What you will find on this page:
Lycium information
Lycium Barbarum fruit supplement, also known as Goji Berry
Eyesight Rx with lycium barbarum fruit for vision
Passion Rx, a sexual enhancement product

Also known as Lycium berry or Wolfberry. A similar variety in Tibet is called Goji Berry. I am not sure how similar lycium berry is to goji berry as far as their chemical composition. My understanding thus far is that Goji berry and Wolfberry are similar, it's just that they grow in different parts of Asia. However, there seems to be confusion and disagreement on this matter. I have spoken to different raw material suppliers, and some say they are the same while other claim goji berry and wolfberry are slightly different. I don't know for sure at this time. Lycium berry is a fruit popular in China and Eastern Asia, and known medicinally for 2000 years.

Historical use of Lycium Barbarum
Lycium fruit has been used for a number of conditions including diabetes, fertility, cancer, and vision. Little human research is available in the West to know for sure what condition lycium fruit can be used for, in what dosage, and how often.

What's in Lycium?
A number of compounds are present in lycium barbarum, including flavonoids and pyrrole derivatives.

Goji Berry - Wolfberry - Lycium Barbarum - 500 mg
60 Capsules
Club Natural

Lycium Supplement Facts
Serving size: 1 Capsule
servings per container: 60

Amount Per Serving:
Goji Berry - Wolfberry -- Lycium Barbarum - 500 mg

Suggested use: As a dietary supplement, take 1 lycium barbarum capsule a few times a week, or as recommended by your health care provider.

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Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter.  Twice a month you will be emailed information on several new studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D. We'll discuss lycium research when available.

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Eyesight Rx with Lycium
Supports Healthy Vision
Physician Formulas
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Supplement Facts:
Vitamin C - (Ascorbic acid)
Citrus bioflavonoids
     (eriocitrin, hesperidin, flavonols, flavones, flavonoids, naringenin, and quercetin)
Mixed carotenoids
     (astaxanthin, beta carotene, cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Lycopene, Zeaxanthin)
Bilberry extract (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Eyebright extract (Euphrasia officianales)
Jujube extract (Zizyphus jujube)
Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba)
Suma extract (Pfaffia paniculata)
Mucuna pruriens extract (Cowhage)
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
Lycium (Lycium Barbarum)
Sarsaparila (Sarsaparilla Smilax)
Alpha Lipoic Acid

Click Eyesight Rx for more information
 

PASSION Rx for Men and Women
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Passion Rx does not have lycium barbarum fruit at this time.

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Passion Rx provides results that are often seen within hours, but continue to improve the next day, and over several days of use. Our feedback thus far indicates more than 85% user satisfaction.

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Benefits of Lycium Barbarum
Lycium fruit contains flavonoids with antioxidant properties. Some of the compounds in lycium protect the liver from oxidants as well as milk thistle. In laboratory studies, lycium was able to inhibit growth of leukemia and liver cancer cells. Lycium fruit may also have anti-fatigue properties.

Side effects of Lycium Berry
Not enough research has been done regarding the side effect profile of lycium berry.

Lycium Berry summary
There are quite a number of positive aspects to the lycium fruit but we will need human trials to find out how practical this herb can be in terms of disease prevention or treatment. I have come across some libido products that have lycium in their formula, however I have not seen any research yet in regards to this aphrodisiac property.

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Research Update
Lycium barbarum polysaccharides: Protective effects against heat-induced damage of rat testes and H2O2-induced DNA damage in mouse testicular cells and beneficial effect on sexual behavior and reproductive function of hemicastrated rats.
Life Sci. 2006 Jul 10;79(7):613-21. Epub 2006 Mar 6. College of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, PR China.
Lycium barbarum, a famous Chinese medicinal herb, has a long history of use as a traditional remedy for male infertility. Polysaccharides are the most important functional constituent in Lycium barbarum fruits. We systematically investigated the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides on rat testis damage induced by a physical factor (43 degrees C heat exposure), on DNA damage of mouse testicular cells induced by a chemical factor (H2O2), and on sexual behavior and reproductive function of hemicastrated male rats. The results showed that Lycium barbarum provided a protective effect against the testicular tissue damage induced by heat exposure. When compared with negative control, a suitable concentration of Lycium barbarum significantly increased testis and epididymis weights, improved superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and raised sexual hormone levels in the damaged rat testes. Lycium barbarum had a dose-dependent protective effect against DNA oxidative damage of mouse testicular cells induced by H2O2. Lycium barbarum improved the copulatory performance and reproductive function of hemicastrated male rats, such as shortened penis erection latency and mount latency, regulated secretion of sexual hormones and increased hormone levels, raised accessory sexual organ weights, and improved sperm quantity and quality. The present findings support the folk reputation of Lycium barbarum fruits as an aphrodisiac and fertility-facilitating agent, and provide scientific evidence for a basis for the extensive use of Lycium barbarum fruits as a traditional remedy for male infertility in China.

