Research progress on active components,health benefits and applications of Cornus officinalis in the food field

LI Cuicui; WANG Yongguo; CHENG Lijuan; LI Shaohua; QIAO Fan; CAI Rui; ZHANG Cuiyue

doi:10.12187/2026.01.004

Abstract：Based on the medicinal and edible dual-purpose characteristics of Cornus officinalis,this review summarizes its main active components,health benefits and corresponding mechanisms of action,and further discusses the current research progress on its applications in health foods and common foods such as alcoholic beverages,beverages,and vinegar.The main active components of Cornus officinalis include polysaccharides,flavonoids,tannins,iridoids,triterpenoids,alcohols,organic acids and steroids,which exhibit various health benefits such as anti-tumor and hypoglycemic effects.Significant progress has been achieved in elucidating the mechanisms of the active components of Cornus officinalis,such as regulating the expression of tumor apoptotic factors,protecting pancreatic β cells,modulating inflammatory signaling pathways,and activating the activity of antioxidant enzymes.Although remarkable achievements have been made in the application research of Cornus officinalis in the food field,it is still confronted with numerous challenges,including the need for continuous exploration of active components,inadequate in-depth elucidation of mechanisms,lack of clinical data,insufficient product diversity,poor stability of active components,and uneven product quality.In the future,it is necessary to rely on modern technologies to systematically excavate the active components of Cornus officinalis,further investigate the efficacy mechanisms,and overcome the bioavailability bottleneck,so as to promote the further development and utilization of Cornus officinalis resources in China.