Goji berries are small fruits red, also defined "berries of well-being"rich in antioxidants e medicinal properties, but not only that, they feature a very pleasant flavor and aroma, which can enrich sweet or savory dishes.
Let's find out better.
- What are goji berries
- What are goji berries for?
- Use goji berries
- Benefits of goji berries
- Where to find goji berries
- Goji berries nutritional properties
- Goji berries: sterols, fiber and vitamins
- How they are grown
- When to take goji berries
- Side effects and contraindications
- Drug interactions
- Are goji berries effective?
What are goji berries
Goji berries they are the fruit of Lycium barbarum or Lycium chinense, two shrubs originating from Asia and belonging to the Solanaceae family, which also includes potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines.
Goji berries have a red color it's a slightly elongated shape, containing several small, flattened seeds.
They have a sweet and at the same time slightly sour taste and are sold mainly in powder form and, above all, dried.
What are goji berries for?
Notes for them phytotherapeutic properties, antiaging e beneficial for the health of:
- Eyes;
- lungs;
- kidneys;
- liver.
They are used for years in traditional Chinese medicine, but only recently have they been more widespread also in the country.
Additionally, they feature a sweet-sour taste, useful for enriching and giving new flavors to sweet or savory dishes.
Use goji berries
The dried goji berries they lend themselves very well to enrich a breakfast a basis of XNUMX cups milk, Whole grains, fresh fruit e in shell.
They can be useful for flavoring salads, for example, based on vegetables, feta and oil seeds.
How to take goji berries? Also adding them to the cake mix such as cakes, plumcakes or muffins.
Benefits of goji berries
Goji berries are often referred to as "superfoods", precisely because they present remarkable beneficial properties for health.
Here are some of them:
- They strengthen the immune system;
- They promote the eye health and reduce the risk of macula degeneration;
- They improve cholesterol levels and reduce cardiovascular risk;
- They exercise a powerful antioxidant activity which counteracts aging and associated diseases.
Where to find goji berries
In the last few years they have also become known in the country and are mainly sold dried or powdered.
The best goji berries can be found in all natural food stores and in organic-oriented large-scale distribution.
Goji berries nutritional properties
100 g of dehydrated goji berries provide:
- 349 kcal
- 14,3 g protein
- 0,4 g fat
- G carbohydrates 77,1
- Sugars 45,6 g
- Fiber 13 g
Goji berries: sterols, fiber and vitamins
Goji berries they are a concentrate of minerals and fat-soluble vitamins e water-soluble.
In fact, they are rich in iron, vitamin C and vitamin A, which they play a key role in the immune system and exercise an antioxidant activity.
In addition, they are rich in fiber and phytosterols, in particular beta sitosterolo, which promotes the maintenance of a correct level of cholesterolemia and reduces cardiovascular risk.
When to take goji berries
Goji berries they represent a valid food to combat aging e improve or maintain cardiovascular health, immune system and eyes.
Goji berries, how they are grown
Il buckthorn is rude it's a bushy shrub native to the Hymalaian valleys where it is grown.
For those who want to try their hand with the cultivation for a domestic use it is advisable to buy the plant in the nursery already suitable and set up for ornamental use or for consumption of the fruits.
Over time, in proportion to the growth of the plant, this can be transferred to a larger container or to full earth taking into account that climate and type of terrain, it goes without saying, they condition the development of the plant and its own possible fruiting.
In our latitudes for example, the goji tree bears fruit on average after four or five years, not earlier.
For the care of the plant, the goji plant also needs irrigation and fertilization. It is good to consult the advice of an expert nurseryman.
Goji berries, such as avocado, among the antioxidant foods: discover the others
Goji Berries Side Effects and Contraindications
Speaking of the possible contraindications of goji berries it must be said that they are generally well tolerated, but could cause allergic reactions, especially in people with allergies to some fruits.
Goji berries, for their betaine content, which could interfere with fetal development, are contraindicated in pregnancy.
In case of drug therapies or particular health problemsIt is important to consult with your doctor before adding goji berries to your diet.
Drug interactions
During a drug therapy it is always good consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.
Goji berries, for example, may interfere with some medications, like:
- Anticoagulants;
- antidiabetics;
- antihypertensives.
Are goji berries effective?
All foods with beneficial properties for health they do not have miraculous effects and it is generally necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet in order to make the most of their properties.
READ MORE
Goji, the berries of long life
Other articles on goji berries:
-
Goji berries among the herbal remedies to purify the liver
-
Remedies for healthy hair: goji berries, seaweed and wheat germ
-
Goji berries among the natural antioxidant supplements
Bibliography and sources
el paesen Lycium barbarum L. Berry: Chemical Characterization and Nutraceutical Value, Natural Product Communications
Goji Berries as a Potential Natural Antioxidant Medicine: An Insight into Their Molecular Mechanisms of Action, Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity
Immunomodulatory effects of a standardized Lycium barbarum fruit juice in Chinese older healthy human subjects, Journal of Medicinal Food
Role of Vitamin A in the Immune System, Journal of clinical medicine
Goji berries (Lycium barbarum): risk of allergic reactions in individuals with food allergy, Journal of investigational allergology & clinical immunology
