Herbs that have a reverse effect on aging (hence the name anti aging) have been in great demand for countless centuries if not thousands of years. One would assume that for the most part of the past several millennia, the efforts were mostly in vain as the science of medicine was in its infancy. Chances are that charlatans and snake oil sales men were the only ones who benefited from these efforts.
Fortunately, the science of counteracting the effects of aging has come a long way. This is partly because we have discovered the existence of free-radicals, which is a group of chemical compounds that will effect the body’s ability to regenerate. If the body can’t regenerate like it is supposed to, it will age faster.
Now, I have been bashing ancient people in the first part of this article for their perceived lack of medical knowledge, but the truth is the some of them were onto something. The have discovered healing plants that, among other things, had anti aging effects. One such plant is the goji berry. It is a small, orange-red fruit that the Chinese have been using for a long time for a great many things including for its anti aging properties.
Ginkgo biloba is another plant that will have positive effect on short term memory if nothing else. That could be considered an anti aging effect as memory loss is usually associated with advancing years.
Bilberry and blue berry are said to improve eyesight, another aging related ill effect. Berries in general have the tendency to reduce the levels of free radicals.
Soy and red clover also have anti-aging properties.
Since I dedicate this particular blog to goji related products, I make a point to keep an eye on the information that is out there on health related websites. Yesterday I came across a blog called Nishas world of interests that is not as focused on health issues as mine as it is, among other things, a personal blog. It also covers topics like celebrity gossip. (I have included a screenshot of the main page for you see.)
The fact still remains that people are becoming more-and-more health-conscious. They share ideas on their blogs and, if they pick up on something, the thing will spread like wildfire. The same thing happened to the Himalayan goji juice and other goji products and information. The Internet has revolutionized the exchange of information that way.
Now, the problem is with easy access to a lot of people in a short period of time with incredible ease that people will say stuff that are not very credible. Take goji products themselves as an example. The multi-level-marketing company FreeLife decided to call their product Himalayan Goji Juice, and that is just not correct. As I mention throughout this blog, the goji berry that we make juice from comes from China, even though certain varieties may come from the Himalayas and Tibet. People also pick up on this and the mudslinging begins. This is not good for anyone and the quality of the discussion suffers.
I came across a cute little blog today titled ‘Things I want to share’. This guy blogs about a number of subjects. It looks like the site is more of a personal blog than anything else.
One thing that the site could use in terms of an additional subject is health related stuff. Not to toot my own horn here, but the reason I started blogging about the goji berry and goji products in general, because I think that it is important that people lead a health life, and in my opinion goji can provide you with a lot of benefits toward that end. This is not to say that every thing you hear about the Himalayan goji juice and other products you can believe. Far from it.
In any case, Justin Gonzaga’s blog is an interesting read and if you have the time you should check it out. I have included a screenshot of the website for you to see.
I came across that offers Ohio State player and recruit interviews the other day. If you are an Ohioan, or - if for some reason feel some sort of desire to root for an Ohio team - this is a great resource for you. It features interviews with players among other things including a forum where you, the user and sports fan, can express your opinions. They cover football, the NFL and basketball.
It also made me think about the role natural medicine plays in professional sports today. I came to the conclusion that it isn’t much of a role. The Himalayan goji juice for instance could help an athlete regenerate quicker; and by reducing the levels of free radicals, it could help an individual to extend his or her professional carrier in sports. Unfortunately, instead of this we hear more and more stories about steroid abuse.
It is also hard for people to see the benefit of an herb such as the Himalayan goji berry, because the strength of natural substances are in the area of prevention. In today’s world, we tend to employ a hands-off approach until there is something seriously wrong.
The effects of goji juice and other goji products on diabetes are unclear at this point. There have been some studies done on laboratory animals that suggest that the substance may lower blood sugar levels, but no studies have been done on humans.
There are some testimonials and anecdotal evidence that suggests that there may be something to goji in this area. A doctor reported that one of his patients had to take less of her medication to compensate for the difference in level of sugar in her blood after taking goji juice for some time. You can read the article regarding diabetes here.
