Goji berries are like a boon from God for human beings. When these berries are consumed regularly, they are found to increase longevity and promote excellent health. It reduces the craving for sugar for the diabetics thereby improving their control-capacity and stabilizing the sugar levels in hypoglycemic people.

Another Benefit of Goji Berries is that they can Supplement the Nutritional Value of Food

It is a well-established fact that the berries have as many as 18 amino acids out of which eight of them are essential amino acids. Surprisingly, as many as 21 trace minerals are also contained in this wonder berry, plus a bonus of 15 percent protein and a good amount of fatty acids (highly unusual in fruits). You will also find that these berries have a rich supply of vitamins – you will find Vitamins E, B1, B2, and B6. Isn’t this just amazing quality for a raisin-size dried fruit?

In short, the benefit of goji berries is actively reflected in the many medical conditions where it helps to control and reverse obesity, prevent cancer, prevent age-related macular degeneration, restores hair color, activates the immune system, helps in preventing morning sickness in pregnant women (doctor’s advice required), treats sexual dysfunctions and treats infertility.

This wonder berry creates a great sense of well-being and the person who has this berry’s juice (or consumes it in any other way) daily, will find themselves smiling often. These people usually experience an “I am feeling great today’ everytime they have the goji berry juice. This is why this berry is also called the laughing berry in some parts of Tibet.

Methods of Consumption

The best way to get the benefit of the goji berries is by eating them as they are sold in the market, i.e. as dried goji berries. Alternatively, you can also have their juice. The goji berry tea is also a very popular way of consumption. For those who would like to have the benefits without tasting the berry, capsules are available in varied dosages.

One great benefit of the goji berries is that it increases the longevity for those who take it regularly. There is another pre-requisite however, before you can enjoy the full benefit of the goji berries, they are that you should become a total vegetarian for the main ingredients of this berry to make the best impact.

The Amazing Antioxidants in Certain Juices

A list of the many benefits of goji berries would include the fact that they can serve as a rich source of antioxidants. In order to appreciate how that fact underscores the benefits of goji berries one need only read some of the most recent literature about the juice of a different fruit—the juice of the pomegranate.

In the Bible the pomegranate is referred to as “gift from God.” Perhaps the sacred Tibetan writings make similar allusions to the benefits of goji berries. In the 21st Century, the public focuses less on sacred writings and more on medical information. Such information shows that berries and fruits high in antioxidants help the body to fight-off cancers. That fact suggests that both the benefits of goji berries and the benefits of pomegranate juice include their ability to prevent formation of malignant tumors.

But before doctors can speak more knowledgably about the benefits of goji berries they need information from lab research and clinical tests. The medical community would need to conduct experiments along the line of those reported in the Los Angeles Times on August 8, 2005. According to that report, the researchers had found through the use of animal experiments that pomegranate juice appeared to be a way to prevent prostate cancer.

Perhaps those researchers will now move on from a study of pomegranate juice to a study of the benefits of goji berries. Following the completion of lab studies, the medical community could then start to examine results from clinical tests with goji berries. Of course, the expectations surrounding such tests would need to recognize one fact - that is the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements are not normally tested as thoroughly as recognized medications.

For that reason, the accumulating information on the benefits of goji berries still leaves many questions unanswered. What amount of berries should one eat in order to ingest a significant amount of antioxidants? Could ingestion of that many berries introduce yet a different medical problem? For example, what if a person found that he or she was allergic to goji berries?

Until such questions have been answered to the satisfaction of the medical community, health professionals are apt to shy away from advising patients to use goji berries. Still, the information on the internet provides the public with ready access to the most recent facts that relate to the benefits of goji berries.

The best goji juice is definitely the Himalayan goji juice, and to understand why, you need to know the plant. The goji plant is inhabitant of the Himalayan expanse, but is also found in many other areas of Asia, including Western China, Mongolia and Tibet, where there are more than forty varieties. A well-known poem was written in the Tang Dynasty about the beauty and the healing properties of the goji plant, and for centuries, it has been valued for its positive effects.

