Staying healthy and well through herbs and food as medicine: The Goji Berry
Food as medicine: the Goji Berry
I would love to believe that goji berries will help me to stay healthy in mind, body and soul, but the truth is that all berries are helpful antioxidants and have medicinal qualities to help you with your health and wellness.
You can also try to grow Goji berries yourself as an evergreen shrub but they are mostly found in regions that are subtropical such as China, Mongolia and in the Tibetan Himalayas.
Cathy Won, ND, alternative medicine expert explains in an article: Goji Berries: Health benefits, common uses, side effects by explaining that although there are some benefits of the Goji berry such as its antioxidant effects, there are also some side effects such as not using it while taking some medicines such as blood thinners and blood pressure medicine.
The Goji berry has been marketed as a helpful berry with a long history in Chinese medicine but there is currently a lack of evidence on the potential benefits of the berry but the good news is that there is some evidence including protecting the liver, helping with eyesight, improved sexual function, strengthening the legs, skin and hair health, boosting the immune system, improved circulation, promoting weight loss and promoting longevity. This is found in the author Cathy Won, ND at: http://alternativemedicine.about.com
Eyesight: Because the Goji berry is like any other berry, it is rich in antioxidant qualities particularly carotenoids such as betacarotene and zeaxanthin. The key role in these carotenoids is to protect the eyes, as do eating carrots but many healthy Goji tonics have been created which are expensive and may be unnecessary in helping with your health and wellness. The only test on humans appears to be in a Chinese study in 1994, published in the Chinese Journal of Oncology. They found that 79 people responded better to cancer treatments when Goji was added to their regimen.
There needs to be more research on the topic of the use of Goji berries however there also have been some test tube studies which have been promising on using Goji berry extract to stop the growth of cancer cells, reduce blood glucose levels and cholesterol levels but this does not mean that humans will have the same benefit if taken as a juice or tea.