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Pharmaceutical name:

英文藥名

Fructus Lycii

Latin botanical name:

拉丁文學名

Lycium barbarum L.or L chinense Mill

Pron. in Japanese:

日語發音﹕

kukoshi

Pron. in Korean:

韓語發音﹕

kugicha

Pron. in Cantonese:

粵音﹕

gau gei zi

Common Name:

Chinese wolfberry fruit, lycium fruit, goji berries

Distribution:

Ninxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia (L. barbarum), Hebei (L. chinense)

寧夏﹐甘肅﹐ 青海﹐內蒙 (L. barbarum), 河北 (L. chinense)

Properties (characteristics)

sweet, neutral

甜﹐ 平。

Channels (meridians) entered:

liver, lung, kidney

肝﹐肺﹐腎。

Actions & Indications:

nourishes and tonifies the liver and kidney; alleviates sore back, leg, and stomach; improves night vision, blurred vision, diabetes, premature white hair and consumption. The leaves and bark can be used for hot flashes and cough due to consumption.  The leaves can be used for tonifying deficiency and to get rid of anxiety, pain in joints and skin, and the toxin from boils.

Medical Function:

藥理：

Medical Function:

1. improves and regulates immune system.

2. anti-aging properties  : a study on 43 healthy senior adults in which each ate 50 grams of qi zi continuously for 10 days (as a therapy period). The blood tests showed that immune indicators IgA, IgG and lymph cell conversion rate were elevated, cAMP increased, cGMP decreased. The ratios of cAMP/cGMP were elevated to healthy levels. Testosterone were elevated.

3. lowers blood lipids,

4. elevate level of testosterone

5. protects liver function, prevents fatty liver

6. contains anti-cancer properties

7. simulates estrogens

8. improves white blood cell counts during chemotherapy

9. fruit, stems and leaves can lowers blood sugar

10. fruit, stems and leaves can lower blood pressure

11. anti-oxidant

12. taking gou qi zi can increase the weight of the uteri of mature and immature mice.

13. enhance memory

14. it chemical ingredients lutein and zeaxanthin can prevent macula degeneration due to free radicals or external causes.

15. improves condition of diabetic retinopathy

16. toxicity is minimal

藥理：

1. 對機體免疫功能的作用 ﹕能顯著提高吞噬細胞的吞噬百分率和吞噬指數，還可提高因放 射療法或惡性腫瘤所導致的免疫功能下降的患者的淋巴細胞轉化率，和吞噬細胞的吞噬率，以提高患者的免疫能力。

2. 抗衰老之作用 ﹕曾實驗四十三 例無明顯疾病的志願老人，每日嚼服50g，連續十天為一療程，療程結束後抽血檢查，免疫功能指標可見IgA﹐IgG 和淋巴 細胞轉換率明顯提高，反應有向年輕化逆轉的傾向。

3. 降血脂

4. 促進高睪丸酮之分泌，起著強壯 的作用。

5. 對肝臟的保護作用﹕枸杞水浸液 對四氯化碳引起的肝損害，有輕微的抑制脂肪在肝細胞內沈積，和促進肝細胞新生的作用。

6. 抗癌作用

7. 促進雌激素之分泌。

8. 對造血系統的影響 ﹕枸杞可促 進造血機能恢復，臨床可以考慮與化療藥物合用，預防和緩解白細胞減少症。

9. 枸杞 葉與枸杞子 都有降血糖作用

10. 枸杞 葉與枸杞子 都有降血壓作用

11. 對子宮的作用 ﹕枸杞子對未成 熟或成熟的小鼠，均有明顯的促進子宮增重的作用。

12. 抗氧化作用

13. 增強記憶力

14. 其玉 蜀黍黄素與 葉黃素對於眼睛因為自由基或是外在因素所造成的視網膜黃斑部退化症有預防作 用

15. 改善糖尿病的視網膜病變

16. 毒性小

Chemical ingredients:

Dosage:

root, bark and fruit: 6 to 15 g per day.  

Leaves are used as a vegetable.

地骨皮，杞子：6 ～15克

葉作菜用。

Samples of formulae:

For spermatorrhea: gou qi zi 6 g, wu wei zi 2 g, rou cong rong 2 g, ren sheng 2 g, fu ling 3 g, shu di huang 3 g, da zao 3 g, sheng jiang 2 g, gan cao 2 g. Cook in 600 cc of water and simmer to 300 cc. Make into 3 servings per day. (source He Han Yao Yin Yong Fang)

For improving sperm count and sperm activity: wu zi yan zong wan (五子衍宗丸)

For premature white hair: gou qi zi 15 g, rice 30 g. Make into porridge. Use daily. (folk formula)

Modern Research:

to be loaded

Caution:

禁忌﹕

Not to use in cases external heat, (like swelling with inflammation), spleen deficient (pixu) with dampness and loose stool or diarrhea.

外部實熱﹐脾 虛 濕滯及腸滑便溏者忌服。

Quality:

品質鑒別﹕

The better quality qi zi is from Zhong Ning Area.

 Quality identification:

1. Shape: oblong--not round--but not thin.

2. Color: red or purplish red except for petals.

3. Petal area: obviously white. If artificial color has been added, the areas where the petals are will be tinted. Artificial coloring is a sign that the seed is of lower quality. Artificial coloring can be toxic.

4. Dryness: the water content should be about 12% to !3%. The seeds should not lump together. Test for dryness by  squeezing them together and then releasing pressure.  Good quality seeds should not lump together; they should become loose when the pressure is released.

5. Taste: sweet. The seeds should not taste acrid.

6. Smell: the smell is fragrant once the package is opened.

7. Sinking test: When dropped into water, the seeds should  float for sometimes and should not sink in a short time.

8. Watch for glister under the sun. It can be residue of alum or sulfur that has been sublimated from smoking where most sulfur has turned to sulfur dioxide and a small portion can be sublimated to the fruits. If alum has been added the herb feel coarse and dry to touch, and will taste tart or/and sour by licking the herb.

National Quality Inspection Agency of China has banned the use of sulfur dioxide to preserve the fruit.