Sounds like something out of Pokemon, doesn’t it? This controversial berry has been a cherished fruit in Chinese and Tibetan medicines for centuries. The little berry is an excellent source of Vitamin C and dietary fibre. Can also (allegedly) help prevent breast cancer.
“Hailed as the newest superfood, goji, a Himalayan berry, has inspired a surge of interest for its use in treating diabetes, hypertension, malaria, fever, cancer and other ailments. Gram for gram, goji berries pack more vitamin C than some oranges and more beta-carotene than carrots. Unfortunately, though, there isn't enough evidence yet to confirm the health claims, since we only have testimonials and animal studies to go by. And goji berries and goji juice are costly.
Dietary uses: Goji berries are similar in taste to raisins but more tart. They can be eaten raw or cooked and are a tasty addition to tea, soup and hot cereal.” – Canadianliving.com
Products:
· Natierra’s Raw, Organic Goji Berries (sometimes found at Winners),
· Also used in wines and teas
Please note:
Safety issues
Two published case reports described elderly women who experienced increased bleeding, expressed as an elevated INR, after drinking quantities of wolfberry tea.
Further in vitro testing revealed that the tea inhibited warfarin metabolism, providing evidence for possible interaction between warfarin and undefined wolfberry phytochemicals.
Atropine, a toxic alkaloid found in other members of the Solanaceae family, occurs naturally in wolfberry fruit. The atropine concentrations of berries from China and Thailand are variable, with a maximum content of 19 ppb, below the likely toxic amount.
Find out more about the Goji berry and its controversies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry.
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