You might have heard of goji berries and their health benefits. But do they live up these claims? Goji is not only used as food and medicine in China, but also in Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The whole plant, including the berries, leaves, roots, and root bark, has been used for medicinal purposes. In traditional medicine, goji berries were used to cure liver diseases, infertility, abdominal pain, dry cough, fatigue, and headaches. It was considered to be a tonic that increased longevity. These festive red berries have a sweet, slightly-sour taste and often come in dried form, like raisins
Goji berries are native to Asia, particularly China where they’re grown in both the northern and southern regions. Two primary types of goji berry plants are grown today: L. chinense is grown in the south of China and L. barbarum is grown in the north. The plant is a member of the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes and peppers.
Gojis are known in pharmacological studies and referenced as “Lycii fructus,” but around the world, they go by many names, such as wolfberries or Tibetan goji.
These berries contain all 8 essential amino acids. A single 4-ounce serving provides nearly 10 percent of your daily value for protein. For fruit, this is a surprising amount of protein.
Goji berries have many important health benefits. Let us discuss them in detail below.
1. PROVIDE HIGH LEVELS OF ANTIOXIDANTS AND NUTRIENTS
Like most other superfoods, goji berries are an excellent source of antioxidants that help boost the immune system and protect the body from high levels of inflammation since they fight free radical damage. In terms of the quantity of antioxidants present in goji berries, they have a high ORAC value along with other beneficial berries, which indicates their exceptional ability to reduce oxidative stress.
One of the surprising goji berry benefits you might not know about is that each serving has about four grams of protein per serving and 18 different amino acids, plus over 20 other trace minerals, including zinc, iron, phosphorus and riboflavin (vitamin B2). Ounce for ounce, goji berries offer more beta-carotene than carrots and more iron than soybeans and spinach nutrition, which makes them a great source to help stave off iron deficiency! [1]
2. IMPROVE IMMUNE FUNCTION AND FIGHT CANCER
Goji berries are similar to other berries — like blueberries and raspberries — in that they supply high levels of antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin A. These are two nutrients key to building immunity and preventing common illnesses like a cold, plus more serious chronic diseases like cancer or neurodegenerative decline.
Early testing in laboratories shows that goji berries help enhance the effectiveness of flu vaccinations in aged mice. This is important because the flu vaccine doesn’t always provide adequate protection against the virus.
The study suggests that goji berries may prevent subsequent infections for older adults who’ve received a flu vaccine. But remember, goji berries aren’t a replacement protection against the flu. Be sure that you and your family members get your flu shot every year.
Of the antioxidants present among goji berry benefits, carotenoids like zeaxanthin and precursors to vitamin C are the most extensively researched. High levels of these compounds give gojis a reputation for battling cancerous cells, fighting tumor growth, decreasing inflammatory cytokine levels and detoxifying the body of harmful toxins.
Goji berry benefits also extend to other parts of the body thanks to their polysaccharides and glycoconjugate compounds that promote unique bioactive immunomodulating, anti-tumor and antioxidant activities in the brain, liver, reproductive organs and digestive tract. Did you know you could help fight skin cancer with food? Gojis are reported to have anti-aging properties and show anti-tumor activities against various types of skin cancer cells by inhibiting tumor growth and inducing apoptosis. [2]
3. PROMOTE HEALTHY SKIN
Similar to the benefits you get from eating other berries, goji berries are loaded with beta-carotene (a pigment found in plants and fruits), which helps promote healthy skin and even acts like a natural skin cancer treatment.
Ultraviolet radiation is one of the threats that we are all facing, due to the depletion of the ozone layer in several parts of the world. The exposure of the skin to UV radiation can result in skin damage and even skin cancer in extreme cases. We can reduce this risk by consuming goji berries. In an animal study done by the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, drinking 5 percent goji juice supplied antioxidant activity that offered significant protection against skin disorders and lipid peroxidation of UV light damage. Two known endogenous skin antioxidants are present in goji berries, heme oxygenase-1 and metallothionein, which were found to be involved in the photoimmune protection. [3]
The results show that drinking juice made from goji berries increases your protection against free radical damage from the sun. Gojis provide additional photoprotection for people who are susceptible to skin cancer and other skin disorders.
4. PROTECT EYE HEALTH
Goji berry benefits also include the ability to protect eyes from age-related diseases like macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults. Goji berries are a natural treatment for macular degeneration and beneficial for vision because of their high levels of antioxidants (especially zeaxanthin), which can help stop damage from UV light exposure, free radicals and other forms of oxidative stress by protecting cells against breaking down.
