What pharmacological effects does goji berry have? A detailed explanation in one article
Goji berry is a deciduous shrub, with a tree height of 1.5 m-2 m and a growth period of 35-50 years. It bears small eggplant-red or pale red flowers and produces bright red fruits the size of jujube pits. It is a rare and precious traditional Chinese medicinal herb and a fine tonic, with effects of tonifying, treating deficiency, anti-aging, protecting the liver, and promoting and regulating immune function.
As a medicinal material, goji berry has a long history in China. In addition to the records in the Book of Songs, Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty wrote in the poem "Xiaopu Goji": "Roots, stems, flowers, and fruits, nothing is discarded when gathered," pointing out that the roots, stems, flowers, and fruits of goji berry can all be used. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica: "In spring, gather goji leaves, called Tianjingcao; in summer, gather flowers, called Changshengcao; in autumn, gather seeds, called goji berries; in winter, gather roots, called Digupi." At that time, people no longer used goji berries as an ordinary medicinal material, but treated them as a precious medicinal material and a high-grade tonic.
The goji berry fruit is a good medicine for tonifying and treating deficiency, and the "materia medica" of past dynasties have all discussed its effects. Dietary Materia Medica says that goji berry can "strengthen tendons and bones, remove consumptive disease, and replenish essential qi." Compendium of Materia Medica Remarks records: "Goji berry can replenish qi, nourish blood, generate yang, promote yin, and remove wind-dampness; it has the wonder of perfect supplementation." The Compendium of Materia Medica records: "(Goji berry) can tonify the kidney, moisten the lungs, generate essence, and benefit qi; this is a mild tonic medicine."
As a tonic and strengthening agent, goji berry has long been confirmed by clinical application. It is mainly used for weakness and qi deficiency or for loss of essence and blood due to overwork, as well as a tonic for the elderly. For example, goji wine is used to nourish blood and benefit qi; a paste made by decocting goji berry with ginseng, turtle shell, and deer antler has the effects of filling essence and marrow, benefiting qi, and strengthening the body; goji berries and schisandra fruit soaked in boiling water and drunk as tea can relieve fatigue and increase appetite.
Goji berry also has therapeutic effects on chronic liver and kidney diseases. For neurasthenia of the kidney-essence insufficiency type, single-ingredient goji paste or Qiyuan paste can be used, or goji berry and polygonatum can be made into pills; long-term use can generate essence, nourish blood, benefit qi, and calm the mind. For chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver-yin insufficiency type, goji berry can be used together with angelica, prepared rehmannia, adenophora, and dwarf lilyturf to nourish blood and protect the liver.
The root bark of goji berry (Digupi) has a bitter and cold nature and flavor. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that goji root bark "can purge deficiency heat of the liver and kidney, cool the blood and tonify healthy qi, treat evil heat in the five internal organs, hematemesis and hematuria, cough and consumptive thirst, externally treat muscle heat and spontaneous sweating, remove wind headache above, calm chest and rib pain in the middle, and disinhibit the large and small intestines below."
Scientific research in China points out that goji berries can significantly reverse 8 indicators of aging in the blood of the elderly toward a younger state; they have effects of delaying aging and resisting fatigue, and can improve the repair capacity after deoxyribonucleic acid damage; they can significantly increase the human body's white blood cell count and lymphocyte transformation rate and macrophage phagocytosis rate, and can prevent tumor patients from interrupting radiotherapy due to a decrease in white blood cell count, etc.