What are the chemical components of wolfberry?

This paper reviews the chemical composition and pharmacological effects of wolfberry, and the results show that wolfberry has the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys, improving sperm quality and eyesight, and delaying aging. The chemical components include wolfberry polysaccharides, multiple amino acids, trace elements, vitamins, taurine, bioalkali, volatile oils, etc. Modern clinical research shows that wolfberry has pharmacological effects such as lowering blood lipids and blood sugar, protecting the liver, anti-tumor, and anti-aging. Let me tell you what chemical components of wolfberry are.

Vitamins

The vitamin content in wolfberry fruit varies greatly depending on the variety and origin. Qi Zongshao reported that the carotene content in fresh Ningxia wolfberry fruit is 19.61 mg/100g, which is almost the highest content among all foods. Carotene can be converted into vitamin A under the action of human liver enzymes. Some experts believe that the eyesight-improving effect of wolfberry is related to this. Qi Zongshao measured the vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacin (nicotinic acid), and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in wolfberry.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are the most widely distributed class of compounds in Lycium plants and have a wide range of physiological activities, but there are few research reports on this in China. In 1980, Qi Zongshao found that both wolfberry fruit and leaves contain flavonoids.

Bioalkaloids

Japanese scholar Yoshie Omoto believes that the effect of wolfberry on lipid metabolism or anti-fatty liver is mainly caused by the betaine it contains, which acts as a methyl donor in the body. Betaine is a quaternary ammonium alkaloid and one of the main effective alkaloid components in wolfberry fruit, roots and leaves. There are few literature reports on betaine in wolfberry fruit. In 1984, Feng Yuanli used photometry to determine the betaine content in wolfberry fruit, roots and leaves, and the recovery rate was above 90%. Yuan Yangzhen used spectrophotometry to determine betaine in wolfberry.

Fats and fatty acids

Qi Zongshao measured that the crude fat content in fresh Ningxia wolfberry fruit is generally 1-2%, and the content in wolfberry is 8-12%. Xu Yanmei used Ningxia wolfberry to extract wolfberry oil and conducted a composition analysis of the wolfberry oil. The linoleic acid content is 66.5%.

Oleic acid is 17.6%, vitamin E is 42.02mg/100g, and phospholipids are 0.25%. Yang Xuqi conducted a capillary gas chromatography analysis of fatty acids in northern wolfberry seed oil and identified 11 fatty acids, whose content accounted for 99.10% of the total fatty acids. The main components were palmitic acid (7.38%), stearic acid (3.75%), oleic acid (15.90%), linoleic acid (66.89%) and γ-linolenic acid (3.27%).

The above is the chemical composition of wolfberry. The chemical composition of wolfberry also makes it have many medicinal properties and is of great benefit to the human body. Lycium barbarum is a unique plant that can be used as both medicine and food. It has pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, immunity-enhancing, anti-aging, and lipid-lowering. This paper reviews the research progress in the chemical composition, biological activity, extraction methods and quality analysis of black wolfberry in recent years. The role of wolfberry in human body is becoming more and more important.