gojiberry review

About 6 months ago, after reading about the wonders of the Goji fruit, I visited my Health food store to purchase some. I am always trying new and different herbs and if I can’t grow it, I buy it. I was somewhat floored at the price for this wonder fruit. I thought with the hefty price tag, maybe I should try to grow the berries in my garden. However, until that time, I sparingly parted with the cash to purchase the dried berries which I use primarily with my morning cereal and to make my own juice. To date I still haven’t grown Goji berries but I do have a renewed understanding of why this fruit, that is a panacea for numerous health issues, cost so much.

What are Goji Berries?

Goji berries, orange red colored fruits, are produced by the plant Lycium Barbarum, and are also known as the Wolfberry, Brocksdorn, Duke of Argyll’s tea tree, Matrimony Vine and Barbary. A perennial, it grows about 3 to 4 feet and is native to China. While the West has just recently discovered the Goji berry, it has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for some 6,000 years.

The best quality Goji berries are produced in two provinces in the northwest region of China; The Ningxia Province and The Xinjiang Province, that produce a portion of the 60 million pounds of Goji produced worldwide. So why are Goji berries so pricy? It is a classic case of supply and demand. There is not enough of this wonder fruit produced to meet the huge demands.

Ingredients:

Polysaccharides, are referred to as the “Master Molecule” which strengthens the immune system and thus a defense against many immune deficiency related illnesses. A study was undertaken in China in 1994 which found that 79 cancer patients who participated in a goji regimen, responded much better to their treatment.

Vitamins: Goji berries have several vitamins including Vitamin E, Essential Fatty Acids. Betaine, B-Complex vitamins and more vitamin C than oranges.

Minerals: With some 21 essential minerals, one can see where Goji berries get their power house reputation. Some of these minerals are iron, selenium and zinc. It is like a multivitamin in a berry.

Antioxidants: Goji berries have a wide variety of antioxidants including the best source of cartenoids, and Zeaxanthin, which is good for improving the eyesight.

Amino Acids: Goji berries outshine other plants with a whopping 19 amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and Goji berries also have the eight essential

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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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