recipe for nourishing kidney and strengthening yang: used for kidney qi deficiency, impotence and premature ejaculation caused by insufficient kidney yang, spermatorrhea, frequent urination, cold and sore waist, and weakness of lower limbs. 250 grams of wolfberry, a pair of geckos with their heads and feet removed, 200 grams of cistanche deserticola, and 50 grams of jujube. Put them in a wide-mouth bottle. The low-alcohol liquor should be about 2 centimeters higher than the traditional Chinese medicine. Seal it for half a month before use.
To put it simply, it is aphrodisiac. People who are in love with fire should eat less. It has the effect of nourishing and beautifying. It can remove the fishy smell. It is better to add some when making fish soup, and because fish is yin, add it when stewing ribs. You can also add some when making porridge. It can also improve your eyesight. Friends with myopia can eat more, but I usually use bitter melon instead and it will not cause internal heat. Anyway, it is recommended not to eat too much. Wolfberry is a great tonic, and people nowadays My body is not suitable for eating too much.