Health - Goji Berries
Goji
berries
or technically Lycium barbarum (Latin) has always been considered a
miracle product. There are many legends built around Goji berries and
even festivals are held in its honor. And if that is not enough even a
renowned Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty (772-842 AD) wrote a poem
dedicated to its benefits. There is a legend around it. It was during
the Tang Dynasty that something queer happened.
A
famous
Buddhist temple had a well dug near its wall. The wall was covered with
Goji vines and Goji berries used to fall into the well for years. What
was surprising was that monks living in the temple always remained in
good health and even in old age no one had a single white hair and most
had not lost a single tooth. Why was that so? Well, because they drank
water from the well.
Himalayans were perhaps the
first natural
healers of the world and they propagated their knowledge to herbalists
of China, India and Tibet. And what was their one cure all secret?
Well, it was Goji berries that were the native of Himalayas. And when
people came to the Himalayan valleys and came to know about the
effectiveness of Goji berries, they took the vines to their homes and
planted it there. That is how the knowledge about Goji berries spread.
The
importance of Goji berries for people of Central Asia could be gauged
from the fact that they celebrate for two week every year in honor of
Goji berries. Scientists found out four primary bioactive
polysaccharides in Lycium barbarum. These were known as Lycium barbarum
polysaccharides (LBP). These unique compounds actually manage most of
the biochemical defense systems of our body.
And
the knowledge that Goji berries are not limited to herbalists
only. Major universities have undertaken research on Goji berries and
they have actually come to the same conclusion. There have been over
fifty studies related to Goji berries and have been published in almost
all the better reputed health journals.
Some of
these journals include: International Immunopharmacology, Journal of
Ethano pharmacology, British Journal of Nutrition,
China Pharmacology and Toxicology, Journal of Chinese Herbal Medicine,
Chinese Herb News Magazine Research Communications Molecular Pathology
and Pharmacology Chinese Patent Herbs, Nature Reviews Drugs, Chinese
Herbs, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery Chinese Oncology Magazine,
Physiology Academic Journal Chinese Stomatology, Hygiene Research and a
whole lot more.
You can find a lot more about Goji
berries in
the book "Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret" written by Dr. Mindell. He
writes in the book that there are many longest living people in the
world who have been consuming this red fruit on a daily basis. Goji
berry is no doubt the most effective anti-aging food in the world. What
is more it is perhaps the most nutritionally dense food present.
Some
of the major nutrients found in Goji juice are the glyconutrients and
the phytonutrients. Glyconutrients provide the body with eight
essential sugars that are necessary for human growth while the twenty
two phytonutrients help in intercellular communication.
Let
us have a look at some of the benefits of Goji juice.
- Boosts
your immune system to fight diseases
- Powerful antioxidant
helping in fighting premature aging.
- Regulates
blood sugar at the initial stages of diabetes
- Prevents DNA
mutation, inhibits tumor growth and control peroxidation of lipids. All
this helps in preventing the risk of cancer
- Positively affect
vision and cardiac functions and also works wonders for headaches and
insomnia.
- Sexual health and fertility is improved
- Improves digestive
system and also improves memory.
Let us have a look
at the composition of Goji berry to understand why it is so beneficial.
- Germanium, which is not found in any other fruit
- Carotenoids
like beta carotene and vitamin C
- Four important
polysaccharides named LBP1, LBP2, LBP3 and LBP4. These are the key for
good health.
- 19 amino acids
that also includes the eight most essential amino acids. Also contains
about twenty one minerals in traces including copper, selenium, zinc,
phosphorus and others.
- Zeaxanthin which is very beneficial
for the eyes, B-complex and fatty acids.
- Vitamin E, rarely
found in fruits. It is generally found in nuts and seeds.
- Cyperone,
Beta-Sitosterol (anti-inflammatory), Solavetivone, Betaine
(cardiovascular system), Linoleic acid (weight loss) and Physalin.
- Iron
concentration is about 11 mg per 100 gm of fruit which is very high.
You
can easily get Goji juice from health stores and there are many online
stores that can provide you with Goji juice. It is recommended to take
two to four ounce daily but there are no side effects of increased
dosages. Most of the people start feeling the health benefits within
one month.
