Description

Lycium fruit is used extensively in Chinese herbalism. The fruit are the berries of Lycium chinense and more commonly Lycium barbarum. The roots also have healing properties. Lycium is a shrub that grows to about 12 ft (4 m) in height. It grows wild on hillsides in the cooler regions of northern China and Tibet. However, it is also grown as a cultivated plant in almost all parts of China and in some other regions of Asia.

Lycium fruit is rich in carotene, vitamins B₁ and B₁₂, and vitamin C. The fruit also contains amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), iron, and trace elements essential to the body, including zinc, copper, selenium,...