Goji Berries
Goji berries, also known as wolfberries
For some reason, these berries are on everyone’s radar these days — raw foodists, celebrities, juice fans, herbalists — even Madonna. Supposedly, these berries are almost magical and have been prescribed for just about any illness there is. Unfortunately, there isn’t much conclusive data to go around — do let me know if I’m wrong on this. Cathy Wong, who is the about.com expert on alternative medicine, has this Q&A on Goji berries.
According to The Raw Food Gourmet, Gabrielle Chavez:
Goji berries became popular among the western health elite when researchers identified in its juice the highest antioxidant value of anything yet tested. they are delicious in trail mixes, added to bars and cookies, or eaten out of hand. Be careful of your source. Exporters sometimes add red dye to mask poor quality and then warning labels about boiling the fruit before consuming it, which is not an option for a raw fooder.
Hmmm….
Dr. Weil, one of my go-to guys when I’ve got a question related to alternative medicine has this to say about the Goji berry drinks. And here’s the FDA’s warning to one vendor about making health claims for goji berries online.
If you are exploring raw food, one book that may be worth checking out is
- from Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein. I’m not a raw foodist, as I’m sure you can tell, but one of these days I’ll share with you a couple of finds from this book.
Meanwhile, check out this funny headline:
HIMALAYAN FRUIT THAT PEPS YOUR SEX DRIVE, SLOWS AGEING, FIGHTS CANCER.. AND KILLS CELLULITE!
EXCLUSIVE START QUEUING EARLY AT THE SHOPS TOMORROW. LOL.
Are you like me, curious enough to look into the possibility of growing these berries yourself? There’s lots of talk at Gardenweb (this is just one thread) for those wanting to try these berries in their yard. Apparently the goji berry bush is also known as matrimony vine? I’m still trying to sort out the names. Plants for a Future has a database on Lycium barbarum, also referred to in some places as Lycium chinense. And in others as Lycium tibetica. Just the names alone are enough to give you a headache. Richter’s sells seeds and plants, as does Timpanogos Nursery which seems to be another popular site for gojiberry-farmer-wannabes. Here’s what it looks like.
Taking it one step further — in case you’re looking to invest, Tianyu Xiangda in China sells everything made from goji berries, such as tea, coffee and oil. Or you can wait for my current favorite chocolate company, Vosges, to make their IPO. Vosges makes a chocolate bar with Goji berries. I still prefer their Wasabi and black sesame combination, though.
As for the berries themselves? A bit on the chewy side. There’s a tang about it that reminds you of raisins, but too subtle to make an impression. The sweetness isn’t enough to wow you either. I’ll still take cranberries and sultanas over these anytime, although the antioxidant claims, etc. make it quite attractive to add to my trail mix every now and then. As with all things, consume in moderation. Oh, and yeah, I got mine at Whole Foods in the bulk section. You should be able to get them at any health food store — Woodstock also distributes them.
Tags: goji-berries, lycium-chinense, miracle-fruit, wolfberryRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Appetizers/Snacks/Nibbles, Fruit, Growing Your Own, Healthy Eating with Asian Food
10 opinions for Goji Berries
rokh
Sep 14, 2006 at 12:03 am
my grandma always says that it is good for the eyes. sort of a belief since my ancestors. how true is it i’m still not sure. but i love the ‘kam’(golden) taste of it. that’s how my grandma describe the taste, which i think is right on! :)
Serendipity
Sep 18, 2006 at 9:06 am
Goji berries have definitely been growing in popularity all around the United States, mostly by word of mouth considering the minimal amount of clinical research performed on the health benefits of the berries. In personal experiences, my dad eats a few berries every day, as suggested by a colleague, to help improve his immune system and a friend of mine drinks a cup of goji juice everyday to improve his health and the healing process of a broken ankle. Yet, the danger of word of mouth health fads is that people do not know the possible risks because most likely one’s friend or co-worker has not consulted a physician nor has he/she done any reliable research. By reading your blog entry and especially the Q&A with Dr. Wong link, I must advise my dad to stop consuming the berries as he takes Coumadin, which is the only drug mentioned that may negatively interact with the berries. Thank you for such an informative and helpful blog on a not so well known health food. There must be some health benefits that the berry provides, yet without concrete facts I still think of it as another fad.