Effect of lycium barbarum polysaccharide on human hepatoma QGY7703 cells: inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis.
Life Sci. 2005 Mar 18;76(18):2115-24.
Lycium barbarum polysaccharide, extracted from Lycium barbarum that is a kind of traditional Chinese herb, is found to have anticancer activity. In this study, the effect of lycium on the proliferation rate, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis in the human hepatoma QGY7703 cell line were investigated. The study suggests that the induction of cell cycle arrest and the increase of intracellular calcium in apoptotic system may participate in the antiproliferative activity of lycium in human hepatoma QGY7703 cells.

Fasting plasma zeaxanthin response to Lycium barbarum (wolfberry; Kei Tze) in a food-based human supplementation trial.
Br J Nutr. 2005 Jan;93(1):123-30.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common disorder that causes irreversible loss of central vision. Increased intake of foods containing zeaxanthin may be effective in preventing AMD because the macula accumulates zeaxanthin and lutein, oxygenated carotenoids with antioxidant and blue light-absorbing properties. Lycium barbarum L. is a small red berry known as Fructus lycii and wolfberry in the West, and Kei Tze and Gou Qi Zi in Asia. Lycium is rich in zeaxanthin dipalmitate, and is valued in Chinese culture for being good for vision. The aim of this study, which was a single-blinded, placebo-controlled, human intervention trial of parallel design, was to provide data on how fasting plasma zeaxanthin concentration changes as a result of dietary supplementation with whole wolfberry. Fasting blood was collected from healthy, consenting subjects; fourteen subjects took 15 g/d lycium (estimated to contain almost 3 mg zeaxanthin) for 28 d. Repeat fasting blood was collected on day 29. Age- and sex-matched controls (n 13) took no lycium. After lycium supplementation, plasma zeaxanthin increased 2.5-fold. This human supplementation trial shows that zeaxanthin in whole lycium is bioavailable and that intake of a modest daily amount markedly increases fasting plasma zeaxanthin levels. These new data will support further study of dietary strategies to maintain macular pigment density.

Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects and antioxidant activity of fruit extracts from Lycium barbarum.
Life Sci. 2004 Nov 26;76(2):137-49.
The hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Lycium barbarum fruit water decoction, crude polysaccharide extracts (crude LBP), and purified polysaccharide fractions (LBP-X) in alloxan-induced diabetic or hyperlipidemic rabbits were investigated. Total antioxidant capacity assay showed that all three Lycium barbarum extracts/fractions possessed antioxidant activity. However, water and methanolc fruit extracts and crude polysaccharide extracts exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than purified polysaccharide fractions because crude extracts were identified to be rich in antioxidants (e.g., carotenoids, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, thiamine, nicotinic acid). Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (glycocojugates), containing several monosaccharides and 17 amino acids, were major bioactive constituents of hypoglycemic effect. Both polysaccharides and vitamin antioxidants from Lycium barbarum fruits were possible active principles of hypolipidemic effect.

Comparison of plasma responses in human subjects after the ingestion of 3R,3R'-zeaxanthin dipalmitate from wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) and non-esterified 3R,3R'-zeaxanthin using chiral high-performance liquid chromatography.
Br J Nutr. 2004 May;91(5):707-13.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common eye diseases of elderly individuals. It has been suggested that lutein and zeaxanthin may reduce the risk for AMD. Information concerning the absorption of non-esterified or esterified zeaxanthin is rather scarce. Furthermore, the formation pathway of meso (3R,3'S)-zeaxanthin, which does not occur in plants but is found in the macula, has not yet been identified. Thus, the present study was designed to assess the concentration of 3R,3R'-zeaxanthin reached in plasma after the consumption of a single dose of native 3R,3'R-zeaxanthin palmitate from Lycium barbarum or non-esterified 3R,3'R-zeaxanthin in equal amounts.

2-O-(beta-D-Glucopyranosyl)ascorbic acid, a novel ascorbic acid analogue isolated from Lycium fruit.
J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Apr 7;52(7):2092-6.
A novel stable precursor of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), 2-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)ascorbic acid, was isolated from both the ripe fresh fruit and dried fruit of Lycium barbarum L., a plant of the Solanaceae family. The chemical structure was inferred by instrumental analyses and confirmed by chemical synthesis. The dried fruit of Lycium barbarum L. contained ca. 0.5% of it, which is comparable to the ascorbic acid content of fresh lemons. It increased the blood ascorbic acid by oral administration to rats, and it was also detected in blood from the portal vein.

[Study on protective action of lycium barbarum polysaccharides on DNA imparments of testicle cells in mice]
Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2003 Nov;32(6):599-601.
To investigate the protective effect of lycium barbarum polysaccharides on DNA oxidative damage of testicle cells induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The single cell gel electrophoresis(SCGE) was used to detect the breakage of DNA strand and analyze lycium protection against oxidation damage in testicle cells treated by different concentrations of lycium for 1 hour firstly, and then cultured with 100 mumol/L H2O2 for 25 min. The results showed that a certain moment action by H2O2 could induce the breakage of DNA strand. The pretreatment of lycium significantly decreased the frequencies of cells with tail moment and the tail length of testicle cells treated by H2O2. It is suggested that lycium itself could not cause the oxidation damage, but it could clean out the free-radical and restrain the DNA damage of testicle cells caused by the oxidative stress.

