There is a lot of talk about goji berries in the media today; maybe you've read a newspaper story or seen a feature on a television news show recently. It makes you wonder what this so-called miracle fruit really is.
Well, I can tell you this much; goji berries come from a vine-like plant that at times grows up to 15-20 feet in height. It is commonly found in the Ningxia Province of China. Local people describe the goji berry plant as somewhere between a grape vine and a tomato creeper.
When ripe, the berries are collected by shaking the vines over special goji mats. Then the mats are left outside where the berrys are dried under the Himalayan sun. It is vital that the human hand not touch the berries when they are fresh; if touched they oxidize immediately, turn black and become unusable.
These dried goji berrys are in high demand in marketplaces around the world; for this reason they are also known by various other names. Since they originate from China, there are often referred to as 'Chinese Wolfberries' or 'Oriental Wolfberries'. However, they are known by their scientific name, Lyceum Barbarum. The berries are only used dried, at which time they look like raisins except for their bright red coloring.
The most renowned and common use of the berry is it's anti-oxidant properties, although there are also other uses for these berries; According to ORAC (Oxidation Radical Absorbance Capacity) testing, the recommended amount of antioxidants a person should consume should be minimum 5000-7000 ORAC units. In contrast, the dried goji berrys contain 22,000 units per gram. Now maybe we can start to see what all the talk is about.
That's not all. This marvelous berry also has a unique form of sugar in it, called the Lycium Barbarum polysachharide. This specific sugar is believed to have cancer fighting properties. There have also been studies to show that polysachharides from the dried goji berrys may help in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration and other diseases.
Another positive impact of goji berrys is that it helps restrain the spread of leukemia in the human body. Other studies have found that this berry is able to regulate the production of a compound called cytokine in the body, which in turn raises the functioning of the immune system. So the question shouldn't be what all the talk is about; rather we should be asking ourselves, why we have not heard more talk about goji berrys.
