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Journal ArticleDOI

A review of botanical characteristics, phytochemistry, clinical relevance in efficacy and safety of Lycium barbarum fruit (Goji)

01 Aug 2011-Food Research International (Elsevier)-Vol. 44, Iss: 7, pp 1702-1717
TL;DR: A review of chemical constituents and efficacies with safety of L. barbarum can be found in this article, where a new direction for research and current regulatory situation of the chemical constituents are discussed.
About: This article is published in Food Research International.The article was published on 2011-08-01. It has received 442 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Goji berry.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The purpose of the present review is to summarize previous and current references regarding biological activities as well as potential health benefits of L. barbarum polysaccharides.

240 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In vitro and in vivo hypoglycemic experiments showed that LBP-s-1 had significanthypoglycemic effects and insulin-sensitizing activity through increasing glucose metabolism and insulin secretion and promoting pancreatic β cell proliferation.

187 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Goji berry was identified as a rich source of antioxidant compounds, with health-promoting properties comparable with other common fruit species, and may be useful to better understand the nutraceutical traits of this species recently considered as functional food.

182 citations


Cites background from "A review of botanical characteristi..."

  • ...Ten Lycium spp. genotypes are found to be substitutes or adulterants in the commercial market in Hong Kong and China; it is difficult to identify the Lycium species by traditional morphological and histological analysis (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011; Amagase, et al., 2009)....

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  • ...The name goji is an extrapolation of a number of native words, and it was originally coined in 1973 by researchers at the Tanaduk Botanical Research Institute (TBRI) (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011)....

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  • ...The fruits are collected in late summer to autumn, dried in the shade till the skin shrinks, and then exposed to the sun until the outer skin becomes dry and hard but the pulp is still soft (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011; Amagase, et al., 2009)....

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  • ...There were only two recent case reports of a possible interaction of goji fruit tea with warfarin (Coumadin) (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011)....

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  • ...This production derived from 82,000 ha cultivated nationwide, yielding 95,000 tons of wolfberries (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There is increasing evidence from preclinical and clinical studies supporting the therapeutic and health-promoting effects of LBPs, but further mechanistic and clinical Studies are warranted to establish the dose–response relationships and safety profiles of LBP.
Abstract: Lycium barbarum berries, also named wolfberry, Fructus lycii, and Goji berries, have been used in the People's Republic of China and other Asian countries for more than 2,000 years as a traditional medicinal herb and food supplement. L. barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs) are the primary active components of L. barbarum berries and have been reported to possess a wide array of pharmacological activities. Herein, we update our knowledge on the main pharmacological activities and possible molecular targets of LBPs. Several clinical studies in healthy subjects show that consumption of wolfberry juice improves general wellbeing and immune functions. LBPs are reported to have antioxidative and antiaging properties in different models. LBPs show antitumor activities against various types of cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth in nude mice through induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. LBPs may potentiate the efficacy of lymphokine activated killer/interleukin-2 combination therapy in cancer patients. LBPs exhibit significant hypoglycemic effects and insulin-sensitizing activity by increasing glucose metabolism and insulin secretion and promoting pancreatic β-cell proliferation. They protect retinal ganglion cells in experimental models of glaucoma. LBPs protect the liver from injuries due to exposure to toxic chemicals or other insults. They also show potent immunoenhancing activities in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, LBPs protect against neuronal injury and loss induced by β-amyloid peptide, glutamate excitotoxicity, ischemic/reperfusion, and other neurotoxic insults. LBPs ameliorate the symptoms of mice with Alzheimer's disease and enhance neurogenesis in the hippocampus and subventricular zone, improving learning and memory abilities. They reduce irradiation- or chemotherapy-induced organ toxicities. LBPs are beneficial to male reproduction by increasing the quality, quantity, and motility of sperm, improving sexual performance, and protecting the testis against toxic insults. Moreover, LBPs exhibit hypolipidemic, cardioprotective, antiviral, and antiinflammatory activities. There is increasing evidence from preclinical and clinical studies supporting the therapeutic and health-promoting effects of LBPs, but further mechanistic and clinical studies are warranted to establish the dose-response relationships and safety profiles of LBPs.

