How do the Berries Grow?
Lycium barbarum is a deciduous woody perennial scrub growing 1-3 meters high. Commercial planting practice is to trim the vines so they grow to about 4 feet high (best height for picking).
The berries grow on the long delicate branches. They produce masses of berries. The oblong red berries are very tender and must be carefully hand-picked. (Labour intensive industry).
The vines produce two flowerings – the first in early Spring (harvested from mid-June to early August) and the second in late Summer (harvested from September to early October).
The centre for the Goji industry in China is Zhongning and Zhongwei in the S-W of Ningxia Province, along the irrigated plains of the Yellow River.
The Yellow River derives its name from the silty deposits it picks up as it winds its way through the Loess Plateau. Loess is a fine, silty, windblown type of unconsolidated deposit. It is derived from glacial deposits, where glacial activity has ground rocks very fine. After drying these deposits are highly susceptible to wind erosion and downwind deposits may become very deep, even hundreds of meters or more, as in the Loess Plateau of China.
The Goji vines in Ningxia are grown in the Loess soils, and are irrigated via canals from the Yellow River. The fields are continually renewed by the silt deposits from the Yellow River. The Ningxia Plain is a very rich agriculture growing area.
Ningxia Province is an arid and semi-arid area. The temperate climate of freezing winters and hot dry summers is ideal for growing, harvesting and drying the delicate Goji berry.
The fruits are preserved by drying them on large bamboo racks in the sun. They are naturally sun-dried. There is no sulphur used during the drying process.
Tree of Health Goji Berries are tested in China and Australia as pesticide and herbicide free. (The tests in Australia are conducted at the National Measurement Institute in Melbourne.)
Are Goji Berries Grown in Tibet and the Himalayas?
The Himalayan Mountains and the Province of Tibet are very remote and mountainous regions with small populations and very little infrastructure in the way of roads. The conditions in both these areas are not conducive to growing Goji vines and to harvesting and drying the berries.
Nutritional Content Goji berries are nutritionally rich – one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. They contain a vast array of phytonutrients, including significant amounts of β-carotene (more than carrots), Vitamin C (300% more than oranges), phenolics, polysaccharides and amino acids.
Phytonutrients are natural compounds produced by plants which aid in their well being and protection. Increasing scientific research suggests that phytonutrients also offer health benefits to humans. It is believed that they play a role in the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular protection, and strengthening of the immune system.
The fresh Goji berry is said to contain 2,500mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit making it one of the world’s richest sources of vitamin C behind the Australian Kakadu plum (3150mg) and the South American camu camu berry (2800mg). Vitamin C is well known as an antioxidant and for its free radical scavenging properties. β-carotene is another anti-oxidant and is useful for curbing the excess of damaging free radicals in the body. β-carotene is found in yellow, orange and green fruits and vegetables. As a rule of thumb the greater the intensity of the colour of the fruit or vegetable the more β-carotene it contains. Goji berries are distinguished by their intense red colour.
Antioxidants Goji berries have an extremely high antioxidant rating. They are a true antioxidant superfood. ORAC (Oxygen radical Absorbance Capacity) is the standard test to measure the potency of antioxidants in food. The ORAC test, though not the be all and end all of antioxidant testing gives a good idea of the free-radical destroying potential of a given food.
In their 2005 book, Young et al (3) report ORAC for dried wolfberry as 30,300 TE (trolox equivalent) per 100grams indicating an exceptional antioxidant strength likely resulting from the synergy of the Goji berries diversity of antioxidant phytonutrients including rich contents of β-carotene, vitamin C and phenolics. In comparison cranberries and blueberries are around 9,300 TE per 100 grams, prunes are 8,578, oranges are 1,800 and watermelon is 140. -5,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,000WolfberryCranberriesBlueberriesPrunesOrangesORAC Score
Goji and Scientific Studies
Pub Med, the US government's comprehensive database of medical journal citations, lists a total of 72 studies on Lycium barbarum. Scirus.com is another scientific database that lists even more studies on Lycium barbarum.