Thousands of years ago in China during the Tang Dynasty, there was a village who enjoyed tremendous health. People were living pas the age of 80, they had beautiful hair, beautiful skin and other people would come from far away to this village to try and find out whether their secret was. There was a well that villagers would drink from on almost a daily basis, it had tremendously sweet water and also gave great amounts of energy to anybody who drank from it.
It turned out that the healthy secret or the well was in fact the goji berry. Berry vines growing up all around the well dropping berries inside of it and forming almost something like a tea. This actually was the beginning of the Chinese 5000 year old relationships with goji berries, being a medicinal and health food.
Where they are from?
Well, originally the goji berries thought to have originated in the Himalayan region of Tibet. It’s thought that the harsh growing condition in this region leads to the nutritional vibrancy of the plants.
Most of the goji that’s actually distributed in nutritional supplements and superfood supplements is actually grown on goji plantations in the Ningxia region of China, which is really close to the Yellow River.
Goji berries contain all macronutrients that are needed to sustain a healthy diet. That includes healthy fats, protein, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals. In terms of proteins, goji’s contain all eight essential amino acids. 10% of a little goji berry is protein, fact which is absolutely amazing for a fruit.
And then of course there’s probably what gosi’s are best known for which: their antioxidants. Goji’s are one of the highest known antioxidant rich food that we know of, and, in addition to that they also contain over 20 vitamins and minerals, including beta carotene levels that are higher than carrots, vitamin C levels that are higher than oranges and iron levels which are higher than soybeans or spinach. That’s pretty amazing for a little berry!
Goji Berry Benefits
With the nutritional profile and the mineral spectrum they have, goji berries are going to support a lot of things. They’re gonna support a healthy immune system with all the various vitamins and minerals.
Goji berries are known as the world’s most powerful anti-aging food, increase the vitality and lifespan of people. It is proven that the goji berry is one of nature’s highest food sources of antioxidants, which makes it very powerful for anti-aging effects.
It’s also a mood enhancer which is probably why people call it the happy berry. It contains lutein, which is great for eye health, it also lends itself to healthy energy levels and much more. It is a phenomenal nutrient-dense food that you can take every single day.
Goji berries come in several different forms that are extremely popular. Actually this is probably the most widely used nutritional supplement in the world. Goji berries have been used from thousands of years in the Asian region.
The most popular form are dried berry which is chewy and sweet. It has a taste somewhere between a dried cherry and a dried cranberry.
Goji berry powder it’s made from freeze dried goji berries and it’s so wonderful to spoon into almost any recipe.
Goji berries are one of the easiest foods to incorporate in your diet. Basically anywhere where you use a raisin, a dried fruit or just need something sweet, that’s the perfect place to put a goji berry.
For example, you can make a nice goji berry trail mix by just adding in some different nuts – maybe a few of your other favorite dried fruits. You can also make a great goji berry granola or just throw some into your cereal or oatmeal. You can also bake with goji berries – you can bake muffins, breads or pancakes. You can also make tea from goji berries.
Ginger and goji berry tea recipe:
– 25 grams of sliced ginger
– 25 grams of dried goji berries
– 500 ml of water
Preparing instructions:
Place the dried goji berries and ginger in a mug or tea cup;
Pour boiling water into the cup;
Steep several minutes until the water cools and looks like a weak tea;
Sweeten, if desired, then sip and enjoy!