Westerners have only lately discovered the goji plant, and there is much eagerness in health circles these days of its immense effects. And to be the best goji juice it needs the best ingredients and the right conditions to grow in. The latest medicinal wonder goji plant is a Himalayan shrub that grows to a height of 8 to 10 feet extensively grown in Tibet and Mongolia.

The plant bears small purple or blue flowers with and red colored fruit. The fruit that is sweet in taste can be consumed raw, fresh or dried. The fruits of the plant that have become popular recently because of their curative qualities and high content of anti oxidants than any other food plant on earth, are also being used in the treatment of cancer which is another reason you can call this the best goji juice.

Although this plant requires sufficient sun light and well drained soil, it is drought tolerant. The leaves of the plant nicknamed as matrimony wine or youthful tea can be used in salads and drinks. This proves that the best goji juice cannot be manufactured in a factory, but is rather grown in the right climate surrounded by the right conditions.

What Else is the Best Goji Juice?

Goji is mainly an eastern name and its plant is found mainly in the Himalayan areas where, the conditions are the most suitable for the growth of goji berries and of course the source of the best goji juice.

Chinese naturopaths and healthcare experts assume goji to be an old Chinese fruit. There are the stories in Chinese myths, which recognize the goji as the fruit of immortality. Chinese naturopaths attain the goji plants as there remedy for the long time as 250 years.

On the other hand, there are the nations like Tibet, India and Nepal, which also have the goji plant as a herbal and natural healthcare option for long time. Indian Ayurveda also recognizes Himalayan goji as a very important fruit with medicinal properties.

Goji berries are the fruits that are produced from the goji plant. This plant is indigenous to the continent of Asia and specifically the countries that are home to the Himalayas. These mountain ranges provide the needed hardy environment for this plant to thrive.

The goji berries are a common staple of the inhabitants of this part of the world. These berries have been linked to many wonderful health advantages, some of which include the prevention of eye disorders, cancer preventative qualities and longevity of life.

Goji berries are ingested in many ways. Some of those methods include eating the berry as it is naturally grown, the squeezing of the berry to formulate goji berry juice and dried goji berries. There are many advantages to utilizing dried goji berries.

Some of those advantages include its use a fiber supplement and its convenience as a topping on many foods. Before discussing its many advantages it is important to discuss the beneficial ingredients of dried goji berries.

Beneficial Ingredients of Dried Goji Berries

The possible benefits of dried goji berries aid bodily functions in a number of ways. Some of these potential benefits include the strengthening of the immune system, weight loss, prevention of eyesight maladies, protection of the liver and the ability to possibly reverse the aging process.

Other benefits include an increase in energy levels as well as showing encouraging signs of improving sexual performance in some cases. Elements that facilitate these benefits, within the dried goji berries, include lyceum barbarum polysaccharides, amino acids and carotenoids.

Additionally, the berries are replete with amino acids, which are the critical components of proteins and are metabolized by the cells within the body. These converted amino acids are essential elements that contribute to the full health of the body. Within the dried goji berries are 18 various amino acids of which eight are defined as critical.

Dried goji berries are also wonderful foods that are rich in carotenoids. Carotenoids are vital elements that ensure the health of the eyes. Specifically, goji berries studies have been indicated as a preventative food substance that deters macular degeneration and cataracts.

Fiber Supplement

Dried goji berries can become a wonderful energy drink during the course of the day. Simply add the dried goji berries to water and allow the berries to release their wonderful properties. Drinking this elixir will not only provide the beneficial qualities of the berries to be released, but, in addition, will provide a healthy serving portion of fiber.

Topping

Another benefit to dried goji berries is the convenience of their use. In the dried form they can be sprinkled liberally on morning cereals and used as ingredients for a snack mix or in baking. Additionally, they can be the “icing on the cake” as they are mixed in with smoothies, yogurts or other healthy treats.