Stef
Sep 18, 2006 at 10:00 am
Thank you for your comment, Serendipity. I’m glad someone’s being helped. I don’t know much about it either, which is why I’m being cautious. If you have any other questions regarding alternative medicine, especially food-related ones, I’d be willing to try and check them out for you. We do have a Chinese doctor that’s also a US-licensed board-certified MD, so we happen to have the best of both worlds, but even she is cautious about what she prescribes — the most she has given us are vitamins, and I always check them out in other sources first before I take them. I’ll update my post one of these days after I talk to her about these berries. Maybe there’s something she can add to the puzzle.
rokh, i like the way your grandma describes it! interesting because one of the fruits i’d compare it to is the fig, as both of them are quite seedy and soft inside. i could almost say a goji is like a miniature fig. but of course the flavor is still very different.
rav
Nov 14, 2006 at 8:45 am
Never really heard of goji berries before - it’s amazing how many different fruits there really are! All I know is that everyone is absolutely certain that most types of berries (the ones that arent poisonous at least…) are good for you, your heart, your brain and your blood..
Razel
Feb 25, 2007 at 10:06 am
We sell organically grown Goji Berry Seedlings. The berries are really good. http://wheelersgreenhouseandnursery.com
Stef
Feb 27, 2007 at 6:31 am
Yes, rav, berries are tops for antioxidants, etc. and they’re so eater-friendly, too!
Razel, thanks for posting. Perhaps you can have a few of your customers visit Garden Watchdog so they can update your profile?
http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/5975/
Razel
Mar 3, 2007 at 7:18 am
Its Raz not Rav ;) but sure Stef i’ll see what i can do. I’m going to re-do our links page a bit so its a little more user friendly and presentable thereby making it easier to find great articles such as this one on Noodles and Rice.
I think the most important thing about the Goji plants are how they are grown. We grow them organically which costs a bit more for us to do however are much better for you in the long run.
If anyone has any questions about starting some seed, transplanting or propagation of these plants let me know and i’ll be happy to help.
http://wheelersgreenhouseandnursery.com
Sunny
Sep 3, 2007 at 2:11 am
We are manufacturer of goji berries and goji product in ningxia, China. We produce organic goji berries, goji juice, goji seed oil, goji polysaccharide, goji powder. Please visit our website at http://www.wolfberry.cn/english
For futher info, please contact me.
My e-mail: ningxia-wolfberry@163.com
Sunny
Sep 4, 2007 at 12:30 am
I write to introduce our company as one of the biggest Goji berry manufacturer and exporter in Ningxia,China. Currently,goji berry from the fresh season of this year have start entering the market.Our company produce goji juice,goji dry fruit(original/organic), goji seed oil, goji powder and goji polysaccharide.
If you are interested in our Goji products,please spare some time to visit our website at http://www.wolfberry.cn/english I wish we will become good bussiness partner in the near future.
Yours faithfully,
Sunny Huang
–
Ningxia Wolfberry Biological And Food Engineering Co., Ltd.
Adress:Wei NO.18 Road Jing NO.5 Road West South IV Zone Yinchuan Economic and Technological Development Zone.yinchuan,Ningxia 750002,China
Tel:0086-951-5177238
Fax:0086-951-5177298
http://www.wolfberry.cn/english
E-mail: ningxia-wolfberry@163.com
John Giuliano
Sep 14, 2007 at 7:29 pm
WHy aren’t they the “perfect” health food? Answer: They’re grown primarily in China, and China loves to SPRAY MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF DEADLY PESTICIDES, FUNGICIDES, HERBICIDES AND FERTILIZERS ON THEIR PRECIOUS GOJI BERRIES. So in closing, don’t get too excited over this.
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