Effect of lycium fruit and epimedium on DNA synthesis of the aging-youth 2BS fusion cells
Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2003 Dec;23(12):926-8.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of water extracts of lycium fruit and Epimedium (EM) on DNA synthesis of the aging-youth 2BS fusion cells. METHODS: Human embryonic lung diploid fibroblasts 2BS national standard strain, were used as an aging model. Cell denucleation and cell fusion techniques were applied to observe the effect of lycium and EM on DNA synthesis of 2BS fusion cells. CONCLUSION: Both lycium and EM can accelerate the DNA synthesis rate of the aging youth 2BS fusion cells and prolong the life span of 2BS cells.

A polysaccharide-protein complex from Lycium barbarum upregulates cytokine expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2003 Jun 27;471(3):217-22.
The production of cytokine is a key event in the initiation and regulation of an immune response. Many compounds are now used routinely to modulate cytokine production, and therefore the immune response, in a wide range of diseases, such as cancer. Interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha are two important cytokines in antitumor immunity. In this study, the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide-protein complex on the expression of interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were investigated. Administration of Lycium increased the expression of interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha at both mRNA and protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggest that Lycium polysaccharide may induce immune responses and possess potential therapeutic efficacy in cancer.

Hepatoprotective pyrrole derivatives of Lycium chinense fruits.
Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2003 Jan 6;13(1):79-81.
As a part of our search for hepatoprotective compounds from Lycium chinense fruits, three new pyrrole derivatives (1-3) were isolated. These compounds and a related synthetic methylated compound (4) were evaluated for their biological activity and structure-activity relationship, and compounds 1 and 2 showed hepatoprotective effects comparable to silybin at the concentration of 0.1 microM (64.4 and 65.8%, respectively).

[Isolation and purification of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides and its antifatigue effect]
Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2000 Mar 30;29(2):115-7.
A purified component of lycium barbarum polysaccharide was isolated from lycium barbarum. Lycium was tested on five different doses (5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mg.kg-1.d-1) in mice. The results showed that lycium induced a remarkable adaptability to exercise load, enhanced resistance and accelerated elimination of fatigue. Lycium could enhance the storage of muscle and liver glycogen, increase the activity of LDH before and after swimming, decrease the increase of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) after strenuous exercise, and accelerate the clearance of BUN after exercise. The dosage of lycium 10 mg.kg-1.d-1 was the best amount among the five tested doses.

[Inhibition the growth of human leukemia cells by Lycium barbarum polysaccharide]
Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2001 Nov;30(6):333-5.
The effect and the mechanism of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on inhibiting the growth of human leukemia HL-60 cells were examined. Lycium polysaccharide could inhibit the growth of HL-60 cells in dose-dependent manner and decrease the membrane fluidity of the cell. Agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA from the cells treated with LBP-X revealed a "DNA ladder" and positive TUNEL test. The results showed that the apoptosis of HL-60 cells induced by lycium maybe its important mechanism on anti-tumorgenesis.

The protective effects of total flavonoids from Lycium Barbarum L. on lipid peroxidation of liver mitochondria and red blood cell in rats
Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 1999 Mar 30;28(2):115-6.
The protective effects of total flavonoids from Lycium Barbarum L. on lipid peroxidation in mitochondria and red blood cells (RBC) induced by oxygen radicals produced by Fe2+ cysteine system were investigated. The mitochondria lipid peroxidation (measured as malondialdehyde, MDA) was significantly inhibited by lycium, and the fluidity of mitochondria membrane was also protected effectively. It was observed by scan electron microscope, that the shape of RBC in the Fe2+ system was damaged significantly. The shape of RBC was remained with the addition of lycium barbarum.

Lycium emails
Q. I have a lycium extract and I am in rowing team of my college and from personal experiences I know lycium supplies huge amounts of energy. I also feel euphoric while using it. It is said to be a yin essence tonic, which implies to DHEA. Can it have the ability to boost dhea synthesis. I dont thnik the joy lyceum provides is not because of increased serotonin, at least not just that.
     A. Yes, lycium can provide a lot of energy, and it is much more complicated than just influencing one or two body chemicals and hormones. Lycium probably has an effect on many physiological metabolic factors in the body which have not yet been fully evaluated. Many herbs enhance energy.

Q. I have seen both spellings, lyceum and lycium fruit. Which one is correct?
     A. Actually lycium and lyceum are two different words. Lycium refers to the fruit. The Lyceum was a gymnasium near Athens and the site of a philosophical school. The Lyceum was named after the neighboring temple of Lycian Apollo. In 335 B.C. Aristotle established a school and research institute in the Lyceum. A lyceum can also be defined as an educational institution (often a school of secondary education in Europe), or a public hall used for cultural events.