When it comes to alternative healing, you either get it, or you don’t. You’re a believer, or you’re not. Aloe juice, mushrooms, green tea, homeopathic pain remedies; we’ve seen them come and go. The newest entry in natural healing is goji, a substance made from berries that are so cherished by the people of Central Asia that a yearly two-week-long festival is held in their honor.

After thousands of years of use, goji maintains a reputation of both healing and prevention properties. Tao Hong Jing (456-536 A.D.), a Taoist master, wrote that goji increases vital energy, while strengthening the user’s capacity for physical exercise. Among medicinal plants, goji is a colossus that few Americans knew existed until the berry was subjected to peer-reviewed scientific studies in the past two years that appear to make the case for its effectiveness.

Goji’s Health Benefits

Users believe that goji extends life, strengthens the immune system, controls hypertension, relieves headaches, controls blood sugar among diabetics, supports eye and heart health, eliminates sexual dysfunction and menopause symptoms, relieves stress and depression, eliminates insomnia, and helps with weight loss.

These are very substantial claims for the little plant, and on-going research is testing its effectiveness in cancer treatment and prevention, HIV treatment, and DNA restoration. If goji’s effectiveness in these diseases is disproved, there is no evidence that the plant causes any harm to the human body. In other words, even if it doesn’t help you, goji won’t harm you. It’s also safe for children and household canine and feline pets.

Where Can I Find Goji Products?

As a relative newcomer to natural healing, goji is not yet a regular staple in health food and vitamin stores. Producers of the product have rather strict guidelines about its storage and shelf-life; and these guidelines are difficult for mass outlets to offer.

Currently, the best place to learn about goji and try it for yourself is through websites. Just enter the word in your search engine, and you’ll be taken to dozens of sites that offer books, newsletters, and all forms of goji products. Some retailers even offer money-back guarantees if you don’t achieve beneficial results.

Goji products are a bit “pricey,” depending on how much you buy and where you buy it from. It’s about as expensive as a prescription medication, and there is may be no insurance plan that covers it. So, it really depends on whether you want to spend that kind of money or not.

Legend has it that in about 800 AD, during China’s Tang Dynasty, some unidentified berries were found growing on a vine near a well next to a Tibetan Buddhist temple in the Himalayas. As time passed, these goji berries dropped off the vine and into the well. The monks who drank the water were exceptionally long-lived and healthy.

Attributing their vitality to the goji berries, the monks spread the word about the health benefits of this fruit and travelers throughout Asia came to harvest vines for planting in their own villages. Through the centuries, goji berries became a staple among healing plants yet remained an unintentional secret from the Western world. Only in the past two years has the plant made its way to America and been subjected to scientific studies.

What are Goji Berries and how do they Work?

The Lycium Barbarum berry grows on a bush that bristles with vine off-shoots. The plant is found primarily in the Himalayan region of Central Asia. Traditionally, the goji berries are never touched by hands as this will cause them to spoil and turn black. They are shaken onto mats and then dried in the shade. The berries can be eaten “as is” like raisins, or they can be cold-pressed just off the vine and their juice extracted.

The goji berry contains powerful antioxidants that slow the aging process, strengthens the immune system and the heart, and has been used to treat ADD/ADHD, allergies, athletic performance, cancer, chronic fatigue, HIV, depression, diabetes, fibromyalgia and anxiety. It contains essential amino acids, vitamin C, vitamin E, Omega 6 fatty acid, Linoleic acid, B-complex vitamins, and more beta-carotene than any other substance on earth, including carrots.

Goji berries have a devoted following of users that revere it for its enhancement of sexual performance and fertility. In Mongolia it’s used by first-trimester women to prevent morning sickness. Older Asian women found that the berry reduces symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and insomnia.

