Lycium Fruit

The Chinese have long believed this berry can strengthen the immune system and promote longevity.

WHAT IT IS Lycium fruit (gouqizi in Chinese) is a tasty berry grown in China. Records indicate it's been used in Chinese medicine since 100 A.D. The sweet, reddish-orange fruit is used in cooking, too.

HEALING CLAIMS Lycium fruit is used to treat many health conditions, including early-onset diabetes, anemia, vision problems, impotence, and lung disorders. Because there is some evidence that it can enhance liver and kidney functions and bolster the immune system, in recent years lycium fruit has been given to cancer patients and people who have AIDS.

HOW IT WORKS Lycium's exceptionally dense concentration of polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates) bolsters the body's ability to fight disease by activating proteins in the immune system.

Its antioxidant carotenoids and flavonoids protect the body from free-radical damage, which can cause disease and aging. Carotenoids--especially beta carotene, a vitamin A precursor--also improve vision.

In addition, the fruit has significant amounts of vitamins [B.sub.1] (thiamin) and [B.sub.2] (riboflavin), which are essential to the body's production of energy. Its high vitamin C content-about 73 mg per 100 g (or three handfuls) of dried lycium fruit--promotes immunity. Lycium fruit also contains betaine, an alkaloid that helps produce choline, a compound that strengthens the liver.

Trace minerals present in the fruit, such as iron, zinc, and selenium, also work to enhance immunity. Iron combats anemia by stimulating red blood cell production; zinc helps reproduce and repair cells; and selenium works with vitamin E to prevent free radical damage to cells.

As a treatment for sexual impotence, lycium fruit increases levels of androgen, a male sex hormone.

THE EVIDENCE Ron Teeguarden, an herbalist in Brentwood, Calif., describes a study in his book Radiant Health: Ancient Wisdom of the Chinese Tonic Herbs (Warner Books, 1998) in which 20 elderly people were given daily doses of lycium extract over the course of three weeks. The lycium appeared to increase the levels of white blood cells that promote the production of interleukin-2, an agent that strengthens immune system activity.

A 1989 report by the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Beijing found that polysaccharides produce immune-boosting interleukin. And according to a report by Zhou Jinhuang, M.D., in Recent Advances in Chinese Herbal Drugs (Science Press, 1991), a daily dose of 5 to 10 mg of polysaccharides increased the activity of immune cells in laboratory animals.

SAFETY Lycium fruit has no known toxic effects. However, people suffering from acute fevers shouldn't take it because lycium can nourish the bacteria and viruses that cause fevers. Like many fruits, lycii berries may promote loose stools, so those with diarrhea should also not take it.

HOW TO TAKE IT In the United States, lycium is primarily available as a dried fruit (it is often likened to raisins). Boil 1 ounce of the fruit in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes to make a decoction or herbal tea. Teeguarden recommends eating one ounce a day, the equivalent of about a handful of peeled fruit.

Lycium fruit is also available in capsule, extract, or pill form, but only in combination with other herbs (such as schisandra, ginseng, and dong quai).

WHERE TO GET IT You can buy capsules, extracts, or pills in health food stores, but the fruit itself, grown almost exclusively in China, is exported to the United States and sold in Chinese grocery stores. The berries are also available from Chinese herb companies, including East Earth Trade Winds in Redding, Calif. (800-258-6878) and China Herb Company in Philadelphia (800-221-4372). Lycii berries cost about $10 to $15 a pound.

Winnie Yu is a freelance writer living in Albany, N.Y.

Shopping Tips

Look for lycii berries that are firm, not mushy, with a red or red-orange color. Larger fruit is best.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group