The goji berry plant (Lycium barbarum) is a multi-branched shrub belonging to the Solanaceae family, reaching over 2 meters in height when cultivated. It is distributed both domestically and internationally. Every part of the goji berry plant is valuable, with its medicinal properties documented in Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica during the Ming Dynasty. Young goji leaves, also known as goji tips, are edible and can be used to make goji tea.The goji tree is also used in landscaping as hedges, bonsai, and for soil erosion control.
It is primarily distributed in China's Henan, Northeast China, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, southern Gansu, eastern Qinghai, Urad Qianqi Banner of Inner Mongolia, as well as provinces and regions in Northwest, Southwest, Central, South, and East China;with cultivated or naturalized populations in Korea, Japan, and Europe. It commonly grows on slopes, wastelands, hillsides, saline-alkali soils, roadsides, and near villages and dwellings.
The goji tree is a multi-branched shrub belonging to the genus Lycium in the Solanaceae family, typically reaching 0.5-1 meter in height, though cultivated specimens may exceed 2 meters.It is distributed both domestically and internationally. Every part of the goji plant is valuable. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica (16th century) records: "In spring, its leaves are gathered and called 'heavenly essence grass'; in summer, its flowers are gathered and called 'immortality grass'; in autumn, its berries are gathered and called 'goji berries'; in winter, its roots are gathered and called 'earth bone bark'."Young leaves, known as goji tips, are edible or brewed as goji tea. Modern research indicates goji berries lower blood sugar, combat fatty liver disease, and resist atherosclerosis. Additionally, goji plants serve as hedges in landscaping, bonsai specimens, and erosion-control shrubs.