Goji Berry Supplement Facts
Goji berry is a fruit popular in Tibet and the
plant also grows in Mongolia and China, and probably in India and Thailand.
The goji plant is known in China as wolfberry (Lycium berry). Our understanding thus far is
that goji berry and wolfberry are the same or very similar, it's just that they grow in different parts of Asia.
However, there seems to be confusion and disagreement on this matter. We
have spoken to different raw material suppliers, and some say goji berry
and wolfberry are the
same fruit with different names, while others claim goji berry and wolfberry are slightly different
since they grow in different parts of Asia. Goji berry and wolfberry may just different varieties of the same fruit,
just like there are different varieties of apples. For instance Fuji apple
and Gala apple. Who's to say which variety, or is a healthier choice for long
term consumption? Also, who is to say which country is the best source of
goji berries?
A search on Medline in May 2009 revealed two studies with the keyword goji berry.
There are several research findings with the
term wolfberry or lycium barbarum, the scientific name for wolfberry.
To add to the confusion, even if wolfberry and goji berry are
different species, you will find many products with the name goji berry
even though the berries may be wolfberry. This is because the name goji berry is more appealing and better promoted than wolfberry.
Goji Berry, 500 mg by
Club Natural
Goji Berry Supplement Facts
Amount Per Serving:
Goji Berry - 500 mg
Suggested use: As a dietary supplement, take 1 goji berry capsule a few times a week or as recommended by your health care provider.
Click here to buy Goji berry supplement
You will also learn about the latest studies
regarding the benefits of
acai, goji, mangosteen, and other popular fruit
extract products.
What's in goji
berry?
Goji berry has polysaccharides, betaine, cerebroside, beta-sitosterol, p-coumaric,
various vitamins, and carotenoids such as beta carotene and zeaxanthin.
The name goji appears to be an English
contraction of the Mandarin name, gouqi (pronounced goo-chee) or
Gou Qi Zi.
Goji berry health benefit
Goji berry has been used for centuries in Asia for eye health benefit and to
maintain vitality. We are not aware of any published research regarding the use of
a goji supplement in humans or the benefit of drinking goji juice. There are countless claims when one
searches online for goji berry, but most of these claims are premature and not
based on results of human studies. The plain fact is goji berry research in
humans is
lacking, at least in the Western world.
Some of the online goji berry health benefit claims include such
promises as, "Would you believe the average woman in the Himalayan Hunza tribe
lives to be 100? And that arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, sexual
dysfunction and depression are totally unknown to them? Their secret? The berry of the goji vine. Never heard of it?
You're not alone. Goji has just become available in the U.S.
We do believe that goji berry has health benefits and future
research will indicate which of the goji marketing claims will turn out to be
accurate and which will turn out to be overly enthusiastic. For the time being,
it appears that one goji berry health benefit that has promise is in the realm
of vision health. Goji berry has a high level of zeaxanthin which is a
carotenoid,
along with lutein, necessary for optimal eyesight. We would suggest,
though, rather than consuming goji berry predominantly, it would be a good idea
to consume a variety of berries - cranberry, blueberry, strawberry, etc - in
order to ingest a number of different phytonutrients.
Antioxidant
Lycium barbarum goji juice improves in vivo antioxidant biomarkers in serum of
healthy adults.
Nutr Res. 2009 Jan; Amagase H, Sun B, Borek C. FreeLife International, LLC,
Phoenix, AZ 85040, USA.
Although Lycium barbarum goji and active compounds, Lycium barbarum
polysaccharides (LBP), have a high in vitro antioxidant score as determined by
simple chemical reaction methods, their in vivo antioxidant effects in humans
have not been extensively examined. After our earlier report that an LBP-standardized
Lycium barbarum preparation (GoChi) helps prevent oxidant stress-related
conditions in humans, our present study examined the hypothesis that the
antioxidant effects of GoChi result from its ability to enhance endogenous
antioxidant factors. We investigated the effects of GoChi in a 30-day
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. The study
population included 50 Chinese healthy adults aged 55 to 72 years. In vivo
antioxidant markers, consisting of serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD),
glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and lipid peroxidation (indicated by decreased
levels of malondialdehyde, MDA) were examined preintervention and
postintervention with GoChi or placebo (120 mL/d). Our results indicate that
GoChi increased antioxidant efficacies in humans by stimulating endogenous
factors and suggest that continued use beyond 30 days might help prevent or
reduce free radical-related conditions.
Goji berry study by FreeLife, who
have their own branded goji product, shows health benefits
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study of the general
effects of a standardized Lycium barbarum (Goji) Juice, GoChi.
J Altern Complement Med. 2008 May; Amagase H, Nance DM. FreeLife
International, LLC, Phoenix, AZ 85040, USA.
