Special Health Advisory on Immunity and Anti-Aging
D. Gary Young
(No article date)
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.
Can the Chinese Wolfberry Boost Immune Function?
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.
Is the Chinese Wolfberry a powerful antioxident?
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%.
Does the Chinese Wolfberry Protect the Eyesight?
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).
Gary Sees Dramatic Changes
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.
News for Athletes, Dieters and Cancer, Aids and MS Patients
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.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/94520123/New-Discovery-on-the-Chinese-Wolfberry-Special-Health-Advisory-on-