One study published in the American Academy of Optometry’s Optometry & Vision Science journal found that drinking goji berry juice daily as a dietary supplementation for 90 days increases plasma zeaxanthin and antioxidant levels significantly, which protect eyes from hypopigmentation and accumulation of oxidative stress compounds that can damage the macula. [4] Other studies show that the goji berry benefits eye health by protecting the retina from ganglion cells so gojis’ antioxidants act as a natural treatment for glaucoma. [5]
5. HELP STABILIZE BLOOD SUGAR AND PREVENT DIABETES
Diabetes has emerged as one of the major diseases in the world in modern times. Controlling or preventing diabetes is absolutely necessary, as it can lead to the development of several other diseases such as obesity, heart diseases, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and ocular diseases. One of the major health benefits of consuming goji berries is that it can help in controlling diabetes. Goji berries benefits help control the release of sugar into the bloodstream, which prevents spikes and dips due to problems balancing glucose levels. Evidence shows that gojis exhibit significant hypoglycemic effects and insulin-sensitizing activity by increasing glucose responsiveness. As part of a healthy diet, a natural diabetes remedy and a way to increase insulin sensitivity, goji berries are one of the best choices for those with trouble balancing blood glucose levels and its effects.
Reducing sugar intake and increasing responsiveness to insulin is extremely important for the growing number of diabetes cases in the U.S. and other developed nations today, so goji berries make a much better snack alternative and sweetener to high-sugar packaged goods and sugar additives.
Talk to your doctor before you start adding goji berries to your diet, especially if you already have low blood sugar. If you do start eating them regularly, you may want to check your blood sugar more often.
6. DETOXIFY THE LIVER
The liver is one of the most resilient organs in our body and it can protect itself from chemical, free radical, and physical damages. Goji berry has been used traditionally in Chinese medicine to treat liver diseases. The extracts of goji berry showed free radical scavenging and other protective properties in terms of maintaining liver health.
Goji berries are used along with traditional herbs like licorice, ganoderma, gynostemna and pentaphylla in many liver cleanses. This is one reason they’re commonly used as a tonic ingredient in soups and to make sweet or savory porridges for people who are sick.
They’re thought to be one of the best ingredients for promoting liver and kidney health, according to TCM, since goji berry benefits the body’s liver and kidney meridians to restore vitality, strength and well-being. This makes them a great kidney stone natural remedy as well as a good food for cleansing the blood.
7. KEEP YOUR ENERGY AND MOOD UP
According to a study from the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, drinking goji berry juice regularly can help increase energy levels, moods and improve digestive health, too. Participants who drank goji juice for two weeks had improvements in terms of their feelings of “general well-being,” increased energy levels and better gastrointestinal function. [6] Try having some gojis as a pre-workout snack to get you going and keep your stamina up.
8. BOOST FERTILITY
Goji berries have a long history tied to sexual fertility. Traditionally, the Chinese believe that goji berry nutrition benefits the reproductive system and offers increased fertility. Goji berries are believed to increase sperm count and the vitality of sperm, shorten erection, capture, and ejaculation response, improved sexual ability. Evidence shows additional goji berry benefits include treating female infertility in patients with premature ovarian failure and the inability to ovulate normally.
Gojis are mainly used in TCM for treating “yin deficiency,” which is believed to be the “female” aspect of the personality and body. Knowing that goji berry benefits include the ability to increase mood, reduce stress and fight inflammation, TCM practitioners prescribe a dose of six to 15 grams daily for balancing yin and restoring hormonal health. [7]
Results from a study done by the College of Public Health at Wuhan University in China showed gojis protect against testicular tissue damage induced by heat exposure, raise antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase in the reproductive system, raise sexual hormone levels and protect against DNA oxidative damage to testicular cells. These findings support the folk reputation that gojis are effective for fighting infertility. [8]
9. POTENTIAL WEIGHT LOSS AID
Goji berries pack healthy food energy into small servings. Their rich, sweet taste, along with their high fiber content, can help you feel fuller for longer. As a result, it reduces the feeling of hunger, leading to fewer calories consumed. Turn to them for a light snack to prevent overindulgence at mealtime. Add them to your yogurt or salad in the same way you would use raisins. [9]
Their nutrition value as a low-calorie, low-sugar option makes them a perfect substitute for other dried fruits with higher sugar content. A one-ounce serving of goji berries has only 23 calories.
CAUTION AND RISKS
Like all dried fruit, goji berries do contain sugar in a small quantity, so portion control is important — and they’re not necessarily good choices for people with blood sugar imbalances. Like all dried fruit, it can be easy to overdo it!
People who use blood thinners or takes diabetic medications can possibly have a negative reaction eating a lot of goji berries. As far as allergies, gojis are not a common allergen and are suitable for children, too, but if you have a known allergy to other berries, you might want to use caution and clear them with your doctor first. [1]
Goji berries can interact with drugs and may cause bleeding. Warfarin is one of the drugs that is known to be reactive with goji berries. Warfarin is used as an anticoagulant and reactions with goji berries during treatment with warfarin include induced bleeding. Patients undergoing treatment with warfarin, reported epistaxis, bruising, and rectal bleeding after taking goji berry juice. Aside from warfarin, aspirin, heparin, ibuprofen, and naproxen users also shouldn’t consume goji berries. [10]
Goji berries can also react with certain antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, anticancer drugs, antidepressant drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs, drugs related to heart and blood vessels, hormonal drugs, immunosuppressants, and drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis. Users of these drugs should not take goji berries, as reactions might occur. Any medical applications of goji berries should be checked with your physician first, just to be safe! [10]
References
[10]https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-goji-berry-or-wolfberry.html
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Related Article: Healthy Fruit - Berries For Your Health
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