Tibetan goji berries – Science, traditional uses, testimonials and history.

The goji fruit is a red-orange berry that has been used in eastern medicine for a hundreds of years, or maybe even thousands of years. The shrub tends to grow to about three to nine feet in height depending on the region in which it is cultivated.

While one of the manufacturers of goji juice, FreeLife, branded their product ‘Himalayan Goji Juice’ the berries used to make the product are not from the famous mountain range. By the same token the term Tibetan goji berries is also a misnomer. The fruit that is available for purchase most likely to have been picked on a farm somewhere in Western or Central China.

It is true that the use of the goji berry probably originated in and around Tibet. However, the varieties that grow in the region are wild ones that would not be able to meet world demand. The production of the fruit for commercial purposes takes place in China simply because both the soil and the whether are inadequate to do the job. The soil is too lean and the temperatures are too cold.

Traditionally, the Tibetan goji berries are used to strengthen the immune system, clean the liver, better circulation and aid with male reproduction. It is also supposed to slow down the aging process by reducing the levels of free radicals in the body. Read a thorough list of benefits of goji juice, both medicinal and culinary, here.

The effects that most people report are increased vitality and a better resistance to disease. Some also claim that they could get a better night’s sleep after taking goji for a longer period of time. There are also some reports that the fruit may also be helpful when it comes to treating diabetes. This claim was questioned for a long time, but a recent study shows that it may be true in animals. Read unsolicited reviews and testimonials here.

There are two major makers of goji juice. One, is FreeLife, the multi-level marketing company and Dynamic Health. The stuff from FreeLife is better known but it cost more ($52 per liter), while the juice made by Dynamic Health may only cost you about $18 and it is 100% organic.

An even more cost effective way to get the benefits of Tibetan goji berries is to buy them dried and make a tea out of them. The dehydrated berries can be found all over the Internet on websites like Amazon.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 4:48 pm and is filed under Goji Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.