Archive for the ‘Goji Juice Benefits & Uses’ Category

Himalayan Goji Juice and Professional Sports

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Screen shot of brutusreport.comI 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 Goji Juice - Weight Loss Connection

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

goji juice weight lossGoji 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 Juice Health Guide for the Newcomer

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

Goji Juice Health Guide for the NewcomerGoji juice health facts: benefits, uses, science, history and the myths.

Let’s start with the historical background of the goji berry. In China, people have been using this fruit for at least nineteen hundred years, but it may date as far back as four thousand years. It is widely believed that China’s first emperor, who was an avid herbalist and healer, had used this herb.

The fruit itself is less than an inch long and elliptical in shape (see picture). It is red in color with a hint of orange to it, and it is sweet in taste. The plant itself is grows to be about one to two meters in length (3 to 9 feet). The height will depend on the region in which it is grown.

Traditionally, goji juice heath include better circulation, enhanced reproductive ability for males, better liver function and, first and foremost, combating the effects of aging.

Users who have been taking it for a while report goji juice health benefits in the following areas: better sleep, an increased ability to resist disease and increased energy.

Modern scientific research is largely lacking for this herb. This is sometimes is used to belittle the potential of it. The fact that some marketers blow certain health benefits way out of proportion and make outlandish and sometimes recklessly inaccurate claims on behalf of the goji berry usually doesn’t help.

In an effort to promote the goji juice heath benefits, FreeLife, one of the makers and distributors of goji juice, decided to call their product ‘Himalayan Goji Juice.’ This is inaccurate, because the stuff that is widely available commercially, was cultivated nowhere near the Himalayas. The main areas where they grow goji berries are central and western China.

While in the east people most often make use of the berry in its dried form (it lasts longer dehydrated, and there is less weight to transport), the goji juice has become extremely popular in the west. There is no special benefit to consuming goji in the form of a drink especially that it is probably made from the dried fruit to begin with. The reason may be that it is a lot easier to get $52 per bottle (FreeLife’s Himalayan Goji Juice) than for dried fruit.

The goji juice made by Dynamic Health is a lot cheaper. If you research it carefully, you might be able to knock off two-thirds off compared to the FreeLife product.

The most cost effective way to obtain goji is to buy the dried fruit and brew tea out of it.

Goji Berry Juice – Eastern Medicine or Western Hoax?

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

Goji Berry JuiceGoji berry juice – Find out the facts, learn about the science and the misconceptions.

The goji berry has been used in eastern natural medicine for a long time. Depending on who you ask, it may date back four thousand years. Traditionally, it has many uses. First and foremost, it was supposed to promote long life. That has been shown to have some merit to it, since berries in general are high in what medical science calls antioxidants. They are responsible for the capturing and removal of free radicals the substance closely related to aging.

Some of the other areas where goji berry juice is said to have an impact on human health is the circulatory system, sperm production in males, cleaning the liver and increasing vitality.

A lot of the claims are in dispute since the studies that have been done (and there have been more than a few) were all conducted by scientist who were on the payroll of the companies that sold the juice for profit. The problem with that is that they may not be as objective as a person in their position should be. There has been calls for peer-reviewed studies and it turns out that one manufacturer came to its senses. FreeLife, which is an MLM company, recently developed a new product, the so-called Gochi juice (instead of goji juice), and as a way to create creditability and buzz for it, they has an independent group take a look at it. I haven’t read the article yet, but it sure looks promising.

There are also the testimonials of a lot of people who have became true believers in the goji berry juice. Some who have been taking it for quite some time report a variety of results they have found. They include increased vitality and a stronger, more resilient immune system. It is also not uncommon to find that a better night’s sleep was also possible after taking the juice for several weeks.

Goji berry juice was also credited with more spectacular results in some cases. One is diabetes. While this has not been confirmed, some people with diabetes claimed that they had to cut back on medication to keep their blood sugar level from dropping too low. The substance has show some results in laboratory animals.

Another maker of goji berry juice is a company called Dynamic Health. Their product is more widely available than that of FreeLife’s because they are not an MLM company. It is also substantially cheaper while fully organic at the same time.

Goji Juices and Better Health

Saturday, March 1st, 2008

Goji Juices and Better HealthGoji juices can help with 5 major areas when it comes to your health.

 

The goji berry, a sweet fruit, has been around for at least two thousand years, but some legends suggest that it may date back to China’s first emperor who lived over four thousand years ago. He was said to be an avid herbalist and a big fan of the goji berry because of its healing properties. As with most legends, one cannot be one hundred percent sure about how much truth there is to these stories.

 

One thing is for sure, the herb has been part of traditional Chinese medicine for a long time, and perhaps there is a reason. There are a lot of claims out there about all the good things that goji juices may be good for. Some have claimed that the substance has cured them of diabetes. This comes from a doctor whose patient’s blood sugar level dropped dramatically after she started to take the juice. Traditionally, there are at least five different areas where it is believed to be beneficial including sperm production and circulation. Read more about the health benefits of goji juices here.

