Long a staple of Asian and holistic medicine, the Goji Berries are renowned for its antioxidant properties that provide a variety of benefits including increased energy and heightened immune function.

The weight loss properties of this natural ingredient have recently seen the popularity of the fruit stateside as well, especially among many famous stars in Hollywood with the Goji Berry being featured on many television programs and in magazines.

Goji Berry Active have improved the Goji Berry many benefits by adding other natural ingredients to the Goji Berry Active Supplement designed to provide many other health benefits and increase its weight loss capabilities as well.

The result is a complete all-natural supplement designed to be taken in an easy-to-use pill form with no powders or different kind of ingredients to measure or mix. Just take as directed to help with weight loss, immune function and increasing energy levels.

 What are they?

Other Names: Lycium barbarum, wolfberry, gou qi zi, Fructus lycii

Goji berries grow on an evergreen shrub found in temperate and subtropical regions in Mongolia, the Himalayas in Tibet and China. They are in the nightshade (Solonaceae) family.

Usually Goji berries are placed out to be dried  They are shriveled red berries that look like red raisins.

Gojo berries are used by people for what purpose?

For 6,000 years, herbalists in China, Tibet and India have been using Goji berries to:

• protect the liver

• help eyesight

• improve sexual function and fertility

• strengthen the legs

• boost immune function

• improve circulation

• promote longevity

A lot of antioxidants are found in Goji berries, particularly carotenoids such as zeaxanthin and beta-carotene. By absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant, one of the key roles of zeaxanthin is to protect the retina of the eye. In fact, the decrease in the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may be due to increased consumption of foods containing zeathanthin. AMD is the number 1 cause of blindness and vision loss in people over the age of 65.

In recent years, goji juice has become popular as a health drink.  Goju juice products are usually marketed by companies that often mention the unsupported claim that a man named Li Qing Yuen drank goji berries everyday and lived to be 252 years old . Extensive health benefits of goji juice are listed by marketers, even though there are few published clinical trials in humans.

What research has been done on goji berries?

Goji has only been tested on humans in two published studies. A Chinese study published in 1994 in the Chinese Journal of Oncology found that 79 people with cancer responded better to treatment when goji was added to their regimen.

There have been several clinical studies that show that goji berry contains antioxidants and that goji extracts may reduce blood glucose, prevent the growth of cancer cells and lower cholesterol levels. However, that doesn’t necessary mean that goji will have the same benefits when taken as a juice or tea.

Although goji berries like the ones used in traditional Chinese medicine are not very expensive, goji juice is quite expensive. Considering that be as high as 50 US dollars~for a price running as high as 50 US dollars for a bottle of 32-ounce of goji juice (about an 18-day supply)}, the evidence isn’t compelling enough at this time to justify the cost of goji juice.

Also, we don’t know the regular consumption of goji will cause any side effects, or whether it will interfere with treatments or medications.

What do goji berries taste like?

A mild tangy taste that is slightly sweet and sour, that is how we describe the taste of goji berries. They have a similar chewy texture and shape as raisins.

Common forms

In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are eaten raw, made into liquid extracts, added to Chinese soups or brewed into a tea  

 

 

Goji juice is also available, usually in 32-ounce bottles.

In North America, goji berries have appeared in snack foods. For example, Trader Joe’s, the health food store sells a goji berry trail mix.

Possible drug interactions

Anticoagulant drugs (commonly called “blood-thinners”), such as warfarin (Coumadin®) may interact with goji berries. 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 goji berry tea.

For more information, visit : “http://www.gojiactive.com/?aid=107690″

 

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