
Goji
Berries - The Himalayan Health Secret to a longer healthier life If
you have not yet heard of goji berries, you are not alone. While they have occupied
an important place in traditional Asian medicine for countless generations, the
secrets of their nutritional benefits have remained a mystery to most of the rest
of the world. Through
the ages, legends abound about these miraculous goji berries. Even today there
are still festivals held to celebrate their goodness. they are considered sacred. Why
are goji berries sacred? 
During
the Tang Dynasty (around 800 AD), a well had been dug beside a wall near a famous
Buddhist temple that was covered with goji vines. Over the years, countless goji
berries had fallen into the well. Those
who drank water and prayed there: - Had
the robust complexion of good health
- Even at the age of eighty they had
no white hair
- Retained all their teeth
Over the years, the people
came to respect and honor this water that gave them a long life. From this legend,
a poem was crafted.
Back
to top
Why
are goji berries so popular now? It
is said that the Himalayans were the first natural healers, and that they shared
their wisdom with the ancient herbalists of China, Tibet, and India. One
of their most prized secrets was the fruit of the native goji berry vine,
which had been flourishing in the Himalayan valleys since the beginning of time.
Those
who came there to learn took goji berries home with them and planted them in their
own valleys, thus spreading the legend of this most marvelous and healthful fruit.
Since
its discovery in the Himalayas, those who know of these remarkable goji berries
are awed by their unmatched health-promoting powers. They have one of the
highest antioxidant levels of all the foods in the world. How
can goji berries help you? Dr.
Earl Mindell, world-famous herbalist, pharmacist and nutrition professor says
goji berries "will have more powerful benefits on health,
well-being and anti-aging than any other product". He and others in the nutrition
field have observed that Goji berries: - Strengthen
the immune system
- Increase
energy
- Reduce
fatigue
- Lessen
the harmful effects of free radicals
in the body
- Engender
a sense of well-being and optimism
- often known as the "happy berry"
- Help
curb the appetite and over-eating
- Create
stronger white blood cell activity
- Encouraged
elevated
moods
- Supported
better sleeping habits
- Even
increased libido
In
some clinical studies with elderly people, Goji berries were given once a day
for three weeks. Results showed that participants experienced an increase in
"T" cell transformation. Back
to top What
makes Goji berries so nutrient-dense? 
Goji
berries have been studied and looked at in-depth in many scientific journals including:
Journal of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, China Pharmacology
and Toxicology,and Physiology Academic Journal. Here
is a synopsis of their nutritional content: - Vitamin
C - 500
times more per ounce than oranges
- Caratenoids
- richest source
of all known foods or plants
- Vitamin
B complex and Vitamin E
- 18
amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids - a complete protein
- 21
trace minerals,
including zinc, iron (11 mg./100 gr.), copper, calcium, selenium, germanium sesquioxide,
phosphorus
- Anti-bacterials
& anti-fungals:
Sesquiterpenoids: cyperone and solavetivone
- Anti-inflammatory
agent:
beta-sitosterol
Back
to top How
do the goji berries' antioxidant or ORAC rating compare to other foods? We
all know of or have heard of friends or family members who when they hit their
fifties begin to have all kinds of aches and pains and problems they just never
had before. Part
of this may be due to free radical damage over the years. Goji berries have one
of the highest known ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) ratings. This is
a unit value assigned by researchers to measure the antioxidant value of a given
food. Antioxidants,
as you may know, scavenge your body for free radicals, which can slow down
the aging and degeneration processes in your body. Any
increase in antioxidants in the blood can provide a significant boost to the
body and raw fruits and vegetables have proven to be better than supplements
with individual anti-oxidant vitamins. That's
one of the reasons Goji berries have been so revered in Asian countries for centuries.
They are truly one of the best foods to help you improve or maintain your health.
Here
is a list of common foods and their ORAC values compared to Goji berries: Food | ORAC
Value | | Eggplant | 390 | | Corn | 400 | | Onion | 450 | | Grepefruit | 483 | | Kiwi
Fruit | 602 | | Cherries | 670 | | Red
Bell Pepper | 710 | | Red
Grapes | 739 | | Oranges | 750 | | Beets | 840 | | Broccoli | 890 | | Alfalfa
Sprouts | 930 | | Plums | 949 | | Brussel
Sprouts | 980 | | Raspberries | 1220 | | Spinach | 1260 | | Strawberries | 1540 | | Spinach | 1770 | | Blackberries | 2036 | | Blueberries | 2400 | | Raisins | 2830 | | Prunes | 5770 | | Goji
Berries | 25,300 |
SUGGESTIONS
- Try
them as a snack
- Add them to your trail mix
- Put them in salads
- Stir
them in your smoothies
- Put them in your granola
- Blend them into
your favorite juice.
Back
to top How
do I know if I'm getting quality Goji berries? As
a nutritionist, I am concerned about getting only the best products for myself
and my clients. I have found the Plum Flower® Brand has a impressive "certificate
of authentication". Their Goji berries are sulphur free, chlorine
free and aluminum phosphate free.These are high-quality berries imported
from a well-respected Chinese herbal company, called Mayway. Do
goji berries have any quality assurance? Since
many foods from China have come under scrutiny in the last few years. Let us assure
you Mayway has been importing and distributing traditional Chinese medicine for
over thirty years. Their commitment to the issues of quality, and providing high
quality products, have become the top priorities at Mayway. They
recognize that through controlling the quality of their products they
are able to promote better health, in the consumers of their products, in
the businesses of their customers, and in their industry as a whole. You will
find their products under their label name: Plum Flower® Brand Unsulfured Herbs.
Back
to top What
are the Shelf Life and Freshness of goji
berries? Plum
Flower® Brand Herbs have a shelf life of 24-36 months. In contrast, commercial
sulfured herbs can look unchanged 5 to 6 years or longer after purchase, making
it difficult to tell how fresh they truly are. The sulfur also acts as bleach,
covering bruises and other signs of decay. Without
preservatives, their Plum Flower® Brand unsulfured herbs naturally reveal their
freshness and quality. From the fields to your home, they make every effort
to provide the cleanest, safest, freshest and highest quality Chinese herbs available
today. Back
to top Want
to order offline? Back
to top *To
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