Study groups in Asia performed the first scientific research on goji berries. In these studies, which are being replicated in America and Europe, elderly subjects were given the berries once a day. 67 percent of the subjects were found to have doubled white-cell counts, greatly increasing their immune system. Appetite improved among 95 percent of the subjects, 95 percent reported more restful sleep, and 35 percent reported increased sexual energy.

Clinical trials in several countries are underway to test the goji berry’s impact on early-onset diabetes, tuberculosis, dizziness, blurred vision and chronic cough, and disorders of the immune system. In these trials, 8-10 grams of the fruit was eaten by the subjects three times a day.

Researchers found that the subjects’ bone marrow deficiencies were significantly improved; perhaps indicating that the goji berry increases the production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. This finding, if successfully replicated and validated, could have significant impact on immune system disorders like lupus, fibromyalgia and HIV.

Are goji berries for you? It will cost you some money to find out as these products are a little expensive. First, remember to consult your physician before using any herbal or plant product.

There are many benefits that the goji berry gifts the human race with, the best of which is that it claims to reverse the aging process to a great extent. There are only two pre-requisites for this purpose – (i) it should be taken daily, and (ii) it should be taken in the raw form.

The Many Virtues of the Goji Berry

The best part of goji berry consumption, and one that does not get mentioned often, is that consuming the goji berry will make you feel happy the whole day. This is why it is also called the ‘happy berry’ or the ‘smiling berry’. People who have consumed this berry feel good about themselves and about everything that surrounds them. Nothing bothers them and they maintain calm even when faced with problems.

Among the main benefits that you can expect from this wonder drug are cell rejuvenation or anti-aging, anti-germ protection, and even enhancing sexual desire and pleasure. The anti-aging properties come from one of the ingredients that you will find in the berry, called poly-sachharide. This ingredient triggers and boosts the production of growth hormones that in turn rejuvenates the cells in the body keeping them supple and young.

The goji berry has an excellent anti-infection property as well. The amino acids present in this tiny berry boosts the functioning of the white cells upto 300 percent making it impossible for anyone to catch the flu and other viruses that are air and water borne.

The fact that the goji berry improves sexual desire in women is one of the less known properties of this wonder berry. We know that it prevents and controls diabetes and it lowers the blood cholesterol, among others. However, it is not well known or advertised that it can bring back the desire in women who have been menopausal for which they turned down sex ever so often.

It seems that by consuming goji berries just for three weeks continuously, women experienced a return in their desire for sex; could achieve orgasm and enjoy sex as they had never done before.

Hence, the goji berry has so many benefits to offer that everyone should actually give it a try. It seems that all that you need from life to stay healthy and happy at the same time, is to be able to eat a few goji berries every day.

There is a new beverage making waves all over the world – the goji berry juice. Fast replacing the place of honor at the breakfast table that was to date occupied by the orange juice, the goji berry juice is becoming one of the most popular health drinks today.

The Goji Berry Juice is a Great Health Supplement for Both Adults and Children

There is no other fruit on this earth that packs as much goodness it in it than the goji berry. Hence, the goji berry juice makes a great health supplement that helps women, men and children in equal measure. The ingredients found in the goji berry fight against several ailments such as high blood sugar or liver, heart, eyesight and blood circulation problems. In children, it promotes growth by enhancing the production of the growth hormone.

Everything, it seems, can be bettered in one way or other by the regular consumption of goji berry juice. However, before you get yourself a whole month’s supply for you and your family, you should ensure that the goji berry juice you are buying is made from organically grown goji berries. The chemically grown ones are not bad but considering that the pesticides and chemical fertilizers get through the skin into the fruit, one should try to avoid the chemically grown stuff in general.

Before you decide on the best goji berry juice available in the market, read online reviews. These will definitely make you realize how popular or unpopular a particular brand is at any given date and time. Judging by the reviews, you should make note of the first two or three choices in the market.

It is good that the federal regulations require that the ingredients be listed on the packaging. This is great; but it can be even more beneficial when people find the time and interest to go through the labels and make informed decisions rather than just believe marketing gimmicks like ‘Number One Brand’ or ‘Best for your Kids’, etc. .

