Wolfberry

D. Gary Young


The Chinese Wolfberry story began 1996 when Professor

Chao visited me at our Riverton office. He was on a special

teaching and information-gathering assignment from the

Natural Science University in Beijing, China. He had heard of

essential oils and was fascinated by their potential.

As we started discussing the medical properties of essential

oils, he told me of another powerful botanical that had been

used for centuries in Inner Mongolia but had only recently

been researched. It was called the Chinese wolfberry (also

known by its Latin name, Lycium barbarum, or colloquial

name, "goji berry".

The people who consumed this

fruit apparently lived free of

common diseases like arthritis,

cancer and diabetes. Moreover,

their life expectancies reached

over 100 years.

Both the wolfberry and ginseng

have been highly regarded for

centuries as the foremost nutritional and therapeutic plants in

China. In fact, the Chinese hold a strong belief that human

life might be extended significantly by using either of these

herbs for an extended period of time.

Unfortunately, ginseng is considered too strong for

continuous use, and large amounts may not be suitable for

people with high blood pressure or heart disease. On the

other hand, the wolfberry is much milder, with no known risk

from continuous use.

In 1988, the Beijing Nutrition Research Institute conducted

detailed chemical analyses and nutritional composition

studies of the dried wolfberry fruit.

What they discovered was stunning.

The Chinese Wolfberry contained over

18 amino acids (that is six times higher in

proportion than bee pollen), 21 trace

minerals, more beta carotene than

carrots, and an astonishing 500 times

more vitamin C by weight than oranges. It

is also packed with vitamin B1, vitamin B6

and vitamin E.

The fruits and pedicels of Chinese

Wolfberry were effective in increasing

white blood cells, protecting the liver and

relieving hypertension. The alcoholic

extract of wolfberry fruits inhibited tumor growth in mice by

58%, and the protein of wolfberry displayed an insulin-like

action that was effective in promoting fat decomposition and

reducing blood sugar.

Another clinical experiment by the Ningxia Institute (Register

No.870306, October 1982 to May 1985) studied the effects of

wolfberry on the immune, physiological and biochemical

indexes of the blood of aged volunteers. The results were

amazing, indicating that the wolfberry caused the blood of

older people to noticeably revert to a younger state.

According to a report of the State Scientific and Technological

Commission of China, the wolfberry contains compounds

known as lycium polysaccharides, which appeared to be

highly effective in promoting immunity. These results were

validated in a number of clinical trials.

In one study on a group of cancer patients, the wolfberry

triggered an increase in both, lymphocyte transformation rate

and white blood cell count (measures of immune function).

In another study involving a group of 50 people with

lower-limit white blood cell counts, the wolfberry increased

phagocytosis and the titre of serum antibodies (another index

of immune function). Unhealthy levels of titre of serum

antibodies have long been associated with Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome (also known as Epstein-Barr). Does this mean that

the Chinese wolfberry could be used as a weapon against

Epstein-Barr? The possibilities are intriguing.

In another study, consumption of wolfberry lead to a

strengthening of immunoglobulin A levels (an index of

immune function). Because the decline of immunoglobulin A

is one of the signs of aging, an increase in these levels

suggests that the wolfberry may enable injured DNA to better

repair itself and ward off tissue degeneration.

As we grow older, the levels of lipid peroxide in our blood

increase, while levels of health-protecting antioxidants, like

superoxide dismutase (SOD), decrease. In a clinical study of

people who consumed doses of Chinese wolfberry, SOD in

the blood increased by a remarkable 48% while hemoglobin

increased by 12%. Even better, lipid peroxide levels dropped

by a whopping 65%.

A test was conducted on the

effects of wolfberry on eyesight.

Twenty-seven people were tested

and showed a dramatic

improvement in both dark adaptation and vitamin A and

carotene content of their serum (measures of eyesight

acuity).

Over the past six years, I had become somewhat lax with my

exercise regimen because of two badly damaged ankles. So

this Christmas, I buckled down and started a fitness program,

combining moderate exercise two to three times a week with

two daily servings of Power Meal alone and with meals.

(Power Meal contains Chinese Wolfberries.)

By the middle of March, while I was studying in Turkey, I

started noticing physical changes: My skin looked brighter

and my energy level was higher. I averaged a fifteen-hour

day between my studies and lab practice.

When I returned home, I discovered that I had dropped 12

pounds, paired off three inches from my lower abdomen, and

gained three inches in my chest.

Then, two weeks ago while I was in Phoenix, I went out for a

one-mile run. I felt limber and energetic and performed the

run with ease. Last week at my home in Utah, located at an

altitude of over 5,000 feet above sea level, I went out for a 2.7

mile run and was not fatigued at all--even in the thinner

high-altitude air.

Two days later, I ran 4.3 miles without feeling tired and

without leg pain. I could have continued on another three or

four miles but decided not to push it. These results take on

even more significance when you consider that, prior to my

try-out in Phoenix, I had not run in over six years.

These types of physiological effects prompted me to probe

deeper into the chemistry of the wolfberry.

What I discovered was startling:

The Chinese wolfberry not only contains super oxide

dismutase, phenylpropanoids, anti-cancer factors and

anti-senility factors, but it also sports a high concentration of

the branched-chain amino acid L-leucine.

Leucine is an essential amino acid that we do not make in our

bodies, so we can only get it from our diet. It is present in

small quantities in both, plant and animal food, and is a

natural component of breast milk.

But leucine is regarded as more than just an essential amino

acid: It also supports immune function, burns fat and builds

muscle.

How?

Because leucine forms the building block of a very unique

compound called HMB (Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate).

Through its phenylpropanoid activity, the wolfberry helps

convert leucine into HMB.

What makes HMB such a breakthrough in healthmaintenance?

According to noted researcher, Richard
Passwater, Ph.D.,

HMB showed that it lowered total and LDL cholesterol levels

in blood and helped strengthen the immune system while

building muscles and burning body fat. This news is certainly

of interest to body builders and other athletes, but it may also

become of interest to cancer, AIDS and muscular dystrophy

patients.