166 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The evidence suggests that these purified components of the Goji berry may be potentially useful as adjuvants in the treatment of diabetes and its correlated illnesses.

161 citations


Cites background from "A review of botanical characteristi..."

  • ...Zeaxanthin is accumulated in the macula densa of retina where it carries out an important protective role, avoiding degenerative effects of the ultraviolet radiation (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011)....

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  • ...Extraction and purification methods 6 Among all Goji berry components, LBP is the most investigated as it is considered mainly responsible for different biological effects, with potential health benefits, attributed to the L. barbarum fruit consumption (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011; Potterat 2010)....

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  • ...The report of Amagase and Farnsworth (2011) confirms that the glycan carbon skeleton of LBP is mostly represented by α-(1→4)-D-polygalacturonans, on the other hand it also points out the presence of α-(1→6)-D-glucans in the structure of the main polysaccharide chains....

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  • ...China represents the first world producer with its 82,000 ha of cultivated land and 95,000 t of berries produced per year (Amagase & Farnsworth, 2011)....

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  • ...The report of Amagase and Farnsworth (2011) confirms that the glycan carbon skeleton of LBP is...

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The clinimetric and clinical properties of the PSQI suggest its utility both in psychiatric clinical practice and research activities.
Abstract: Despite the prevalence of sleep complaints among psychiatric patients, few questionnaires have been specifically designed to measure sleep quality in clinical populations. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a self-rated questionnaire which assesses sleep quality and disturbances over a 1-month time interval. Nineteen individual items generate seven "component" scores: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. The sum of scores for these seven components yields one global score. Clinical and clinimetric properties of the PSQI were assessed over an 18-month period with "good" sleepers (healthy subjects, n = 52) and "poor" sleepers (depressed patients, n = 54; sleep-disorder patients, n = 62). Acceptable measures of internal homogeneity, consistency (test-retest reliability), and validity were obtained. A global PSQI score greater than 5 yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 89.6% and specificity of 86.5% (kappa = 0.75, p less than 0.001) in distinguishing good and poor sleepers. The clinimetric and clinical properties of the PSQI suggest its utility both in psychiatric clinical practice and research activities.

