Wolfberry Immune System
The goal of this website is to disseminate useful information, I'll take it a bit further with the science of the ningxia wolfberry's health benefits to the immune system.
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The Wolfberry and Polysaccharides
Ningxia wolfberries have been found to have extremely high levels of immune-stimulating polysaccharides. What are polysaccharides? Polysaccharides are very large, long-chain sugar molecules that are nourishment for macrophages (large white blood cells) in the gut wall. The macrophages are then transported to other immune cells, setting off a chain of defensive events in our bodies.
Several years ago German researchers isolated polysaccharides from Echinacea purpurea (often used in medicinal formulations) and mixed them with macrophages in test tubes. They found that the polysaccharides profoundly activated the macrophages, stimulating them to effectively kill tumour cells! Also it was found macrophages increased their production of interleukin, a chemical which spurs the immune system to greater activity, and the polysaccharides also enhanced the activity of B lymphocytes, immune-system cells which fight bacterial infections. Wow.
The Wolfberry and Phagocytes
Phagocytes are a crucial component of the immune system and are found in the spleen. They digest foreign substances that invade the body including bacteria and other disease causing organisms. Having large numbers of phagocytes in the spleen will enable the body to more quickly eliminate foreign substances and thus prevent the development of potential illness. The effects of the wolfberry were astounding. Wolfberries increased spleenic phagocyte cell counts (immune cells) by 81% and increased the ORAC (antioxidant capacity) of the subjects' whole blood. Essentially, you could say the subjects blood became younger.