Pretty much the opposite. They are much worse: more expensive and backed by less science than other berries.
There is no comparison to blue berries or other berries, but there appears to be some probable benefit.
Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects and antioxidant activity of fruit extracts from Lycium barbarum"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 through designed sequential trials and by measuring blood glucose and serum lipid parameters. Total antioxidant capacity was also assessed using trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. It was found that the three
Lycium barbarum fruit extracts/fractions could significantly reduce blood glucose levels and serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations and at same time markedly increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) levels after 10 days treatment in tested rabbits, indicating that there were substantial hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects. Hypoglycemic effect of LBP-X was more significant than those of water decoction and crude LBP, but its hypolipidemic effect seemed to be weaker. 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."
Immunomodulation and antitumor activity by a polysaccharide-protein complex from Lycium barbarum"The modulation of a polysaccharide–protein complex from
Lycium barbarum (LBP
3p) on the immune system in S180-bearing mice was investigated. The mice inoculated with S180 cell suspension were treated p.o. with LBP
3p (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) for 10 days. The effects of LBP
3p on transplantable tumors and macrophage phagocytosis, quantitative hemolysis of sheep red blood cells (QHS), lymphocyte proliferation, the activity of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene expression and lipid peroxidation were studied. LBP
3p could significantly inhibit the growth of transplantable sarcoma S180 and increase macrophage phagocytosis, the form of antibody secreted by spleen cells, spleen lymphocyte proliferation, CTL activity, IL-2 mRNA expression level and reduce the lipid peroxidation in S180-bearing mice. The effect is not dose-dependent in a linear fashion. A total of 10 mg/kg dose is more effective than 5 and 20 mg/kg doses. This suggests that LBP
3p at 10 mg/kg has a highly significant effect on tumor weight and improves the immune system."
Effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on human hepatoma QGY7703 cells: inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis"Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP), extracted from
Lycium barbarum that is a kind of traditional Chinese herb, is found to have anticancer activity. In this study, the effect of LBP on the proliferation rate, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis in the human hepatoma QGY7703 cell line were investigated. The effects of this compound were also tested on the concentration of calcium in cells. LBP treatment caused inhibition of QGY7703 cell growth with cycle arrest in S phase and apoptosis induction. The amount of RNA in cells and the concentration of intracellular Ca
2+ were increased. Moreover, the distribution of calcium in cells was changed. Taken together, 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 LBP in QGY7703 cells."
A polysaccharide-protein complex from Lycium barbarum upregulates cytokine expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells"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-α are two important cytokines in antitumor immunity. In this study, the effects of
Lycium barbarum polysaccharide-protein complex (LBP
3p) on the expression of interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were investigated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and bioassay. Administration of LBP
3p increased the expression of interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α at both mRNA and protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggest that LBP
3p may induce immune responses and possess potential therapeutic efficacy in cancer."
Edited by Skötkonung, 22 January 2011 - 12:24 AM.