When the research was conducted for the first time to compare the
nutritional constituents of Goji berries
with respect to vitamins, minerals and amino acids, no one was
expecting what they actually found out. Goji berry turned out to be
perhaps the most nutritionally dense food on this planet.
It
contains the highly useful antioxidants that protect cells from free
radicals which are reactive molecules. It also contains amongst others
phytochemicals. It provides flavonoids which is very rich in
antioxidants.
Other such compounds are quercetin, anthocyanadins and antocyanins.
Flavonoids help the body to adsorb and utilize other nutrients
especially vitamin C.
The research by the Beijing
Nutrition
Research Institute on Goji berries revealed a number of facts that were
really astounding. Goji berries are very rich source of vitamins B1 and
B6 which help the body to convert food into energy, Vitamin E which has
never been found in any other fruit. Goji berries have more protein
than whole wheat and over 18 amino acids including the 8 essential
ones. It has 21 trace minerals including zinc, iron, copper, selenium,
calcium,
germanium and phosphorus. It has beta-carotene more than what carrots
have, about five hundred times more vitamin C than oranges (by weight)
and essential fatty acids (generally not found in fruits) essential for
hormonal production and brain
and nervous system functioning, and is perhaps the richest source of
carotenoids which is a fat soluble pigment enabling the activity of
vitamin A.
And if you think that is all, well you
are here for a
surprise. Goji berries are rich sources of polysaccharides which are
immune-stimulating. Polysaccharides are actually very large long
chained sugar molecules which nourish your macrophages (white blood
cells) present in the intestines.
These
macrophages get
transferred to the immune cells which actually build up the immune
system for the body. It has been decidedly proven that polysaccharides
activate your macrophages. Polysaccharides also increase B lymphocytes
activity and immune system activity. As for antioxidant levels, ORAC or
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Scale is used to measure the ability
of antioxidants to absorb the free radicals. Anything over 3000 units
is considered very well. Goji berry has 25,300 units.
Goji
berries are very effective anti-aging agents. Locals in Tibet and
Mongolia have long been using Goji berries as a very important part of
their daily diet.
Actually they celebrate for two weeks every year in the honor of Goji
berries. There are many villages and provinces which shows long lives
for locals due to daily consumption of Goji berries. The best thing is
that there are no known side effects of using Goji berries.
Goji
berries have high percentage of minerals like iron. It has about 20
times more iron than grapes and 15 times more than spinach. It has 124
ppm of germanium and it is no surprise that Goji berries have long been
used as tonic herbs and astringent herbs.
As for its
other constituents, Goji berries also contain superoxide dismutase,
phenylpropaniods, and high concentration of branched chain amino acid
L-Ieucine. This amino acid is the key component of HMB or
Beta-hydoxy-beta-methylbutyrate.
Phenylpropabiod
actually helps
your immune system. It is the same with the polysaccharides which Goji
berries contain. It strengthens the immune system of your body. What is
more it is also a rich source of Vitamin B and C. It is by far the
richest source of carotenoids including beta carotene. And that is what
makes it very effective antioxidant thus fortifying your immune system.
After
a lot of chemical analysis and studies certain facts about Goji berries
have been deduced. It has a very high concentration of L-Leucine
(branched chain amino acid) one of the 18 amino acids
that it contains, 21 trace minerals, thiamine, linoleic acid,
riboflavin and betaine. It has more beta carotene than carrots. It has
about 500 times more vitamin C than oranges (by weight). It is very
rich in Vitamin B1, B2, B6 and E. Regular consumption of Goji berries
results in high level of SOD in the blood by over 48%, hemoglobin by
over 12% and lipid peroxide dropping by over 65%.
And
about
using Goji berries, well it is very versatile where its consumption is
concerned. Eat them raw, or add them to cereal, porridge, casseroles,
grains, baked goods, stews, trails and other snacks. Just consume about
one to two handfuls of Goji berries and see the result for yourself. It
would keep you fiddle fit for ever.
What is more, it
has been
use for at least over two thousand years and there is not a single side
effect of daily consumption of Goji berries ever. It is not by fluke
that it is also called the happy berry. It is believed to keep you
smiling throughout the day. So, dont wait to get your handful.
granola
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