Lycii Radicis Cortex (Digupi) (LRC)

Lycii Radicis Cortex, widely known by its Chinese name Digupi, is the dried root bark of Lycium chinense Miller or Lycium barbarum L., both of which belong to the Solanaceae family [1, 2, 7]. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is valued for its antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and 'blood-cooling' properties, traditionally prescribed to treat 'bone-steaming' fever, chronic cough, and night sweats [1, 10, 16]. Modern pharmacological research indicates that Digupi possesses significant hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective activities, making it a subject of interest for managing type 2 diabetes and hypertension [3, 22]. These effects are mediated by a diverse array of bioactive compounds, most notably kukoamines A and B, the coumarin scopoletin, and the steroid beta-sitosterol, which act on multiple cellular targets within the PI3K-Akt and cAMP-PKA signaling cascades [3, 8, 27]. Although frequently studied via network pharmacology to identify its multi-target mechanisms, Digupi is a complex botanical extract rather than a single molecular target or receptor [3, 14, 18].

Other names

DigupiCortex LyciiLycii CortexLycium root barkJigolpiGugo-pi

Exerts therapeutic effects through bioactive components like kukoamines, scopoletin, and beta-sitosterol which modulate intracellular signaling pathways such as cAMP-PKA, PI3K-Akt, and MAPK, while also inhibiting enzymes like cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), alpha-glucosidase, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) [3, 8, 27].