Goji Berrys - Why You Need Them in Your Diet

Goji berrys come from a plant that grows like vines, reaching up to twenty feet in length. It is said to grow in abundance in the Ningxia province in China and some parts of the Himalayan region. The vine is similar to that of the grape or the tomato while the taste of the berries has been likened to that of a raisin or a cranberry.

Once the berries are ripe for the picking, you need to shake them off the vines and let them fall on mats. Before you can eat them, you need to let them dry in the sun first. Make sure that you do not touch the berries with your hands since this will cause oxidation and turn the berries black.

Also called Chinese wolfberries or oriental wolfberries, goji berries are known for their oxidant qualities. ORAC or Oxidation Radical Absorbance Capacity tests have shown that a person should have a minimum of five to seven thousand units of antioxidants on a regular basis. Goji berries, on the other hand have as much as twenty-two thousand units in one gram, which is way off the charts.

The Wonders of Goji Berrys

Goji berrys also contain a special kind of polysaccharide called the lycium barbarum, after the plant's scientific name. It is helpful in the prevention of cancer and can also aid in slowing down macular degeneration. If you know someone who has leukemia, it is also recommended that a daily intake of goji berries or goji juice is taken since it can stop the spread of the disease throughout the body.

Goji berries are also known to contain a substance that stimulates the pituitary gland to release the growth hormone. But this is not just for adolescents who want to grow taller. The release of this growth hormone will also assist adults in repairing skin cells and building muscle tone.

If any type of cancer is genetic in your family, you can prevent it from ever affecting you by including goji juice in your diet. It has been known to stop cancer before it even happens. While goji berries can never be taken in place of cancer drugs for those already afflicted with the disease, it can be a supplement to them. Research proves that patients who had malignant melanoma, lung cancer and malignant hydrothorax and other kinds of cancer experienced remission after a period of sustained intake of goji berries.

Any harmful side effects that are associated with chemotherapy and radiation treatment can also be assuaged by goji berrys. After a prolonged period of including goji juice in your diet, the radiation treatments can even be reduced for patients with lung cancer.

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