But did you know that even before it became fashionable to sprinkle goji berries on your smoothie bowls, goji berries were used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years? Legend has it that emperors ate them to live longer, and one of them even reached the very ripe age of 198 years!
While we don’t aspire to live that long, there’s plenty of benefits we can reap from goji berries. If you’re looking for a natural way to enhance your immunity, as well as maintain your health and wellness, look no further.
Here’s an extensive list of goji berries’ health benefits, and why it’s one of the most popular and sought-after superfoods today.
Incredible Benefit #1: Naturally enhances the immune system
The pandemic opened our eyes to what a strong immune system can do for us. People were on the hunt for things they can do and foods they can eat to protect themselves from the dreaded virus. Good thing goji berries were up to the task.
Goji berries are rich in polysaccharides, a kind of plant compound that helps protect the immune system.
Like its siblings — strawberries and blueberries, goji berries are highly rich in Vitamins A and C, which help shield us from viruses ranging from the common cold to cancer.
Scientists have even conducted experiments, such as this 3-month study involving 150 older adults, where they found that taking goji berry supplements improved the respondents’ immune reaction to flu.
Incredible Benefit # 2: Protects the eyes
As we age, it’s inevitable for eye health to go downhill, no matter how religiously one wears spectacles. But if you have the means to prevent it from happening, or at the least reduce its severity, you would do it, right?
Taking goji berries is a simple, yet delicious way to do so. In a study, they found that taking goji berry supplements daily may protect the eyes from macular degeneration, which leads to vision loss.
In addition, goji berries are packed with antioxidants called zeaxanthin, which help protect your lenses and retinas from damage. Still, in another study, they found that goji berries have a wonderful ability to protect the retina from ganglion cells, responsible for glaucoma.
Incredible Benefit # 3: Good for gut health
The gut is the rich plethora of microorganisms swimming inside our digestive systems. The gut is crucial not only for breaking down and converting the food we eat into energy, but also for proper nutrient absorption and toxin elimination.
Because goji berries are rich in vitamins A and C, and minerals like zinc, iron, calcium, and selenium, they help repair and regenerate the tissue of the gastro-intestinal lining that sometimes get irritated by acidic and fatty food. Love your gut health? You can now add goji berries to your yogurt, kombucha and kefir haul.
Incredible Benefit # 4: Protects skin from oxidative stress and aging
The beauty industry was quick to catch up on goji berries, and rightly so. Goji berries contain antioxidants that can protect the skin from UV damage, essentially protecting us from skin cancer, hyperpigmentation, and skin aging.
What’s more, it protects us from oxidative stress, as the antioxidants fight to cancel out the free radicals. Another goji berry beauty property is Vitamin C, which boosts collagen and elasticity in the skin.
Planning to include goji berries in your beauty routine? There’s a rich array of beauty products out in the market—choose wisely and scrutinize customer reviews before using one on your skin.
Incredible Benefit # 5: Stabilizes blood sugar
Another reason why goji berries attained superfood status: it’s diabetic-friendly! Its rich polysaccharide content can help balance insulin, as well as increase HDL levels (or good cholesterol) in people with type 2 diabetes.
Goji berries also has a glow glycemic index, meaning it won’t be a huge increase in your blood sugar levels. So, it’s the perfect treat for people managing their sugar intake.
Incredible Benefit # 6: Good for your liver
Thanks to its high antioxidant content, goji berries help enable the liver to detoxify itself from toxic substances. If you happen to be diagnosed with a fatty liver, you might want to include goji berries in your diet. Some research showed goji berry extract helped decrease biomarkers of liver damage.
But reader, be warned. Goji berries are not the panacea to a healthy liver. It should be taken together with a healthy diet of lean meat, fruits and vegetables.
Incredible Benefit # 7: Prevents anemia
Anemia, which occurs when your blood doesn’t have enough red blood cells, is more common than you think. It affects more than three million Americans.
You can prevent and treat anemia by eating iron-rich foods, and guess which food is a good source of iron? Yes, goji berry does it again! Three tablespoons for dried goji berries provide about 3 mg. or 15 percent of the recommended daily value.
Incredible Benefit # 8: Improves mental health
When you’re feeling down in the dumps, or need a pick-me-up from a stressful week, eat some goji berries.
In a study, the researchers found that drinking goji berry juice daily for 14 days helped improve mood, enhanced focus, and brought about feelings of calmness among the participants. Some of them reported better quality of sleep too.
Incredible Benefit # 9: Boosts fertility
Goji berries is perceived as a miracle superfood for couples struggling with infertility. In fact, in Chinese medicine, couples who have trouble conceiving are given goji berry tea by TCM practitioners, though this hasn’t been proven in the medical community yet. At best, it has a folk reputation of being an aphrodisiac and fertility-facilitating agent for both men and women.
But supporters believe its fertility-boosting power lies on its high antioxidant content. The antioxidants fight oxidative stress that get in the way of conceiving a baby naturally.
If you’re struggling with infertility, and your doctor approved of it, then there’s no harm in trying it out.
Incredible Benefit # 10: Helps prevent cancer
Some test tube studies have shown goji berries could help fight cancer cell growth. Although research on human is still pretty scarce, the data is promising.
After all, if you look at the previous incredible benefits listed down, and taken together, they all contribute to exemplary heathy conditions that can prevent cancer from ever occurring.
How to Eat Goji Berries
The good news is, it’s not hard adding goji berries to your diet. Goji berries are sweet, sour, and with a raisin-like texture that’s reminiscent of cranberries.
It goes well with just about anything – from breakfast cereals, smoothie bowls, shakes, yogurt, to breakfast bars. You may also opt to consume it as a cup of tea, as a juice, or as a daily supplement.
Goji berries do hold an incredible appeal to health buffs and people looking to boost their health in general. But as much as you want to dive in and enjoy goji berries as soon as your online purchase arrives, it’s best to consult with your doctor first.
You might be allergic, or have current medications that could counteract with the effects. Also, avoid goji berries if you have low blood sugar, are using blood thinners, or are pregnant.
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References:
Arora. D. (2022, April 23). Gojo berries are the superfoods your skin needs to combat ageing and oxidative stress. Lifestyle Asia.
Barhum, L. (2018, August 7). What are the health benefits of goji berries? Medical News Today.
Link, R. (2020, September 8). What are goji berries? This unique red fruit explained. Healthline.
Wolf, C. (2011, June 28). 8 Health Benefits of Goji Berries You Didn’t Know About. The Healthy.
Chin, K. (2021, August 3). Go-Go-Ji: Health Benefits of Goji Berries. Greatist.
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