Deciduous shrub of Lycium in Solanaceae. The fruit is called Lycium barbarum and the root bark is called Lycium barbarum, which can be used as medicine. Young stems and leaves are used as vegetables. Compendium of Materia Medica says that Lycium barbarum "has thorns like Lycium barbarum and stems like Lycium barbarum, hence the name". It is distributed all over China, mostly in the wild.

Ningxia Lycium barbarum is mostly cultivated, and its fruit is medicinal Lycium barbarum or Lycium barbarum. Mainly produced in Ningxia, Gansu and other places, it is a famous specialty in China. Plant height 150 ~ 200 cm, slender branches, usually curved apex with short spines. Leaves alternate or clustered, ovate-lanceolate 1 ~ 2 flowers clustered, corolla lavender or purple. Berries are oval or ovoid, and they are red when they are ripe. Seeds oblate and reniform. Strong adaptability. Seed propagation, seedling raising and transplanting are the main methods. Before sowing, accelerate germination, and when the seeds are 30% white, mix with wet soil ash for sowing. Spring sowing is from late March to early May, and summer sowing is from June to July. The row spacing of drilling holes is 40 cm. The seed consumption per mu is about 0.25 kg. In the spring or autumn of the following year, hole sowing should be carried out according to the row spacing of 200 ~ 250 cm. Young trees need shaping to form a good crown structure because they have strong germination and branching ability. Adult trees need pruning to promote ventilation and light transmission. Pests and diseases include black fruit disease, gray spot disease, mud bug and so on. When planted, it will bear fruit in autumn. The fruits in Ningxia in summer and autumn are mostly dark red or orange red, soft and juicy, with loose stems, which are harvested in batches and spread out to dry. Don't turn your face in the strong light for two days after picking, dry it until your skin wrinkles and then dry hard.

Lycium barbarum L. and Lycium barbarum L. fruits in Ningxia have the functions of lowering blood sugar, resisting fatty liver and atherosclerosis. When used as traditional Chinese medicine, it has the functions of nourishing liver and kidney and benefiting eyesight. Indications: dizziness, watery eyes, kidney deficiency and backache. Root bark has the functions of lowering blood pressure, relieving fever, inhibiting bacteria, clearing away heat and cooling blood, and relieving deficiency heat, and is mainly used for treating fatigue, fever and hematuria. As we all know, Lycium barbarum fruit contains betaine, zeaxanthin, red pigment of sour pulp and fatty oil. Root bark contains betaine, sitosterol and vitamin B 1. Ningxia Lycium barbarum fruit also contains betaine and Physalis red pigment.