This red fruit with both "material" and "appearance" has finally been approved for medicinal and edible homology

March 14, 2024

In November 2023, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a notice (No. 9 of 2023), officially including nine substances such as Cornus officinalis in the list of medicinal and edible homologous substances. There are about 65 species of plants in the genus Cornus (family Cornaceae), widely distributed in central and southern Europe, East Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Americas. Since ancient times, Cornus officinalis has been used as food, and the oldest seeds found in pottery can be traced back to the Iron Age around 800 BC.

Cornus officinalis, also known as Asian or Japanese Cornus, grows in China and is mainly distributed in East Asia, such as China, South Korea, and Japan. It is a deciduous tree that grows in warm temperate zones, but also has cold resistance and can briefly grow in low temperature areas of -18 ℃. The leaves of Cornus officinalis are soft, with bright yellow flowers in early spring and fleshy, bright red, cherry shaped fruits in late summer. Immature fruits have a bitter taste, but when fully ripe, they have a plum like taste and can be consumed directly. Cornus officinalis is also a medicinal plant that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years. Meanwhile, Cornus officinalis is also considered a nourishing food with the effects of protecting the kidneys and nourishing the liver. In many medical prescriptions of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, it is considered an effective medicinal herb. When used alone or in combination with other medicinal herbs, it can improve the clinical symptoms of liver and kidney diseases. In other regions, its ripe red edible berries are usually processed into juice or preserves. Juice sometimes ferments into wine. Immature fruits can be marinated with vinegar to produce products with a taste and appearance similar to pickled olives.

01
The nutritional components of Cornus officinalis

1) The red fruit of Cornus officinalis contains abundant trace elements such as copper, zinc, manganese, as well as very rich potassium. According to reports, fresh fruits contain over 3500 milligrams of potassium per 100 grams. This data has also been confirmed by Gozlekci et al., who pointed out that there is a variety deviation in the potassium concentration of Cornus officinalis, with a concentration range of 2780-3340 mg/100 g fresh weight. Cornus officinalis juice is rich in calcium (32.3 milligrams/100 milliliters) and trace elements such as iron, zinc, and manganese.

2) Carbohydrates and dietary fiber carbohydrates are key compounds that determine the quality of fruits, as in addition to food preservation, sugar content is the main parameter affecting direct consumption of fruits. The purification and isolation of bioactive polysaccharides from the fruit of Cornus officinalis confirmed that the most abundant monosaccharide components among these polysaccharides are glucose, rhamnose, and arabinose. In addition, oligosaccharides commonly found in fruits are considered indigestible food components that can stimulate the growth or selective activity of gut microbiota. Therefore, it should not be ruled out that dietary fiber and other components in the fruit of Cornus officinalis have potential probiotic activity.

3) In traditional Chinese medicine, tannins only describe the medicinal preparation of the fruit of Cornus officinalis. A large number of modern studies have shown that the edible fruits of Cornus officinalis are mainly bioactive compounds such as tannins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, lignans, aromatic acids, and terpenoids. About 20 types of tannins have been found in the fruit of Cornus officinalis, including tannic acid and gallic acid tannins. Of particular note is 7-O-gallic acid D-Sedum heptanose, which has potential biological activity. In these tannins, the molecular weights of dimers and trimers are sometimes higher than 1000 D. Although tannins were initially found in the fruit of Cornus officinalis, these compounds have also been recently discovered in the fruit pits of Cornus officinalis.

4) From a holistic perspective, existing research indicates that the main component of Cornus officinalis is polyphenolic compounds, especially quercetin derivatives. According to the study by De Biaggi et al., the total amount of polyphenols in fresh weight measurement of Cornus officinalis reached 37% of all bioactive compounds. Due to different extraction processes and varieties used in the research, the total amount of polyphenols ranges from 219.08 to 976.51 mg/100g fresh weight. Rop et al. pointed out that the total amount of polyphenols is related to the variety of Cornus officinalis. However, the varieties of Cornus officinalis planted in China contain many glycosidic components, such as quercetin 3-O- β- D-glucoside methyl ester, quercetin 3-O- β- D-glucosinolate, kaempferol 3-O- β- D-rutoside and kaempferol glycosides have been confirmed to exist in the fruits of Cornus officinalis. It is worth noting that epicatechin 3-O-gallate only exists in the varieties of Cornus officinalis planted in China.

