Review of Chemical Components, Pharmacological Effects, Clinical Applications, and Processing Methods of Rubi Fructus ( Fupenzi )

Fupenzi is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine with unique nutritional and medicinal value. It has a history of over a thousand years as a medicine-food homologous herb and is widely used in clinical practice. To provide a reference for further research and clinical application of Fupenzi, this article reviews its chemical components, pharmacological effects, clinical applications, and processing methods by consulting domestic and foreign literatures. The results show that the chemical components of Fupenzi mainly include terpenoids, sterols, organic acids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, alkaloids, and volatile components. It has various pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-aging, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic effects, and it improves lipid metabolism and enhances memory. It is mainly used for diseases of the reproductive and urinary systems in clinic. In addition, different processing methods such as salt-processing, wine-processing, and fermentation can improve or enhance its pharmacological effects, expanding its clinical application. However, current research on Fupenzi is still in the primary stage, with problems such as a gap between basic research and clinical transformation, insufficient analysis of action mechanisms, lack of quality control and standardization, and scarce safety data, which all require further exploration.