Chinese Wolfberry

Chinese wolfberry Lycium chinense, a small shrub of E. Asia whose small red berries have had a reputation as a medicine and tonic in China since ancient times. A Chinese name for them means ‘drive-away-old-age berries’. They have little use in the kitchens of either China or Japan (where the name is kuko). However, since they impart a sweetish taste, they have a limited use as a flavouring ingredient in some dishes, for example the oxtail soup of Sichuan.