If you suffer form diabetes, and you do decide to try goji products, you need to make sure that you consult your doctor. This is especially true when you think that it is working and your blood sugar level starts to drop. Remember, your life depends on you medication!
Readers of this blog have indicated that they wanted a list of goji juice distributors.
I am in the process of compiling whatever information I can find on individuals and companies that are in the business of selling goji products. I would also link to extend an invitation to any of these persons and business entities to register with this blog to make my job easier while promoting themselves.
The truth is, though, that you do not have to go through a goji juice distributor to purchase goji products. I have compiled a list of sources for both goji juice and other forms of goji that you could purchase alternatively. Here is my post on that topic.
Just to recap briefly, FreeLife’s Himalayan Goji Juice may have been the first on the market, but if you want to pay a lot less and still have it organic, you should consider Dynamic Health’s product. Better yet, forget about the juice, and make tea out of the dried fruit.
Dr. Mindell is the guy behind the craze that swept across America since the early 2000’s. Up until that point, I haven’t even heard of goji or that it could be ingested as juice.
While Dr. Mindell’s goji juice was first on the market in the United States, they certainly didn’t discover the herb. The Chinise have been using it for a really long time, for almost two thousand years.
Not just that, but seeing the success of the Dr. Mindell goji juice phenomena, others wanted a piece of the pie as well. If you want cheap goji juice, but which is really good quality, try Dynamic Health’s Goji Juice. It is much cheaper.
However, getting the benefits of the herb does not require that you take it in juice form. You can buy bulk quantities of the dried fruit and cook it into your food or brew it into a tea. And why not, that is what the Chinese do.
If you are most people, you want to consume goji, because you have heard the beneficial effects it will have on your health. It is only natural that you want an organic goji juice source for the stuff that you are going to put it in your body.
To cut to the chase right off the bet, a company called Dynamic Health. Their product is not only cheaper than competitor FreeLife’s product, but it is also one hundred percent organic goji juice. I wrote an article a while back about the places to buy organic goji juice. Go to this page to read about them.
There is a legitimate reason to buy organic goji products. See, the stuff is grown in China (not the Himalayas, by the way). And as such, they do not have the same restrictions on the use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides as nations in the West do. As a matter of fact, you better be buying your goji organic to avoid doing more bad than good to your body.
Goji berry juice has been a staple of eastern diet and natural medicine. Traditionally, the herb is said to counter act the effects of aging, help with one’s circulation, enhance male reproductively and so on.
There hasn’t been a lot of so-called peer-reviewed studies done on the herb, which basically means that the research done on it was not released to qualified people who might have been able to poke holes in them.
People who took goji juice on a regular basis for several weeks report that they have more energy, and they sleep better at night. They also claim that their immune system is stronger as a result of ingesting goji and thus more capable of fighting of disease such as the cold and flu.
There is some anecdotal evidence that indicates that the herb may be effective against diabetes, but only animal studies have been done. These, however, seemed promising.
But how about the goji juice – weight loss connection? Can goji help you burn fat. There has not been any studies done on the subject (and if I am wrong, please let me know, and I will cite them here). One thing seems to be sure, though. Pretty much everybody who took the juice for an extended period of time said that they had more energy. A person with more energy usually likes to use that excess energy that inevitably leads to more calories burned and a more toned muscle mass that leads to even more weight loss.
If you have any testimonials regarding goji juice weight loss, you can leave them here in the comment section and I will include them under reviews and testimonials.
Goji in itself seems to be a good herbal supplement. It has high levels of anti oxidants, which has been shown to slow down the effects of aging. While most berries have the a same properties, this is still commendable.
The problem comes in with FreeLife claiming that their product is from the Himalayas by calling it the Himalayan Goji Juice. They say they have tested a number of goji varieties, they will not go as far as going on record that the type of goji berry they are using is form the Himalayas. And the fact remains that goji that is commercially grown comes form big farms in China. That is the only part that can be considered a goji juice lie.