23,155 citations

01 Jan 1998

1,090 citations

Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: The therapeutic use of herbs and herbal medicines in the world s great traditional medical systems is guided by the principles and precepts of that system, generally speaking the standardized applications of chinese herbs began since the publishing of shang han lun.
Abstract: kampo medicine the practice of chinese herbal itm, sargassum seaweed hai zao chinese herbs healing, chinese herbal supplements health benefit side effects, herbal therapeutics and materia medica greek medicine, chinese herbs healing art of herbal remedies revealed, herbal medicine materia medica alphabetic listing, herbal glossary traditional chinese medicine information, evidence based complementary and alternative medicine, consortium for globalization of chinese medicine, journal of herbal medicine elsevier, the lessons of shennong the basis of chinese herb medicine, traditional chinese medicine wikipedia, chinese medicine chronology shen nong com, kudzu benefits uses dosage and side effects, traditional chinese medicine in depth nccih, the benefits of traditional chinese medicine dr axe, traditional chinese medicine unable to stop animal time, amfi herbal medicine resource guide, gate of life acupuncture traditional chinese medicine, traditional chinese medicine study tour beijing theme tour, chinese medicine division cmd gov hk, five elements basics of traditional chinese medicine, tcm basics tcm traditional chinese medicine tcm101, materia medica wikipediaitm online provides education and offers theraputic programs with a focus on natural healing techniques such as herbal formulas acupuncture massage diet nutrition and general health care itm is a 501 c 3 tax exempt non profit organization the primary focus of its efforts is the training of health professionals so that they are better able to provide effective and safe natural, ryan drum december 12 2015 at 4 51 am the recent vilification of sargassum spp is unfortunate it is a tasty nutritious abundant seaweed which dries easily and can be stored for many months after harvest and drying in airtight containers, chinese herbal supplements treatment and therapy chinese herbs supplements and their medical therapeutic benefit a list and definition of several herbal products and information on their uses by ray sahelian m d april 4 2015, herbal therapeutics and materia medica the therapeutic use of herbs and herbal medicines in the world s great traditional medical systems is guided by the principles and precepts of that system, generally speaking the standardized applications of chinese herbs began since the publishing of shang han lun and jin gui yao lue the treatise on cold damage disorders and miscellaneous illnesses collated by zhang zhongjing who is deemed as the founding father of classic formulas, alphabetic listing of herbal medicine materia medica disclaimer the information provided on healthworld online is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment always seek professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical, 1 effects on reproductive organs animal studies a 30g kg day dose of radix morindae officinalis decoction was administered to castrated mice once a day for 15 days results showed that the weights of levator ani muscles seminal vesicle and prostate were not significantly effected 11 female rats administered with 20g kg radix morindae officinalis decoction twice a day by gavage for, many americans not completely satisfied with traditional western medicine have turned to alternative and complementary medicine which explains the increasing popularity of the herbal products and the chinese herbal medicine

906 citations

Book
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: The translation of the book into English was done by qualified professionals in the field and the terms used are consistent with those used in Index Medicus, Chemical Abstracts and Botanical journals.
Abstract: This book is the first volume of a comprehensive 2-volume book covering modern pharmacological and clinical studies of the most commonly used Chinese herbal drugs. It contains monographs of 250 kinds of the most commonly used Chinese Materia Medica. The information on each herb was compiled by a research specialist active in the scientific investigation of that particular type of herb. The description on each drug includes an introduction (source, character and taste, actions and indications according to traditional Chinese medicine etc.), chemical composition, pharmacology, clinical studies, adverse effects and references. The translation of the book into English was done by qualified professionals in the field and the terms used are consistent with those used in Index Medicus, Chemical Abstracts and Botanical journals.

585 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In view of the available pharmacological data and the long tradition of use in the traditional Chinese medicine, L. barbarum and L. chinense certainly deserve further investigation, but clinical evidences and rigorous procedures for quality control are indispensable before any recommendation of use can be made for Goji products.
Abstract: Since the beginning of this century, Goji berries and juice are being sold as health food products in western countries and praised in advertisements and in the media for well-being and as an anti-aging remedy. The popularity of Goji products has rapidly grown over the last years thanks to efficient marketing strategies. Goji is a relatively new name given to Lycium barbarum and L. chinense, two close species with a long tradition of use as medicinal and food plants in East Asia, in particular in China. While only L. barbarum is officinal, the fruit (fructus Lycii) and the root bark (cortex Lycii radicis) of both species are used in the folk medicine. We review here the constituents, pharmacology, safety, and uses of L. barbarum and L. chinense with consideration to the different parts of the plant. Investigations of the fruit have focused on proteoglycans, known as " Lycium barbarum polysaccharides", which showed antioxidative properties and some interesting pharmacological activities in the context of age related diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes. As to the root bark, several compounds have demonstrated a hepatoprotective action as well as inhibitory effects on the rennin/angiotensin system which may support the traditional use for the treatment of hypertension. While there are no signs of toxicity of this plant, two cases of possible interaction with warfarin point to a potential risk of drug interaction. In view of the available pharmacological data and the long tradition of use in the traditional Chinese medicine, L. barbarum and L. chinense certainly deserve further investigation. However, clinical evidences and rigorous procedures for quality control are indispensable before any recommendation of use can be made for Goji products.

530 citations