What Are Goji Berries?
Goji berries, scientifically known as Lycium barbarum, are also known as Wolfberries, Fructus Lycia, and Gougizi. These dried red berries have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years.
While it has occupied an important place in traditional Asian medicine for countless generations, the secrets of its nutritional benefits have remained a mystery to most of the world.
Through the ages, legends abound about this miraculous fruit, the goji berry. There are festivals held to celebrate its goodness, and a poem was written in its honor.
During the Tang Dynasty (around 800 AD), a well had been dug beside a wall near a famous Buddhist temple that was covered with goji vines. Over the years, countless berries had fallen into the well. Those who prayed there had the ruddy complexion of good health, and even at the age of eighty they had no white hair and had lost no teeth, simply because they drank the water from the well.
It is said that the Himalayans were the first natural healers and that they shared their wisdom with the ancient herbalists of China, Tibet, and India. One of their most prized secrets was the fruit of the native goji vine, which had been flourishing in the Himalayan valleys since the beginning of time. Those who came there to learn took the goji home with them and planted it in their own valleys, thus spreading the legend of this most marvelous and healthful fruit.
The people of Central Asia who love and cherish these goji berries so much that they devote two weeks every year to festivals in their honor.
Scientists realized four primary bioactive polysaccharides were discovered in Lycium barbarum. They named them Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP).
Research suggests that goji’s unique polysaccharides control and command many of the body’s most important biochemical defense systems.
Since its discovery in the Himalayas, those who know of the remarkable goji berry are awed by its unmatched health-promoting powers.
Scientific research from major universities around the world has validated the remarkable health benefits of the goji berry claimed by the Himalayan Healers thousands of years ago. Over 50 studies have already been published in prestigious health journals, including British Journal of Nutrition, International Immunopharmacology, Journal of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Journal of Ethnopharmacology China Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Herb News Magazine Research Communications Molecular Pathology and Pharmacology Chinese Patent Herbs, Chinese Herbs, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery Chinese Oncology Magazine, Hygiene Research, Physiology Academic Journal Chinese Stomatology, And Many More...
To quote Dr. Mindell's book, "Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret",
"many of the world's longest living people consume regular daily helpings of a tiny red fruit that just happens to be the world's most powerful anti-aging food: the Goji Berry."
What Are the Benefits of Goji Berries?
Over time, people have used goji berries to try to treat many common health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, fever, and age-related eye problems. Goji berries are eaten raw, cooked, or dried (like raisins) and are used in herbal teas, juices, wines, and medicines.
Some studies using goji berry juice found possible benefits that included a feeling of well being and calmness, better athletic performance and quality of sleep, and weight loss. But those were preliminary studies that need to be repeated before drawing conclusions. Many berries are good for you. It's not clear if goji berries are better than other types of berries, or if goji berry supplements would have the same health benefits as the actual berries.
Do Goji Berries Have Side Effects?
Goji berries could interact with some drugs. If you take warfarin (a blood thinner), you may want to avoid goji berries. Goji berries may also interact with diabetes drugs and blood pressure drugs, so talk with your doctor first.