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial is the first
study reported from outside China that has examined the general effects of the
orally consumed goji berry, Lycium barbarum, as a standardized juice (GoChi;
FreeLife International LLC, Phoenix, AZ) to healthy adults for 14 days. Based
upon the medicinal properties of Lycium barbarum in traditional Asian medicine,
we examined by questionnaire subjective ratings (0-5) of general feelings of
well-being, neurologic/psychologic traits, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal,
and cardiovascular complaints as well as any adverse effects. Significant
differences between day 1 and day 15 were found in the GoChi group in increased
ratings for energy level, athletic performance, quality of sleep, ease of
awakening, ability to focus on activities, mental acuity, calmness, and feelings
of health, contentment, and happiness. GoChi also significantly reduced fatigue
and stress, and improved regularity of gastrointestinal function. In contrast,
the placebo group showed only two significant changes (heartburn and happiness).
No significant changes in musculoskeletal or cardiovascular complaints were
observed in either group. All parametric data (body weight, etc.) were not
significantly different between groups or between day 1 and day 15 for either
group. Our results clearly indicate that daily consumption of GoChi for 14 days
increases subjective feelings of general well-being, and improves neurologic /
psychologic performance and gastrointestinal functions. The data strongly
suggest that further research is indicated to confirm and extend knowledge of
the potential effects of Goji berry upon human health.
Goji berry animal studies
Goji berry, when given to animals, has been found to protect heart tissue from
chemotherapy drug damage, to protect brain cells from oxidative harm, and to
protect the liver from alcohol excess.
Goji berry side effects
As of January 2008, no goji berry side effects have been reported in the medical
literature. High doses of goji berry extract could induce alertness at bedtime
and perhaps interfere with optimal sleep. As to goji juice side effects, it is
difficult to expect any problems with drinking a couple of ounces a day unless
the goji juice is mixed with other fruits that you may have an allergic reaction
to.
Goji berry and vision
Goji berry is
well known for having high nutritional value. Research show goji berry contains
many vitamins, minerals, carotenoids and flavonoids that support vision health.
Some of these nutrients include vitamins A, C and E, and carotenoids,
beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Goji berry is one of nature's richest
sources of zeaxanthin. It contains about 100 to 200 mg of zeaxanthin per 100
grams.
Goji berry
protects heart tissue from chemotherapy drug toxicity
Protective effect of Lycium barbarum on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.
Phytother Res. 2007 Jul 11;21(11):1020-1024. State Key Laboratory of
Safety Evaluation for New Drug, Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou,
Zhejiang, China.
In rodents given doxorubicin, a drug used in chemotherapy, goji berry
administration reduced the toxicity to heart muscle from the drug. The antitumor
activity of doxorubicin was not compromised by goji berry, which allows it to be
used together with the drug.
Goji berry protects brain
and eye cells
An in vitro study with neuronal cell cultures shows polysaccharides extracted
from goji berry can protect neurons against beta-amyloid peptide toxicity and
protect retinal ganglion cells.
Goji berry
research
Effect of lycium barbarum ( goji berry ) polysaccharide on
human hepatoma QGY7703 cells: inhibition of proliferation and induction of
apoptosis.
Life Sci. 2005 Mar 18;76(18):2115-24.
Goji berry polysaccharide is found to
have anticancer activity. In this study, the effect of goji berry on the
proliferation rate, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis in the human hepatoma
QGY7703 cell line were investigated. The study suggests that the induction of
cell cycle arrest and the increase of intracellular calcium in apoptotic system
may participate in the antiproliferative activity of wolfberry in human hepatoma
QGY7703 cells.
Goji berry questions
Q. I have read some of your comments regarding goji juice and goji extract. I
take the Freelife goji juice, 2 ounces in the morning and the same at night. I
am not sure if you know that Freelife increased the polysacharide in their juice
by 30%. After just a few days of taking the new goji juice I had a big spike in
my blood pressure. I don’t believe the juice would do this or am I wrong, my
doctor here in Canada has told me to drop the goji because that is the problem
and I am reluctant to do so because of the benefits it has given me. Is he right
or wrong or just seriously misinformed.
If you could give me more information on this goji juice and high blood pressure
relationship I would appreciate it. My blood pressure was always around
120/70 and it spiked to 189/90 and has within the past month gone down to around
138 to 145/75 to 85.
A. We don't know exactly what is is in the goji juice by Freelife.
There have not been clinical studies that we know of with goji juice in humans
to know how it affects blood pressure. In general any good thing can turn bad if
used in excess. It is possible that too much goji juice could increase blood
pressure in some people. But until actual human studies are done with goji juice
and blood pressure, we can't say with certainty. There are many other
beneficial fruit and vegetables juices and it is a good idea to have a wide
variety rather than too much of just one type.
Additional web sites of
interest
Green tea extract also has
healthy antioxidants and should be considered as another supplement to take
along with goji berry.
This goji berry page was last updated in 2009.