The Health Benefits of Goji Berries

For hundreds of years, goji berries have been known as a healthful and healing fruit in Chinese medicine. In China, the berry is stewed, roasted, and dried to make a wide variety of delicious,tasty dishes. Now, we know that the goji berry has inspiring dietary traits, including a high nutrient value, vitamins and minerals, and more importantly, antioxidants.

Antioxidants, such as “ordinary” vitamins C and E, have been discovered by scientific studies to help people be more healthy and resist cancer and aging. Many of the regular foods we eat every day contain antioxidants, but if we want to truly boost anti-aging, we need higher quantities, such as those found in goji berries.

Goji berries health benefits also include immune system boosting properties that will help people resist colds, flu, and other illnesses. A lot of people say that they feel healthier and get sick less often than they ever have after they start drinking goji berry juice. That is because the berry may assist the immune system by increasing the number of blood cells that will fight infection.

During pregnancy, other health benefits may include a lower rate of bacterial and viral infections, as well as a lower rate of birth complications and low birth weight. Pregnancy usually is a time when a woman gets run down and sleepy and even anemic, but by drinking goji berries during pregnancy, she can resist these effects.

It is easy to get a high dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants by drinking a cup or two of goji juice every day. Goji juice is pleasantly tart and sweet; even the kids enjoy its taste. In China, people have been benefiting from the goji berry for thousands of years.

We are just starting to do trials that show evidence of the importance of antioxidants to human health. Drinking a cup of the goji juice, or taking a daily capsule of dried berry, is one step in becoming healthier.

Faith Spencer is a Health and Lifestyle writer for Health and Fitness Wire.

- Faith Spencer