gojiberry review

The goji berries come from a vine-like plant that can sometimes reach 15 to 20 feet in height. This is usually found in the Ningxia

Province in China. Several people describe the goji berry plant as a mix between a grape vine, and a tomato creeper. Goji berry refers to the

Chinese name for the bright orangered fruit of the thorny and woody plant (shrub) Lycium babarum. There are many varieties of Wolfberry in

China (commonly called Goji Berries), it is the Ningxia variety of Goji Berry. The majority of the commercially produced Goji berry comes from

the Xinjiang and Ningxia regions in China. Its a powerful superfood, containing more calcium than cauliflower, more protein than bee pollen

(it’s 16% protein by weight, making it a high-protein fruit), more betacarotene than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges, 18 amino acids, 21

trace minerals, 6 essential fatty acids, and vitamins B1, B2, B6, C and E

The Ningxia Goji Berry stands out among the several varieties of wolfberry by containing the highest concentration of immune stimulating

polysaccharides. Its therefore no surprise that its become a secret weapon used by Chinese Olympic swimmers. Nor is it surprising that

Chinese scientists found it decreased tumor size in mice by up to 58%. Its acid binding, and alkaline forming properties have made it a natural

liver protectant and it is a great attribute, because an acidic body is the foundation of disease. The Western diet is highly acidic

(containing an excess of acid foods like red meat, sugar, alcohol, and dairy), and disease can only live in an acidic body. Any food that is

alkaline and can help to bind acid in the body is going to move your body in the perfect direction away from disease. Chinese scientists

began studying the Ningxia Goji Berry when they learnt that farmers who were eating it every day were living to 100 or more years of age

without any disease, and not requiring glasses. This contrasted with other locals in Ningxia Province whose average lifespan was 10 to 20 years

less, and who were victim to the general diseases. Its declared in the Chinese Physicians handbook (1593AD) that a Goji Berry elixir was

given to a man, and he lived for over a hundred years. This man could walk very fast, and his grey hair turned black again. Supplementing the

diet with zeaxanthins and lutein can remarkably reduce the progression of macular degeneration, because these compounds act as the eyes

natural sunscreen, screening out damaging blue light.

If you take 6 mg per day of lutein/zeaxanthin, it will reduce your risk of macular degeneration by 57%, and reduce your risk of

senile/metabolic cataracts by 20%. And if you take 10 mg per day it will lead to a 43% improvement in central vision. The problem is that the

average intake of lutein and zeaxanthin (combined) in our diet is approximately 3 mg per day. This is not enough and most supplements have a

lutein to zeaxanthin ratio of 20:1, whereas the ideal ratio is 1:2.5. This means that the proportion is wrong in our diets so we need more

Zeaxanthin than Lutein.

If you take 15g (3 teaspoons) of dried Goji Berry per day, you will triple the amount of zeaxanthin in your blood over 30 days. But Goji Berry

nutrients are even more accessible to your body when it comes in the form of a liquid Goji Juice.

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A native of Asia, the goji berry has been prized for centuries for aiding in general health and well-being.

The highest quality goji berry is Himalayan, but many other varieties, including those grown in Western China, Mongolia and Tibet also have powerful effects.

There are many types of goji berry, and in Tibet alone, there are 40 different varieties. The best goji products use goji berries that have the active ingredients, Polysaccharides, which facilitate the communication between cells. These products have been tested through cellular analysis to ensure that the highest quality goji berries are used.

Imagine a small red berry, about the size of a grape, growing on a vine in the hills of Tibet and Inner Mongolia. A small red berry that harvesters are careful to avoid touching with their bare hands so as not to oxidise the flesh of the fruit. It is just a small red berry containing more amino acids than bee pollen, more protein than whole wheat and more beta-carotene than carrots. A little red berry that will dry to the size of a currant in the shade of the mountains within which it has grown before being exported across the globe to those who have only recently, despite its 2000year plus traditional history, discovered it.

Goji comes in many forms these days, including juice, goji bars, goji cream and goji capsules. An excellent tea can be made from goji leaves and goji flowers are decorative and beautiful.

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.

Goji is packed with anti-oxidants, powerful molecules that mop up free radicals before they can damage body cells. In Chinese trials, goji shut down cell aging in as little as six hours after the first dose. The credit goes to goji’s poly-saccharides. They boost the body’s production of human growth hormone, which helps build toned muscle and repair skin cells.

Experts say sipping of goji juice daily for as little as three weeks, improves your immune system’s ability to fend off infections. How? Goji’s amino acids and minerals trigger a 300% boost in white blood cell function and double production of infection-fighting proteins. Goji’s polysaccharides actually make viruses more visible to the immune cells that are trying to destroy them.

Research has shown that many of the world’s longest living people consume regular daily helpings of a tiny red fruit that may just be the world’s most powerful food – the goji berry.

It is interesting to have a look at what the plant contains:

1. Contains 19 amino acids — the building blocks of protein — including nine that essential to the body.
2. Contains 21 trace minerals.
3. Contains more protein than whole wheat
4. Contains Vitamin C at higher levels than oranges.
5. Contains complete spectrum of antioxidant carotenoids, including beta-carotene (a better source than even carrots) and zeaxanthin (protects the eyes). Goji berries are among the richest source of carotenoids of all known foods.
6. Contains Solavetivone, a powerful anti-fungal and anti-bacterial compound.
7. Contains essential fatty acids, which are required for the body’s production of hormones and the smooth functioning of the brain and nervous system.
8. Contains Beta-Sitosterol, an anti-inflammatory agent.

The fruit is eaten either fresh or dried and can be added to cooking, cereals, trail mixes or smoothies as well as being eaten alone. The flavor of the Goji berry is difficult to describe ? sweet with a slight tartness (similar to a cranberry but sweeter).

Incredibly high in iron, Goji berries are exceptionally nutrient rich. They are especially high in Vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2 and B6, and contain considerably more Vitamin C than an orange. The Goji berry has also been found to contain other complex compounds, such as Betaine (useful for improving liver function and reputed to enhance memory), Solavetivone (a compound containing anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties), and Beta-Sitoserol (an anti-inflammatory agent that may also help in the treatment of hypertension). An average daily serving of a cup of dried Goji berries would also contain 4grams each of dietary fiber and protein.

Wolfberry fruits contain phytochemicals with antioxidant activity and could slow the ageing process. A study showed that wolfberry fruit phytochemicals help to prevent oxidation of DNA and helps to restore damaged DNA.

Studies suggest that wolfberry extracts could inhibit DNA mutation and stop the growth of cancer cells. All studies show that regression of many types of cancer could be obtained with patients, treated with LAK/IL-2 and LBP.

The phytochemical zeaxanthin dipalmitate showed a hepaprotective effect on liver cells treated with carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity.

Wolfberry fruits have traditionally been used in China to improve vision disorders such as cataracts, retinopathy and macular degeneration. Studies have shown that wolfberry reduce dark adapting time and improve vision under subdued light. This action may be attributed to the phytochemicals lutein and zeaxanthin, which neutralizes the free radicals formed by sunlight.

Goji berries grow naturally wild and in profusion in the remote ills and valleys of the Himalayas of Tibet and Inner Mongolia and can be harvested with ease.

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