[Latin Name]Huperzia serratum

[Source] Huperziceae whole herb from China

[Appearance]Brown to white

[Ingredient]Huperzine A

[Specification]Huperzine A 1% – 5%, HPLC

[Solubility] Soluble in chloroform, methanol, ethanol, slightly soluble in water

[Particle size] 80 Mesh

[Loss on drying] ≤5.0%

[Heavy Metal] ≤10PPM

[Pesticide residue] EC396-2005, USP 34, EP 8.0, FDA

[Storage] Store in cool & dry area, keep away from the direct light and heat.

[Shelf life] 24 Months

[Package] Packed in paper-drums and two plastic-bags inside.

[What is Huperzine A]

Huperzia is a type of moss that grows in China. It is related to club mosses (the Lycopodiaceae family) and is known to some botanists as Lycopodium serratum . The whole prepared moss was used traditionally. Modern herbal preparations use only the isolated alkaloid known as huperzine A. Huperzine A is an alkaloid found in huperzia that has been reported to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, an important substance needed by the nervous system to transmit information from cell to cell. Animal research has suggested that huperzine A’s ability to preserve acetylcholine may be greater than that of some prescription drugs. Loss of acetylcholine function is a primary feature of several disorders of brain function, including Alzheimer’s disease . Huperzine A may also have a protective effect on brain tissue, further increasing its theoretical potential for helping reduce symptoms of some brain disorders.

[Function] Used in alternative medicine, huperzine A has been found to act as a cholinesterase inhibitor, a type of medicine used to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine (a chemical essential to learning and memory).

Not only used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, huperzine A is also said to enhance learning and memory and to protect against age-related cognitive decline.

In addition, huperzine A is sometimes used to boost energy, increase alertness, and aid in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (an autoimmune disorder that affects the muscles).

Part of living sustainably is getting your food as locally as possible. To maximize the productivity, diversity, and sustainability of foods you get in your diet locally, it’s a good idea to know what crops produce the best in your climate using organic methods. There may be many potentially useful fruits available and adapted to your climate that you don’t know about.

This season I’m going to be experimenting with a number of unusual fruits as I lay out my yard with a new permaculture design. There are some fruits that do well where I live, and a lot that should, but don’t because of our soil or particular microclimate, or because we are trying to grow them organically. A number of unusual fruit have been making their way into nursery catalogs from around the world in recent years, and they have to potential become part of our diet because of their hardiness and disease resistance.

In this video, I take you through the first steps in growing goji and sea buckthorn, two unusual fruits that are hardy and do well without much effort, from seed. I will continue to keep you updated as the bushes grow and as I plant other unusual fruits this season.