Goji berries are counted among the Four Treasures of Traditional Chinese Medicine, alongside Qiongzhen Lingzhi (Reishi Mushroom), Changbai Mountain Ginseng, and Dong'e Donkey-Hide Gelatin. They offer exceptional medicinal and nutritional value at an affordable price, making them a common household tonic. However, as a medicinal herb, goji berries are not suitable for regular consumption by everyone, and improper use may lead to adverse effects. Today, we explore the benefits and dietary precautions of goji berries.
【The Legend of Goji Berries】
Legend has it that during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, a group of Western merchants arrived along the Silk Road. As evening fell, they lodged at an inn where they witnessed a woman scolding an elderly man. The merchants approached and demanded, "Why are you beating and berating this old man?" The woman retorted, "I am disciplining my own grandson—what business is it of yours?" All who heard were utterly astonished.It turned out the woman was over 200 years old, while the old man was already in his nineties. He was being punished for refusing to follow tribal rules and take herbal medicine, which had caused him to age prematurely and suffer from blurred vision. Astonished, the merchants hurriedly asked the elderly woman for the secret to her longevity. Seeing their sincerity, she revealed that she consumed goji berries year-round.Later, goji berries spread to the Middle East and the West, where they were hailed as the "Eastern Miracle Herb."
【Nutritional Value of Goji Berries】
Goji berries are rich in carotene, vitamins A, B1, B2, C, calcium, iron, and other nutrients essential for eye health. They are particularly effective for improving vision, hence their common name "Bright-Eye Berries."Additionally, goji berries contain abundant polysaccharides, fats, proteins, free amino acids, taurine, betaine, and vitamin E. They are also rich in minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, selenium,linoleic acid, glycosides, amines, and germanium, making them exceptionally nutritious.
【Medicinal Value of Goji Berries】
Nature and Flavor: Sweet, neutral.
Meridian Tropism: Entering the Liver and Kidney meridians.
Functions and Indications: Nourishes the kidneys, moistens the lungs, strengthens the liver, and improves vision.Treats liver and kidney yin deficiency, soreness in waist and knees, dizziness, vertigo, blurred vision with excessive tearing, consumptive cough, diabetes, and nocturnal emission. Dosage and Administration: Internal use: Decocted as soup, 2-4 qian; made into paste, steeped in wine, or incorporated into pills or powders. Contraindications: Avoid in cases of external pathogenic factors with real heat, spleen deficiency with dampness, or diarrhea.
Commentaries:
Yao Xing Lun (On the Nature of Medicinal Substances): "Nourishes deficiencies in essence, improves complexion, brightens the eyes, and calms the spirit."
Shi Liao Ben Cao (Dietary Therapy Materia Medica): "Strengthens tendons, delays aging, dispels wind, fortifies bones and tendons, invigorates the body, and alleviates consumptive diseases."
Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica): "Nourishes the kidneys, moistens the lungs, and improves vision."
Herbal Essentials states: "Treats liver wind with blood deficiency, red and painful eyes with blurred vision." "Cures stroke-induced dizziness, consumptive diseases, all bleeding disorders, coughing blood, atrophy, syncope, convulsions, wasting diseases, dryness injuries, seminal emission, leukorrhea, beriberi, and knee osteoarthritis."
【Effects of Goji Berries】
Liver Protection
The liver synthesizes the highest levels of cholesterol and neutral fats. Substances like organic germanium in goji berries protect the liver, inhibit fat accumulation, promote hepatocyte activation, and repair damaged liver cells.
Allergy Suppression
Studies indicate goji berries enhance phagocytosis in reticuloendothelial cells, promote lactobacillus growth, regulate immune responses, and alleviate allergy symptoms. They inhibit allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinitis, asthma, and related conditions.
Cardiovascular Protection
They scavenge free radicals in the body, effectively protecting cardiac vascular endothelium and maintaining vascular elasticity. They also help regulate heart rate and may assist in managing arrhythmias. Additionally, they participate in vitamin A synthesis, and their iron content promotes hematopoiesis. Furthermore, the vitamins B1, B2, C, and calcium they contain benefit eye health.
