For centuries, herbalists in Tibet and Mongolia have recommended small red berries called “goji” as a remedy for those who suffer from various ailments. In fact, the people of Tibet and Mongolia hold an annual two-week festival in honor of the Goji berry. Many of them have nicknamed the Goji Berry “Happy Berry” because in common folklore “eating Goji in the morning will lead to smiles all day long”.
But reverence for the Goji berry isn't limited to the foothills of Tibet and Mongolia. The Goji berry has been used for hundreds of years as a tonic in Chinese medicine. During the Tang Dynasty (A.D.772-842), the poet Liu Yuxi wrote a poem celebrating the nourishment of "body and mind" brought about by the Goji berry. Undoubtedly, the people of this region of the world love the Goji berry. But the introduction of Goji Berry to the Western world is still fairly recent, so the berry remains a relatively unknown fruit to a large fraction of the world's population. So what is a Goji berry? And why is it so loved?
What is a Goji berry?
The term Goji Berry technically refers to the Tibetan Goji Berry, also known as Lycium Barbarum (its Latin name). It is a member of a family of flowering plants known as Solanaceae, a plant family that also includes in its ranks potatoes, tobacco and tomatoes. There are about eighty different varieties of lycium berry, including the Chinese Wolfberry (often touted by Chinese healers as a cure for male sexual dysfunction). However, the Chinese Wolfberry is only considered a genetic cousin of Lycium barbarum and not a true Goji berry.
Goji berries grow on small vines with green leaves that yield a bright red fruit with a shape most resembling a raisin. The berries are extremely delicate and during harvest they are shaken from the vine rather than being picked. To avoid spoiling, they are slowly dried in the shade. The texture of a Goji berry is very chewy, and its taste is often described as a cross between a raisin and a cranberry. Several additional names are used to describe Goji Berry, such as Happy Berry, Gouqi, and Gou Qi Zi.
What makes the Goji berry so powerful?
Goji berries are believed to be a rich source of vitamins and nutrients with each goji berry said to contain 18 amino acids and vitamins B1, B2, B6, C and E. in equal sized carrots. And the Goji berry is touted as one of the richest sources of vitamin C in the world, trailing only the Australian plum Billygoat and the South American Camu. Goji berries are also believed to contain zinc, iron, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and germanium in varying amounts. As a rich source of many vitamins and minerals essential for nutrition, goji berries are loaded with antioxidants.
The unique properties endemic to the Tibetan Goji berry make it one of the most fascinating fruits on Earth. As goji berry consumption increases in popularity in other parts of the world, our knowledge of the plant itself will increase. Until then, do yourself a favor and enjoy a delicious Goji berry!
