Evidence Cards · three core references
What the literature actually says
E0+E1+E2Ethnobotanical field surveyCore project paper
1. Ethnobotanical study of Prinsepia utilis and its skincare-related traditional knowledge (6 ethnic communities · 840 interviewees)
Zhao Yanqiang, Zhao Ying, Yang Lixin (corr.). Guihaia, 2023, 43(10): 1941–1953. DOI: 10.11931/guihaia.gxzw202203039
A field survey across Naxi, Mosuo, Bai, Pumi, Yi and Miao communities of northwest Yunnan systematically recorded traditional uses of P. utilis — pressing oil, decoction, stewing, fermentation, mashing, liquor infusion, sun-drying, honey-sautéing — for skincare and other purposes, and detected ten compounds with skin-caring activities (gallic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, rutin, protocatechuic acid and others).
Key verbatim data: total flavonoids: young-leaf extract 11.73±0.19 mg·g⁻¹ > fruit extract 8.93±0.05 > fermented-leaf water 1.30±0.02 > fermented-leaf extract 1.24±0.01; DPPH IC50 of three fruit-oil samples 0.0168 / 0.0309 / 0.0322 g·mL⁻¹ — antioxidant activity differed by producing area and process (which is why batch traceability matters).
Limitations: qualitative survey; activity verified by in-vitro chemistry only; no human efficacy trials. Chinese text layer of the source PDF is damaged — citations here follow the English abstract and tables pending human review.
E1+E2Formulation study
2. Antioxidant and moisturizing activity of a Prinsepia utilis oil composition
Yin Xiaoya, Zhao Ying, Chen Yan, Gao Lu, Yang Lixin (corr.). China Surfactant Soap and Detergent Industries (日用化学品科学), 2023, 46(6): 46–51. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-7264.2023.06.010
Deodorized Prinsepia seed oil (collected July 2021, Yongsheng County, Lijiang) was used as the base with 0.001% astaxanthin + 0.001% hesperetin; DPPH scavenging and moisture retention were measured.
Key verbatim data: moisture retention above 70% within 2 h, higher than the control containing 0.11% Prinsepia oil; DPPH scavenging ≈90% at 50% composition concentration; pH 5.39.
Limitations: in-vitro/physical chemistry only; activity comes from added actives, not the oil itself; single origin, single batch.
E0Doctoral dissertation · 209-page scan
3. Investigation and evaluation of Naxi skincare plants and their traditional knowledge
Yang Lixin. 2015. Doctoral dissertation, Minzu University of China, pp. 1–134.
The upstream field survey behind the Guihaia 2023 paper: an inventory and evaluation of Naxi skincare plants (including P. utilis) and their traditional knowledge — the source of the "Naxi grandmothers gather Prinsepia berries" narrative.
Status: the 28 MB / 209-page original is a scan without a text layer; it is queued for OCR. Until then this site does not quote its body text (honesty first).
Paper 1 PDF (repaired local copy) Paper 2 PDF (repaired local copy)
