Lycium Bark Extract

• Product Detail

Product name	Lycium Bark Extract
Latin Name	Lycium barbarum L.
Active ingredients	Cinnamic acid, phenolics and Betaine
synonyms	DI GU PI, Bark of Lycium, root of Lycium
Appearance	Brown fine powder
Part used	Root and bark
Specification	5:1,10:1,20;1
Dosage
Main benefits	Antioxidant, cardiovascular system, Antimicrobial agent
Applied industries	Medicine, food additive, dietary supplement, sports nutrition

What is Lycium Bark Extract?

The root bark of Lycium chinense Mill or Ningxia L. barbarum L. of family Arbustum. Light smell, slightly sweet with bitter after-taste.In Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years.

Chemical constituents of Lycium Bark Extract

Usually includes Cinnamic acid, phenolics and Betaine. Separation can be obtained such as Kukoamine A, Lyciumin A, Lyciumin B, β-Sitosterol, Linoleic acid, Linoleic acid etc.

Benefits of taking Lycium Bark Extract supplements:

Traditional Chinese Medicine

A. Bone-steaming tidal fever, toothache and diabetes due to yin-deficiency

It is effective in clearing deficiency heat in liver and kidney, relieving bone-steaming with sweat, so it is the good herb for reducing deficiency heat and relieving tidal fever. It is often combined with yin-nourishing herbs to take effects of treating both fundamental and incidental aspects, such as Zhi Mu and Bie Jia in Di Gu Pi Tang from Sheng Ji Zong Lu. For syndrome of yin deficiency and internal heat, body fluid consumption manifested as diabetes, polydipsia, irritable feverish sensation and dry mouth, it is combined with heat-clearing and yin-nourishing herbs which excel at promoting body fluid and relieving thirst, for example, Mai Dong, Tian Hua Fen, Lu Gen and so on in Di Gu Pi Tang recorded in Sheng Ji Zong Lu. For toothache due to up-flaming of deficiency fire, it can be used singly to rinse the mouth, or fill the pulp cavity or combined with yin-nourishing and stomach-heat-clearing herbs for oral administration.

B. Cough due to lung heat

It excels at clearing lung heat, reducing the latent fire in lung, and commonly indicated for treating failure of lung in purification, failure of adverse qi to descend caused by lung fire accumulation and stagnation manifested as cough or asthma. It is often combined with lung-heat-clearing and cough-stopping herbs, such as Sang Bai Pi and Gan Cao in Xie Bai San from Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue. For cough and asthma with profuse phlegm due to lung heat, it is also combined with heat-clearing and phlegm-resolving herbs. For example, Gua Lou Ren, Jie Geng and so on in Jia Wei Xie Bai San recorded in Zheng Yin Mai Zhi.

C. Bleeding due to blood heat

With actions of heat-clearing and blood-cooling for stopping bleeding, it is commonly indicated for hematemesis, apostaxis and hemoptysis due to blood heat. For blood stranguria, it can be decocted with alcohol such as Di Gu Pi in the book Jing Yan Guang Ji (Widely Collection of Experience). For hematemesis and hematockezia, it can be combined with Gou Qi Zi from the book Pu Ji Fang. Furthermore, its effects will be reinforced when being combined with blood-cooling and bleed-stopping herbs.

Modern Medicine

Effects on the cardiovascular system

>Suppression of low-density lipoprotein oxidation, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration by a herbal extract of Radix Astragali, Radix Codonopsis and Cortex Lycii.

(Source-Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.)

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Atherosclerosis is a major cause of death in developed world. Atherosclerosis is characterized by low-density lipoprotein deposition in the arterial wall which ultimately begets the formation of lesions. Rupture of lesions finally leads to clinical events such as heart attack and stroke. Atherosclerosis is a complication associated with diabetes. In patients with diabetes, the risk of atherosclerosis is three to five folds greater than in non-diabetics. Our previous study showed that a herbal extract of Radix Astragali, Radix Codonopsis and Cortex Lycii, namely SR10, could improve glucose homeostasis both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we want to further investigate the efficacy of SR10 in treating atherosclerosis.

METHOD:

The inhibitory effect of SR10 on low-density lipoprotein oxidation was investigated using free radical-induced erythrocyte hemolysis model and copper ion-induced low-density lipoprotein oxidation model. Since vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration are important processes in atherogenesis, we also examined the effect of SR10 in inhibiting these events.

RESULTS:

Our results showed that SR10 inhibited erythrocyte hemolysis with IC50 value at 0.25 mg/ml and significantly prolonged low-density lipoprotein oxidation in vitro. SR10 attenuated platelet derived growth factor-BB-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation by promoting cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase as well as inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell migration.

CONCLUSION:

The potential application of SR10 in treating atherosclerosis has been implied in this study. Animal model will be needed to further verify the efficacy of SR10 in future.

Resistant to microbial action

>Antimicrobial property of (+)-lyoniresinol-3alpha-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside isolated from the root bark of Lycium chinense Miller against human pathogenic microorganisms.

(Source-Department of Microbiology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Korea.)

Abstract

(+)-Lyoniresinol-3alpha-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) was isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the root bark from Lycium chinense Miller, and its structure was determined using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy including DEPT, HMQC, and HMBC. (+)-Lyoniresinol-3alpha-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from patients, and human pathogenic fungi without having any hemolytic effect on human erythrocytes. In particular, compound 1 induced the accumulation of intracellular trehalose on C. albicans as stress response to the drug, and disrupted the dimorphic transition that forms pseudo-hyphae caused by the pathogenesis. This indicates that (+)-lyoniresinol-3alpha-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside has excellent potential as a lead compound for the development of antibiotic agents.

>Anti-fungal effects of phenolic amides isolated from the root bark of Lycium chinense.

(Source-Department of Microbiology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea.)

Abstract

Four phenolic amides, dihydro-N-caffeoyltyramine (1), trans-N-feruloyloctopamine (2), trans-N -caffeoyltyramine (3), and cis-N-caffeoyltyramine (4), were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the root bark of Lycium chinense Miller. All had an anti-fungal effect; compounds 1-3 were potent at 5-10 microg ml(-1) and were without hemolytic activity against human erythrocyte cells. Compound 4 was active at 40 microg ml(-1). All four compounds impeded the dimorphic transition of pathogen, Candida albicans.

Other uses

>Fall blood sugar and fall hematic fat action

>Antipyretic effect

> Treatment of pulpitis pain

> Treatment of malaria

Side effects and safety of Lycium Bark Extract

Animal experiments showed Lycium Bark Extract is safe.