Recently, a novelty has appeared on the food market of our country - goji berries. These "miracle berries" have been known in China and Tibet since ancient times. There they are used as a medicine and used in the preparation of national cuisine.
On the Russian market as early as January 2014, few people were interested or needed these berries. But after the program “Live he althy” with Elena Malysheva, where she spoke about their amazing properties, the hype began. The reason is the statement that with the help of goji you can lose 20 kg in a month. But this is just a clever marketing ploy to promote the product on the market.
Lycium barbarum - what is it?
Goji is one of the valuable medicinal plants. Other names for the shrub are common dereza (lat. Lycium Barbarum) or Chinese (lat. Lycium chinense). Belongs to the Solanaceae family. The bush reaches three meters in height. The stems are curly and soft, but all are literally strewn with thorns. Blooms with small purple-pink bells. The fruits are small oblong berries, purple-red, soft, with a sweet and sour taste.
Grows almost everyall regions with a temperate and subtropical climate. Wild shrubs can be found on roadsides, wastelands and dry slopes. Used for hedges. Cultivated in the northern and central regions of China and used in traditional medicine of the East.
Goji and barberry are the same thing?
Sometimes goji is confused with barberry or dogwood. But this is a big misconception. They belong to different plant families. And even with the similarity in appearance of the fruits, they have significant differences in structure, taste and composition.
Barberries have one large stone, sour taste and darken after drying. Goji has a sweet and sour taste, there are many small seeds inside, and after drying they remain the same red. In terms of the content of vitamins and microelements, barberry is significantly inferior to dereza berries.
Useful properties
Now the information about the miraculous properties that are attributed to the novelty of sales - goji berries is spreading everywhere.
Chemical composition (per 100 grams of fresh product):
- ascorbic acid - about 2500 mg;
- vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 10.23mg;
- vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 20.33mg;
- vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - 3mg;
- vitamin A (beta-carotene) - 3.96 mg;
- iron - 3.4mg;
- calcium - 155 mg;
- phosphorus - 67 mg.
And the product also contains about 20 other trace elements, as well as organic acids, amino acids, polysaccharides, essential oils. Thanks to the highconcentration of vitamins and a set of minerals, Lycium barbarum successfully fights fungal diseases, inflammation and bacteria. Increases working capacity, endurance of the person, reducing impact on an organism of physical activities. Strengthens the immune system, affects oxygen metabolism and blood flow, proper protein metabolism. Strengthens vision, regulates blood sugar levels, reduces blood pressure, increases sexual activity, strengthens memory.
Means for weight loss - truth or myth?
Lycium barbarum – weight loss miracle cure or another media myth? The unique chemical composition of goji berries is respected by nutritionists, but they do not contain active components with high fat burning rates.
Being a natural antioxidant, Lycium barbarum berries prevent the formation of free radicals. They contribute to the production of natural growth hormone by the body, which is necessary for burning fat, normalize metabolism, raise and strengthen the overall tone.
A glass of drink before going to the gym will play a positive role in losing weight, and will help you to exercise more efficiently. But the berries themselves will never help to lose weight, they will only support the body with diets and sports. Note to women: goji helps to cope with cellulite. They will help men in improving potency.
Goji berries or common dereza - uniquea product containing a large amount of useful substances. They can be used to support the body, prevent a large number of diseases and improve well-being in general. But they should not be considered as a panacea for all diseases. And it will be easier to lose weight with the help of Tibetan berries, playing sports and sticking to a diet.
How to cook and eat berries?
They can be consumed dried or soaked, added to desserts, eaten with cottage cheese and yogurt. The daily norm of an adult is 7-8 grams, which corresponds to the number of berries from 36 to 48 pcs. For children over 3 years old, the norm is 1/3 of the recommended for adults.
A glass of infusion of berries, if drunk half an hour before a meal, promotes faster breakdown of food, reduces hunger, and the feeling of satiety lasts much longer. To prepare a drink, no wisdom is needed. A tablespoon of berries is poured into 400 ml of hot, but non-boiling water and infused in a thermos or other container with a lid for half an hour.
Expert Opinion
Lycium barbarum berries are considered by many nutritionists to be a wonderful pantry for he alth. They help cleanse the body of toxins and cholesterol, normalize blood circulation, and improve metabolism. The berries have been tested at the Institute of He althy Nutrition in Russia. And have been approved as dietary supplements.
If you follow all the rules of admission described above, then apart from the benefits, you will not do anythingreceive, and there will be no side effects. Losing weight with goji is more natural, no extreme methods are needed in the pursuit of harmony.
Grow or buy?
It is easy to grow dereza at home or on the site by planting seeds from berries. To extract the seeds, dried berries are soaked for several hours in warm water. For germination, seeds are sown on the surface of the substrate, you can deepen them a couple of millimeters. Cover the top of the container with plastic wrap and place in a bright place. With moist soil and a temperature of about 25 0C, sprouts will appear in a few days. When 4-6 leaves grow, the seedlings dive. Dereza begins to bloom in the second year, and bear fruit in another year or two. It should be borne in mind that the dereza shrub grows rapidly, so you need to plant it where there is a lot of free space. The plant looks great as a hedge.
It's much easier to buy dried berries. They can be purchased in departments with gastronomy, in markets, through Internet sites. You can also buy Lycium barbarum at a pharmacy. When buying packaged berries, you should pay attention to what preservative was used to preserve them. If the package says E220, then it is better not to buy such a product.
Thus, common wolfberry berries are a useful product of he alth and body strengthening. Now it's easy to buy them. It is easy to grow them at home or in the garden.
