Goji Berries Superfood Snack

Heading: GOJI Berries

Subheading: A Closer Look at a Yummy Superfood!

Everywhere I look these days I am seeing the word Goji, in cereals, coated in chocolate, as a juice & as dried berries.

What is the real story behind this berry? Is it the real thing? A real superfood? Or more marketing hype?

The Goji or Wolfberry has been traditionally used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for around 2000 years & is now coming under the closer scrutiny of western medicinal research. Lycium Barbarum, as it is known botanically, has a long history of medicinal usage in the orient & more recently medical trials have been happening in China & Japan. One Australian company, Tree of Health, has begun scientific studies at the Southern Cross University into the efficacy of the unique combination of polysaccharides contained in high levels in Goji berries. The ongoing research into the roles that these polysaccharides play in our biochemical make-up has excited many nutritional experts around the world. Longevity through cellular health is the buzz that is reverberating around much of the Goji literature.

The Goji berry is an important tonic ingredient in TCM & has traditionally been used to foster long life. Both the berries & the roots are used in preparations that strengthen the kidneys, nourish the liver & increase libido. Carotenoids contained in Goji berries are considered to be why its ingestion has contributed to reports of improved eye sight. Goji berries are nutritionally very rich, with lots of phytonutrients, Vitamin C, amino acids & polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates). The fresh Goji berry is one of the world’s richest sources of Vitamin C & that alone is probably a good reason to get on the Goji. Antioxidants of course play a big role in the anti-ageing effect of a good diet in combating free radicals & Goji berries have a particularly high antioxidant rating, due to the range of rich phytonutrients they contain. There is much speculation into the causes of diseases, like the many forms of cancer & heart disease, being linked to free radical molecule activity amid low levels of antioxidants with the body. Eat well = live well.

There are many personal testimonials, by both doctors & patients, in the Goji berry literature, who have noticed profound improvements to a variety of conditions. Arthritis, diabetes, heart disease & many more, but there are not the double blind tests in place at this time to prove this true to the satisfaction of our scientific community & the bodies like the Therapeutic Goods Administration that govern our health industry. However many healing practitioners are of the opinion, based on their professional experience, that if something is contributing to an improvement in your overall wellbeing then it is often no surprise when the body begins to heal itself of a particular condition. This again cuts to the crux of the self-empowerment versus patient = victim, in the health debate in this country & throughout the world.

Why now is there this great interest in supplements & superfoods amongst our population? Isn’t is a clear indication that people are wanting to take responsibility for their health & should not this preventative approach to medicine be actively supported by governments? Are the actions of the Complementary Healthcare Council & the Therapeutic Goods Administration a help or hindrance to furthering preventative medicine in this country? Questions that in my opinion need to be framed in the ongoing health debate into who has the power to heal, you & me or the AMA & the state.

Although Goji or “matrimony vine,” as it is also known, does grow wild in certain valleys of the Himalayas in Tibet, the Goji juice or berries that you or I can purchase will not be from there. Much of the commercial plantings are in China, in Ning Xia province in the northwest in the mineral rich lower reaches of the Yellow river. The use of the words Himalayan & Tibetan are more “feel good” branding than correct labelling of source. As recent international reports confirm there are concerns involving imported products from China, with one imported spice concoction containing salmonella & another here in Australia involving excessive use of formaldehyde in blankets, it is in my opinion worth investigating whether the Goji product that you buy has been checked in Australia for levels of pesticide usage & residue within the imported product. The National Measurement Institute in Australia provides this service to importers & distributors. There is currently no certified organic Goji product available.

I must admit from recent personal experience, that dried Goji berries coated in dark chocolate are absolutely delicious & that I did notice a bit of lift in my energy levels the next day. As a big fan of food that tastes great perhaps it is only fitting that a true superfood does taste really good!

©Sacred Chef.

Appeared in Conscious Living Magazine.