5) The fruit of Cornus officinalis is red in color, so it also contains many anthocyanin compounds. The literature reports that the detected anthocyanins include geranium 3-O-galactoside, anthocyanin 3-O-galactoside, and delphinidin 3-O-galactoside. The content of geranium 3-O-galactoside is about 0.78 mg/g. When the color of the fruit changes from light yellow to deep red, the content of anthocyanins increases. Anthocyanins are compounds that have been confirmed by many studies to have antioxidant properties.

6) In addition to anthocyanins

Cornus officinalis also contains iridoid compounds - organic molecules with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. According to reports, the main component of iridoid terpenes in the fruit of Cornus officinalis is monoglycoside α and β Isomers of its methyl and ethyl derivatives. In addition to the typical iridoid compounds described earlier, some little-known compounds have also been discovered, such as 15 rare iridoid glycoside dimers isolated from the water of Cornus officinalis fruit. Meanwhile, the differences in the content of iridoid compounds are related to the analysis methods, cultivation varieties, and cultivation methods.

02
Modern efficacy of Cornus officinalis

1) Antioxidation

not only has the functions of tonifying the liver and kidneys, but also has the functions of astringency, firmness and detoxification in the pharmacopoeia. And the antioxidant ability we mentioned earlier. In a study, Kim et al. investigated the in vivo antioxidant effects of water extracts of Cornus officinalis, and concluded that the antioxidant effects of Cornus officinalis extract in vivo were related to its protective effects on catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Researchers also measured the scavenging activity of extracts from different solvents of Cornus officinalis against 33 types of free radicals through DPPH tests. The results showed that the scavenging activity of each extract against DPPH free radicals was significantly higher than that of the positive control, with water and ethanol extracts having higher activity than other extracts. This antioxidant activity is related to the polyphenolic compounds in Cornus officinalis.

2) Osteoporosis

,as a chronic disease, is closely related to the aging process of the elderly. Chinese Herbal Medicine has actually been used to improve this disease, and the preparations listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia also include the fruit of Cornus officinalis. Studies have shown that the extract of Cornus officinalis significantly inhibits osteoclast differentiation and phosphorylation of c-Jun amino terminal kinase. Other studies have shown that mononucleoside is one of the main components of Cornus officinalis extract, and its effect on human chondrocyte osteoarthritis has been studied. This compound increases the levels of type II collagen and proteoglycans, and improves the proteoglycan levels in the cartilage matrix. In this way, it supports the survival of chondrocytes with joint cartilage thickness. In summary, extracts of Cornus officinalis or individual compounds not only inhibit osteoclast differentiation in vitro cell models, but also have inhibitory effects in animal models of osteoporosis.

3) Immune

regulation researchers have also carried out many studies on the immunity of cornus officinalis, and found that it can affect the innate immune system by stimulating macrophages and lymphocytes, and regulate cytokines, thereby reducing the incidence rate of infection or allergic diseases. In addition, allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract, characterized by wheezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, and respiratory inflammation. The study on a mouse model of allergic asthma shows that the effect of Cornus officinalis is achieved by reducing the production of Th2 cytokines (IL-5), eosinophil chemokines, and specific IgE, as well as reducing eosinophil infiltration. The crude fruit polysaccharides of Cornus officinalis have an enhancing effect on non-specific immunity, specific humoral immunity, and specific cellular immunity in immunosuppressive mice.

4) Other

In addition, many studies have shown that the fruit of Cornus officinalis plays an important role in preventing atherosclerosis, blood sugar, blood lipids and reducing liver fat accumulation, and also has antibacterial, antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory effects.

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2024-02-26

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