Latin Name
Lycium barbarum (or Lycium chinense)

General Description
Similar in appearance and action, the berries of both Lycium barbarum and Lycium chinense are large, soft and red. The fruit is sometimes known as wolfberry. Ripening in the summer, lycium has thick flesh and small seeds. In traditional Chinese medical terms, the two herbs are classified as sweet and neutral. Lycium chinense appears largely in Hebei Province, while the more common Lycium barbarum grows in a number of Chinese provinces.

Target Ailments
Taken internally for:

• Night blindness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dizziness and blurred vision.
  
• Consumptive coughs.
  
• Diabetes.
  
• Sore back, knees and legs.
  
• Impotence and nocturnal emission.

Preparations
Over the counter:
Available in dried bulk, capsules and tinctures.

At home:
Tea: 1/4 tsp. to 1/2 tsp. dried leaves steeped in 1 cup boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes.
Compress: A piece of fabric soaked in a lobelia infusion for several minutes, wrung out and applied to affected area.
Combinations: For asthma, used with cayenne, skunk cabbage and ginger.

Special Information

• You should not take this herb if you suffer from an inflammatory ailment, weak digestion or a tendency to become bloated.
  
• In a laboratory test, lycium was administered intravenously to rabbits; it seemed to reduce the blood pressure of these animals and to calm labored breathing.