Goji berries and Chinese medicine
Across Asia, Goji berries are well known for being a nutritious fruit. This may be due in part to their use in Chinese medicine.
Goji berries have an important place in Chinese legend and history. Chinese myths recognise the Goji berry as the fruit of immortality. They are also linked in Chinese lore to Shen Nung (Shennong), China's First Emperor, who lived around 2,800 BC and is considered to be the mythical father of agriculture, as well as a renowned herbalist.
In Ningxia, where goji berries have always grown wild on the hillsides and have been cultivated for more than 500 years, its people are legendary for being incredibly healthy. So much so that it’s been found that the number of people living beyond 100 years is 20 times higher than the rest of China. The locals believe that this is down to their berries. To them, fresh goji berries should be taken every day.
Goji berries have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. In Chinese medicine, goji berries are sweet in taste and neutral in nature. They act on the liver, lungs and kidneys and enrich yin.
Its practitioners believe that they help:
- Overall health
- Eyesight
- The immune system
- The liver
- Circulation
- Sexual performance
It’s also been used to aid diabetes, anaemia, tinnitus and lung diseases. It’s still used in Chinese medicine today and the Chinese still regularly take it for a number of complaints in a variety of different forms from the dried berries and powders to teas and juices. It’s even believed that drinking the juice from goji berries can reduce the symptoms of menopause!
Today, a number of scientific studies show what the Chinese have known all along and the rest of the world is catching up. Goji berries are an incredible super food!