All About The Goji Berry
For over five thousand years the Goji Berry has been a vital part of the herbalists of Tibet, India and of China. Modern medicine has been slow to study and still will not adapt to mother nature as swiftly as we would all hope for. Some of this is good as it provides a blanket of protection for our health to properly test through research the claims of all these ancient wonders. Ancient wonders? Like they have been on the planet for a while and have 1000's of stories? You get where I am going with this. Organic Goji Berries
We need to put more pressure on the FDA to accelerate these studies. You typically will find this berry dried out similar to a raisin. There are many uses of this powerful little wonder of a berry. Here a just a few examples of how people for thousands of years have been utilizing natures gift of the goji berry:
The list goes on and on as this little berry has been a favorite of the far east for many a century. Like the Acai berry we, in the western world, are just beginning to understand the powers of these incredible berries. Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, in particularl the carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. One of zeaxanthin's key roles interacting with our body is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased intake of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 65. The west is so far behind in understanding the wonderful potential that we must do our own research and not hesitate to trust the East.
In recent years, goji juice has become popular as a health beverage supplement. Companies marketing goji juice often tout the myth of a man named Li Qing Yuen consumed goji berries daily and lived to be 252 years old. Marketers also list extensive health benefits of goji juice, even though there are few published clinical trials in humans which is what creates the great divide in the west when it comes to formal adoption and consumption.
What areas of research have been done to date on goji berries? Goji has only been tested on humans in two known published studies as of this article. One was a Chinese study published in the Chinese Journal of Oncology in 1994 where it found that 79 people with cancer responded better to treatment when goji was added to their regimen. There have been several test tube studies that show that goji berry contains antioxidants and that goji extracts may prevent the growth of cancer cells, reduce blood glucose, and lower cholesterol levels. However, that doesn't necessary mean that goji will have the same benefits when taken as a juice or tea. This is a big misunderstanding at times with the general public and the marketing campagns we are being flooded with as the next cure all. Although goji berries like the ones used in traditional Chinese medicine aren't very expensive, goji juice is very pricey. Considering that a 32-ounce bottle of goji juice (about an 18-day supply) can run as high as $50 USD, the evidence isn't compelling enough at this time to justify the cost of goji juice. But at what price do we value our life and a healthy longevity with the use of so many wonderful berries like this special little star? Also, we don't know the side effects of regular goji consumption, or whether it will interfere with treatments or medications that are ongoing. So much is unknown that it creates a natural divide among medical science and the herbalist who have studied the ancient ways of our ancestores from the east.
So what does a goji berry taste like? Goji berries have a somewhat mild but tangy taste that is both sweet and sour. They are often mistaken for raisins.
Common forms of the berry In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are eaten raw, brewed into a tea, can be added to Chinese soups, or made into liquid extracts for later processing. Goji berries have appeared in snack foods in North America. For example, the health food store Trader Joe's sells a goji berry trail mix.
Possible drug interactions Goji berries may interact with anticoagulant drugs (commonly called "blood-thinners"), such as warfarin (Coumadin®). There was one case report published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy of a 61-year old woman who had an increased risk of bleeding, indicated by an elevated international normalized ratio (INR). She had been drinking 3-4 cups daily of goji berry tea. Her blood work returned to normal after discontinuing the consumption of the goji berry in the form of tea. Where to find goji berries Whole goji berries are available at Chinese herbal shops. Goji juice can be found in some health food stores, online stores, and through network marketers. If you haven't heard of the goji you will soon if you are surfing the net or shopping at Safeway.
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