Lose Weight With Goji Berries

By Article Guy On December 10, 2009 Under Weight Loss Diets

Long a staple of Asian and holistic medicine, the most renowned properties of the Goji Berries is its antioxidant properties and it provide several benefits including increased energy and heightened immune function.

The weight loss properties of this natural ingredient have recently seen the fruit becoming popular stateside as well, especially among celebrities in Hollywood with the Goji Berry being featured on many magazines and television programs.

Goji Berry Active have improved the Goji Berry many benefits by mixing other natural ingredients to the Goji Berry Active Supplement designed to provide many other health benefits and increase its weight loss capabilities as well.

A complete all-natural supplement is the result and it is designed in pill form that can be taken easily with no powders or several kind of ingredients to measure or mix. Just take as directed to help with increasing energy levels, weight loss and immune function.

 What are they?

Other Names: Lycium barbarum, wolfberry, gou qi zi, Fructus lycii

Goji berries grow on an evergreen shrub found in subtropical and temperate regions in the Himalayas in Tibet, Mongolia and China. They are in the nightshade (Solonaceae) family.

Usually Goji berries are placed out to be dried  They are shriveled red berries that look like red raisins.

Why do people use Goji berries?

Goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China, Tibet and India to:

• protect the liver

• help eyesight

• improve sexual function and fertility

• strengthen the legs

• boost immune function

• improve circulation

• promote longevity

Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as zeaxanthin and beta-carotene. One of zeaxanthin’s key roles is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased consumption of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is the number 1 cause of blindness and vision loss in people over the age of 65.

Goji juice has become popular as a health drink in recent years.  Goju juice products are usually marketed by companies that often mention the unsupported claim that a man named Li Qing Yuen consumed goji berries everyday and lived to be 252 years old . Even though there are few published clinical trials in humans, marketers still list extensive health benefits of goji juice.

What research are being done on goji berries?

Goji has only been tested on humans in two published studies. A Chinese study published in 1994 in the Chinese Journal of Oncology found that when goji was added to their regimen, 79 people with cancer responded better to the treatment.

There have been several clinical studies that show that goji berry contains antioxidants and that goji extracts may prevent the growth of cancer cells, lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood glucose. However, even when taken as a juice or tea, it doesn’t necessary mean that goji will have the same benefits.

Although goji berries like the ones used in traditional Chinese medicine are rather cheap, goji juice is not cheap. Considering that be as high as 50 US dollars~for a price running as high as 50 US dollars for a bottle of 32-ounce of goji juice (about an 18-day supply)}, at this time the evidence isn’t compelling enough to justify the cost of goji juice.

Also, we don’t know the side effects of regular consumption of goji, or whether it will interfere with treatments or medications.

What do goji berries taste like?

Goji berries have a mild tangy taste that is slightly sweet and sour. They have a similar shape and chewy texture as raisins.

Common forms

In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries can be eaten raw, made into liquid extracts, brewed into a tea or added to Chinese soups  

 

 

Goji juice is also available, usually in 32-ounce bottles.

Goji berries have appeared in snack foods in North America. For example, the health food store Trader Joe’s sells a goji berry trail mix.

Possible drug interactions

Goji berries may interact with anticoagulant drugs (commonly called “blood-thinners”), such as warfarin (Coumadin®). There was a case reported in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy of a 61-year old woman who had an increased risk of bleeding, indicated by an increased international normalized ratio (INR). She had been consuming 3-4 cups daily of goji berry tea. Her blood work returned to normal after discontinuing the goji berry tea.

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