Three Healing Plants of China
Ningxia Wolfberries, Green Tea, and Ginseng in Chinese Pharmacopoeia
Three plants have been revered in ancient and modern China for their healing properties: ginseng, green tea, and the Ningxia wolfberry.
Ancient China is renowned for its rich tradition of natural medicine. Dozens of herbs and spices play a part in the Chinese lexicon, for cooking and for healing. In modern China, three of the most revered plants are ginseng, green tea, and wolfberry.
Ginseng was revered in historical China because the root's forked shape resembled "a little man." In fact, its name is derived from the Chinese renshen meaning "man root." It is used as a general tonic and to boost energy and vitality, and is especially good for men. Chinese and Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is said to carry "yang" or masculine energy, and promotes circulation and warmth; American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), however, has "yin" or feminine energy.
Many people are surprised to learn that green tea is brewed from the same plant as black tea (Camellia sinensis). Only the processing of the leaves differs. Green tea is higher in antioxidants and polyphenols than other teas, and has been promoted to boost the immune system, fight cancer, improve heart health and more. Although the benefits of the polyphenols, catechins and other compounds in green tea have been shown to be helpful, human testing is still ambiguous about whether green tea has the health benefits that sellers claim. No effects of green tea have been scientifically established, perhaps because the caffeine content outweighs potential benefits. However, it remains one of the primary exports of Chinese culture - tea is still of noted ritual importance in China and Japan.
Wolfberry, known in other regions as "goji," is a fruit whose significance belies its fragile appearance (see picture, above). Wolfberry has been shown to be the most potent antioxidant fruit known. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in excess of most other known fruits and vegetables. It has been touted to boost energy levels, combat chronic fatigue, improve eyesight and fight cancer and chronic illnesses.
What separates the wolfberry from ginseng and green tea is that although the former could be owned only by the nobility and Emperors of China, the wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) belongs to all. In poor rural areas of China, where the diet consisted mainly of apricots, walnuts, goat's milk, and lots of wolfberries, there are records of people routinely living well over a hundred years. Lifespans are still longest in the Ningxia region of China, where the most potent variety of the fruit is grown. The Ningxia wolfberry is the only variety of wolfberry to appear in the Chinese medical text the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China.
Related article: Goji Berries and Ningxia Wolfberry