 

As far as the medical community if concerned, though, very few, if any of these claims have been confirmed in clinical trials and other methods that would constitute proof.

 

It may be prudent to consider, though, that doctors have never been a big fan of natural remedies. Some consider anything that wasn’t produced in a lab a hoax, but nothing could be further from the truth. The problem is the overzealous users of natural remedies and snake oil salesmen how are hoping to make more money from stating things that have not been proven yet, or are simply made up. If you are a person of reason, you may just dismiss any and all claims regarding a certain substance after a certain point. There is also the fact that whatever you can find in nature cannot be patented, so pharmaceutical companies may intentionally try to undermine the spread of these cures.

 

Goji juices are readily available for purchase in the United States, however it can be quite pricey and you may have to join a multi level marketing company if you want to get a discount.

 

It is also probably a good idea to research a good place to get the goji juices, because quality can vary greatly depending where the plant was cultivated.

Benefits of Goji Juice - Medicinal and Culinary Uses

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Benefits of Goji JuiceBenefits of Goji Juice: Improve 5 major health areas.

The history of the goji berry (also known as wolfberry, Himalayan goji berry, Tibetan goji berry among other things.) dates back at least 1,900 years. However, according to folk stories, China’s first emperor may have also used this fruit and he lived circa 2,300 BC.

 

Benefits of Goji Juice: Health

This plant has been used for almost two millennia by traditional Chinese medicine. There are five major areas that the goji berry is believed to be effective.

  1. It is supposed to be effective in straightening the immune system,
  2. It can improve eye sight,
  3. It is said to be able to protect the liver,
  4. It can aid with fertility by boosting sperm production
  5. It is said to be helpful with improving circulation

To gain the full benefit of the goji berry, one does not need to prepare it in any special way. It can be consumed fresh (however, outside of its native cultivating area it is rarely available in this form) and any which way you can get your hands on it: dried, ground up, as juice or wine, brewed into tea, etc.

However, the Chinese aren’t the only ones who are convinced of the beneficial effects of goji juice. It is also used extensively in Japanese and Tibetan natural medicine. As far as modern western medicine is concerned, however, none of these properties have been shown to be true in a clinical trial. This is at least what the article on wolfberry on Wikipedia says. On some of the other pages on the Internet, people stated that there have been tests on animals that seem to support the claim the Goji Juice Diabetes connection. The claims that goji may help with cancer have not at all been confirmed at the time of writing of this article.

 

Benefits of Goji Juice: Food

When consumed as food, goji berry is usually cooked. It has been known to be mixed in with rice, and cooked into the broth of soups. You can also make wine out of the berry, since it is sweet in nature, therefore readily lending itself to fermentation. The consumption of the fruit as food is also designed to reap the natural healing benefits of it, no doubt.

Some people also make beer out of it, a Belgian company makes ale out of it.

One must be careful about getting his or her goji berries form a trusted source. The standards for food safety in China are vastly different from that in the United States and other western countries. They can contain chemicals such as pesticides and fungicides and other harmful chemicals.

Himalayan Gogi Juice – Extend Your Life, Get Rid of Disease

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

Himalayan Gogi JuiceHimalayan Gogi Juice: Used by the Chinese for thousands of years. This plant has been a staple of traditional Chinese medicine for 600 years. The name for this plant in English is wolfberry, but it has also been known by many other names that include Himalayan gogi juice.

The truth is that while relatives of the wolfberry live in the Himalayas the ones that are made available for purchase are almost exclusively grown in China. There are entire regions dedicated to growing this berry as the demand from the West has increased immensely in recent years.

There are numerous uses of the Himalayan Gogi Juice in traditional medicine both for the purposes of prevention and curing diseases. Some of them include diabetes and cancer but these claims have not been conclusively proven in humans. The trials look very promising for diabetes when used on animals. The Chinese have been using this produce to help with a variety of other ailments, most of which have to do with strengthening the immune system. It stands to reason that they kept the Himalayan gogi juice around for a reason. A stronger immune system can also mean the ability to stay free of cancer as well.

The only thing that modern science has been able to uncover so far that as with many other plants of its kind such as cranberry, Himalayan gogi juice has anti oxidant properties, that have been shown to prevent illnesses.

One thing that needs to be pointed out about this crop that is often overlooked when promoting it that since it is grown in China, it may be loaded with pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals. It is because China laws regarding these substances are a lot more relaxed than that of the United States, for instance. If these chemicals are present in high doses in this fruit, it may be that the positive effects that Himalayan gogi juice may have, can be hugely counteracted. It may be wise to purchase this product form sources that are organic certified. This will ensure that you are not putting anything into your body that you didn’t intend to.

The use of the Himalayan gogi juice extends beyond pure medicinal use. It is also consumed for sustenance. It is most often cooked, but dried wolfberries have been known to be mixed with rice as well as chicken, pork and beef. Basically anything one can think of.