The best goji berry juice in the market could have preservatives, additives, and/or be non-organic. Or it could just be a blend with a small percentage of actual juice. Ensure that you know whether the goji berry juice you are drinking is organic or not. The greatest benefits come from the natural, organically grown goji berry juice; hence, ensure that when you buy, it is the best brand available.

Ways to Acquire a Green Thumb

If you have ever considered growing goji berries, you should start off with some basic information such as the fact that the plant’s scientific name is Lycium barburum. More commonly known as the goji berry plant, it has an extensive root system that was undoubtedly developed while adapting to the rugged terrain in Mongolia, the plant’s native habitat.

Nurseries in Utah have found that the goji berry plant also grows well in that region. Once the plant has been well-established, it thrives in the near-drought conditions that exist in and around parts of Utah. The nurseries assure local gardeners that a lack of shade should not create problems for a grower of the goji berry plant. The plant prefers full sun.

The same nurseries have tried to provide the grower of the goji berry plant with information about the primary features of the plant. Yet the information from those Utah nurseries fails to define the exact manner in which the plant develops. The information from the nurseries suggests that the goji berry plant could qualify as either a bush or a vine. It seems to be a bush-like plant with trailing vines that reach out from a bushy center.

A grower of the goji berry plant should plan to prune the plant when the bush exceeds 8-10 feet, or when the vine reaches out more than 12 feet from the center. Such pruning will increase the flavor of the goji berries. The grower can expect the arrival of those berries following the blossoming of the plant’s flowers. Although all of the goji berries are a red color, the flowers on the plant come in two colors—purple and white.

The goji berry plant survives in both hot and cold weather. It can withstand temperatures as low as -15 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 100 degrees. While the plant grows well outside, some people prefer to grow it indoors. Anyone who seeks to keep the plant indoors might need to be content with a single, small plant. Such an individual would need to use self-pollination in order to produce the formation of newer plants.

Interestingly, the Utah nurseries do not indicate what sort of insect pollinates the outdoor plants in Utah, nor do they mention what insect pollinates the plants that grow in Mongolia and Tibet. Perhaps it is the wind that is the primary means for pollination outside.

There is a great rush and demand created in the international markets for goji berries. It is surprising that this unassuming small, red raisin can demand a price of $30-50 per pound while people are frantic to include it in their diets. When you look closely, you will find that this minuscule berry packs all the goodness required for the functioning of a human body.

What Do We Know about the Goji Berry Plant?

The goji berry plant is normally grown in Tibet, Mongolia and parts of China. This wonder plant should not be confused with that they call the wolfberry plant. These two plants look similar and have similar fruits, but while the goji berry plant bears sweet and juicy fruits, the wolfberry is slightly bitter and dry in taste. Few people however, know about this basic difference and in many places in the world, the wolfberry is sold as a goji berry.

The goji berry plant is a very hardy plant that will adapt to almost any type of soil and climate. This plant was found to fight extremes of cold and heat such as -15 degrees Fahrenheit in winter and above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in summer. Though the goji berry plant thrives in well-drained soil, it will grow okay in other types of soil as well. This plant loves the sun and it will always give you a better yield if planted in full sunlight. The only detrimental factor in the well-being of the goji berry plant is wet and soggy soil conditions.

The plant grows slowly and it will start bearing fruit from the second year onwards. However, it will reach its full capacity at the age of four to five years. At this time, it can reach up to eight to ten feet tall. The flowers of the goji berry plant are usually of two colors, purple and white and they flower together on one tree. The flowers become fruit in the course of the late summer and you will be able to see the beautiful bright red berries all over the plant.

The fresh goji berries are exceptionally sweet and tasty. However, they cannot be touched by hand, as they immediately become oxidized and turn black because of that. This is why, the goji berries are harvested by shaking the plant and collecting the berries on a mat, or by collecting them with the help of sterile gloves.