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Are Goji Berries Good for You?

How to buy goji berries cheaper than raisins.

May 24, 2011 |
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Supplementary Info

Are Goji Berries Good for You?, 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

Sources Cited

O. Potterat. Goji (lycium barbarum and l. chinense): Phytochemistry, pharmacology and safety in the perspective of traditional uses and recent popularity. Planta Med., 76(1):7{19, 2010.

Acknowledgements

Transcript

What about, Goji berries? Goji berries are fantastic. Probably the healthiest dried fruit on the planet.
And they are only expensive if, you buy them as, “goji” berries. Then, they’re ridiculous—like 20 bucks a pound, but if you instead go to an Asian market and buy them as “lie-kium” berries, then, they’re cheaper than raisins. So whatever you used to do with raisins—oatmeal, trailmix, whatever—now start doing with goji berries.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger
  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/jada135/ jada135

    where can i find them for cheap i cant find it any cheaper than goji berries.Thanks

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

      Where do you live? I’ve found that most major cities have an Asian grocery store–that’s where I’ve had the most luck finding them at a reasonable price.

      • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/georgei/ GeorgeI

        It works the same way with shitake mushrooms too. In health food stores and co-ops you can pay several dollars for just 2-3 shitake mushrooms. Several dollars in an Asian grocery store will get you a huge sack of shitake mushrooms.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/veganmaven/ Melissa Scharfinski, CHHC

    While they are cheaper in Asian Markets, they contain preservatives. I buy them in the bulk section at Whole Foods and I believe they are the Sunfood brand if I remember correctly. Whatever brand it is, I checked their website and it said they’re preservative-free.

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

      I’m surprised you found some with preservatives (which I believe by law have to be listed on the package). The “lycium” (goji) berries one finds so inexpensively in Asian markets may not be organic, though, but I haven’t found any studies that have looked at goji pesticide levels. If anyone finds any such studies please send them my way. My direct email address is mhg1@cornell.edu. You know, I wish I liked the taste of goji berries better. I know they’re so good for me but I’ve grown addicted to these monukka raisins (they have seeds!) that I discovered at a co-op in Charlottesville, VA last weekend that my poor gojis have recently lain fallow.

      • Thrivalista

         Love all the info, thanks! We’ve found that soaking goji berries mellows their somewhat funky flavor, and makes them easier to chew and to digest. We use the soaking water, too, so no nutrients are lost.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/lxb/ LXB

    it seems that at least the cheap gojis will be really full of pesticides. And many of those sellers saying they are organic or from wild harvesting will contain so many pesticides that they can only be grown industrially. so i guess it is not a good tip to recommend buying them in the asian shops for cheap. i did not find real studies but some result of examinations in German language.

    try these links with google translator :

    http://www.food-monitor.de/2010/03/erhoehte-rueckstaende-von-pflanzenschutzmitteln-in-goji-beeren/lebensmittel/tests/

    Baden Württemberg/Germany authorities with 4 entries to the topic “goji”:

    http://www.ua-bw.de/pub/search_results.asp?allebegriffe=AND&subid=0&lang=DE&suchbegriff=goji+beere

    last year the food and drug authorities of Baden Württemberg (a German province) tested 14 different goji packs and in 13 of them they found irregularities. Especially the remnants of a pesticide called ‘Acetamiprid’ were higher than allowed but not yet doubtful for the health. Now in 2010 the European Community has changed the limit value from 0,01 to 0,1 mg/kg for acetamiprid and that is the only reason why all gojis now are under the limit value :-(

    In one single sample they found up to 19 different pesticides. the authorities recommend now that you let the seller show you the laboratory examination valuesfor their imports…

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/dwoodrufff/ dwoodrufff

    Michael
    Is it possible that Goji caused me to have rather severe abdominal cramps and pain along with diarrhea? It started a couple of days after I started eating them and seemed to get better when I stopped. I am fine now.

    • Sam

      I get the same abdominal ‘cramping’ type pain after consuming goji berries. For me, it began about a month after consuming them regularly. It’s been almost a year since it first happened, at which point I stopped consuming them (after trying from different retailers). But I can no longer eat them without that severe pain. I’ve been very curious of the cause. Any science out there?

  • Michael Greger M.D.
  • Michelle

    After learning
    about the health benefits of Goji berries, I recently purchased some
    from a local Asian food store. When I looked more closely at the
    package, I saw that they contained sulfur dioxide and the label
    “contains chemicals known by the state of CA to cause caner.” It also
    had directions to wash them before eating. I’m now worried that I
    shouldn’t eat them. Can you explain this labeling?

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