Enhances vitality and strengthens the body
Substances like goji polysaccharides in goji berries protect the reproductive system. They particularly promote the secretion of sex hormones, treat female infertility, and address male conditions such as low sperm count and poor sperm motility. Moderate consumption can boost energy, strengthen vitality, and nourish the liver and kidneys.
Enhancing Vision
Goji berries are renowned for improving eyesight, earning them the common name "bright-eye berries." Throughout history, physicians have used them to treat blurred vision and night blindness caused by liver blood deficiency and kidney yin deficiency. The renowned formula Goji Chrysanthemum Rehmannia Pill features goji berries as a primary ingredient.Folk medicine also employs goji berries for chronic eye conditions, with steamed eggs with goji berries serving as a simple yet effective dietary remedy.
Boosts Immunity
Goji berries enhance the body's immune function, offering benefits such as replenishing qi and essence, nourishing the liver and kidneys, combating aging, alleviating thirst, warming the body, and exhibiting anti-tumor properties.
Reduces "Three Highs"
Consuming goji berries helps regulate blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and prevent conditions like hypertension, heart disease, and arteriosclerosis.
[Identifying Goji Berries]
Despite their low cost, unscrupulous sellers often peddle inferior goji berries for profit, dyeing low-quality berries or soaking them in chemical solutions. How can you spot substandard goji berries in the market? Here are a few tips.
Identifying by Color
Fresh goji berries vary in hue depending on origin, but they exhibit a soft, lustrous color with plump flesh.However, color alone isn't reliable, as unscrupulous sellers dye inferior berries red. When purchasing, pay close attention: genuine goji berries typically have yellow or white stems at the tip, while those dyed with pigments show red stems. Sulfur-baked berries exhibit a deep brown hue.Since dye-treated goji berries are highly sensitive to water, it's advisable to test a few berries by placing them in water or rubbing them with damp hands. If color transfers occur, it indicates dye usage.
Identifying by Shape
Ningxia goji berries have long been regarded as the highest-quality medicinal variety.Ningxia goji berries typically feature small white dots at their tips—a characteristic absent in non-Ningxia varieties. Approximately 85% of Ningxia goji berries exhibit these white dots. When placed in water, 90% of Ningxia goji berries remain afloat, whether used in tea or soup preparations.
Identifying by scent
For goji berries treated with sulfur fumigation, simply grasp a handful, cup your hands over them briefly, then bring them to your nose. If you detect a pungent, choking odor, it confirms sulfur fumigation.
Identifying by Taste
Ningxia goji berries are sweet, with an exceptionally sweet taste, but leave a slight bitterness in the throat after consumption.while goji berries from Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and other regions have an overly cloying sweetness. Those treated with alum will impart a bitter taste when chewed, and sulfur-treated goji berries exhibit sour, astringent, and bitter flavors.【Contraindications for Goji Berry Consumption】
While goji berries offer excellent nourishing and therapeutic benefits, they are not suitable for everyone. Improper consumption may fail to nourish the body and could even cause adverse effects. Below are some contraindications for goji berry intake:
1. Goji berries are a warming tonic food. Individuals with colds, fevers, inflammation, or diarrhea should avoid them. They are most suitable for those with weak constitutions and low immunity. Consistent daily consumption over the long term is essential to see benefits.
2. Due to their potent warming effect, goji berries are unsuitable for individuals with hypertension, those with an overly impatient temperament, or those who frequently consume large amounts of meat, resulting in a flushed complexion.
3. While goji berries nourish the liver and kidneys, they are unnecessary for those without deficiencies in these organs.
4. Goji berries are medicinal substances. Medicinal treatments rely on their specific properties, commonly referred to as medicinal nature. Yin-tonifying herbs are designed for deficiency syndromes. Those in robust health without deficiency patterns should not use them. Individuals with pathogenic factors but no deficiency of vital energy should avoid indiscriminate use of tonics to prevent "locking the door to keep the enemy in."
5. Those with cold deficiency may experience slippery diarrhea from consumption. Exercise caution if internal heat remains unresolved. Some individuals who overconsume goji berries report red, swollen, uncomfortable eyes and blurred vision. Thus, goji berries should not be consumed regularly—all medicines carry some toxicity.