Goji Juice Side Effects - Top 3 Symptoms

Negative Goji juice side effects are hardly ever discussed in the hundreds of thousands of websites touting its benefits and marketing commercially produced versions of it. For instance, Goji juice marketers will go on and on about how it relieves the side effects of chemotherapy treatment, but will never discuss symptoms of Goji intolerance.

In fact, page after page will tell you that there are no known side effects to drinking Goji juice. Perhaps, they are not known to the makers of the website, but these claims are erroneous.

Drinking Goji juice (juice extracted from berries of Lycium barbarum L.), under certain conditions, has been shown to produce side effects.

Goji Juice Side Effects – Symptoms and Contraindications

1. Interaction with anticoagulants or blood thinners, such as Warfarin (Coumadin™).

A study by A.Y. Lam, G.W. Elmer, and M.A. Mohutsky on the effects of combining intake of Warfarin and Lycium barbarum, published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, documented the case of a woman in the US, age 61, who experienced a high risk of bleeding.

The woman's blood would not coagulate or clot normally, which was shown scientifically by an increased INR (International Normalized Ratio). She was on prescription Warfarin while drinking around three or four cups of Goji tea daily.

After she stopped drinking Goji, and her Warfarin does was adjusted, her blood work became normal.

Therefore, if you are on any kind of blood thinner, it is best to avoid drinking Goji juice until further studies are made.

2. Allergic reactions to Solanaceae or nightshade plants.

Aside from two studies done in China where subjects exhibited itchy sores after they ate between 20 and 30 grams of Lycium berries, there are thousands of studies on the Internet on the allergic reactions caused by plants from the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, of which Lycium berries or Goji is a member.

Due to the possibility of cross-reactivity between various members of the same plant family, those that are allergic to the following 10 examples of nightshade plants may also be allergic to Goji, and vice versa:

• aubergine or eggplant
• cherry
• chili
• melon
• paprika
• pear
• pepper (i.e., bell, cayenne, or red)
• potato
• tobacco
• tomato

The symptoms of Solanaceae allergies may include dermatitis (itchy or peeling skin), eczema, nausea, stomach pains, painful or swollen throat or mouth itch, as well as hay fever-like symptoms (sneezing, runny nose, tearing eyes, difficulty breathing). Those that have asthma may also get an attack.

3. Hot flashes or a flushed face.

Some reports have also indicated the possibility of experiencing overheat or a flushed face. Studies are, thus far, insufficient but such reactions may result from the increased metabolic rate (or energy boost) that Goji has been proven to cause.

Comprehensive studies on Goji juice side effects are still being undertaken and what exist are far from being conclusive. This is not surprising given that the Goji plant has, only recently, come to the attention of Western herbal medicine practitioners.

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