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• Lycium barbarum L.
• Lycium chinense Miller

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Wolfberry is also another name for the western snowberry, Symphoricarpos occidentalis.

Goji is also short for Gojira (Godzilla), a popular film series in Japan.

Chinese Wolfberry is the common name for the fruit of Lycium barbarum (Chinese: 宁夏枸杞; pinyin: Níngxià gǒuqǐ) or L. chinense (Chinese: 枸杞; pinyin: gǒuqǐ, or Chinese: 枸杞子; pinyin: gǒuqǐzi), two species of boxthorn in the family Solanaceae (which also includes the potato, tomato, eggplant, and tobacco). Wolfberry is also known pharmacologically as Lycii Fructus (lycium fruit). In Japan it is known as kuko (クコ), and in Korea it is known as gugija. Another common name is "matrimony vine". The name Tibetan Goji berry is in common use in the health food market for berries from this plant that are claimed to have been grown in the Himalaya region. The etymological origin of "goji" is unclear but it is likely a simplified spelling of gǒuqǐ.

Both species are deciduous woody perennial plants, growing 1-3 m high. L. chinense is grown in the south of China and tends to be somewhat shorter, while L. barbarum is grown in the north and tends to be somewhat taller.

In addition to being cultivated in China, wolfberry also grows on extensive vines in the sheltered valleys of the Himalayas in Tibet, and in Mongolia. The round, red berries are very tender and must be shaken from the vine rather than picked in order to avoid spoiling. The fruits are preserved by slowly drying them in the shade. The berry has been eaten locally in the region for centuries and is celebrated in festivals. The fruit is nicknamed the "happy berry" because of the sense of well being it is said to induce.

Medicinal use

Wolfberries and lycium bark play important roles in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), where they are believed to enhance immune system function, help eyesight, protect the liver, boost sperm production, and improve circulation, among other effects. In TCM terms, wolfberries are sweet in taste and neutral in nature; they act on the liver, lung, and kidney channels and enrich yin. They can be eaten raw, brewed into a tea, or prepared as a tincture.

Wolfberries are nutritionally rich, containing beta-carotene, Vitamins C, B₁, B₂ and other vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. Companies marketing the berries also claim the berries contain such nutrients as isoleucine, tryptophan, zinc, iron, copper, calcium, germanium, selenium, phosphorus, B6, and vitamin E.

Culinary use

As a food, dried wolfberries are also eaten raw or cooked. Their taste is similar to that of raisins. Young shoots and leaves are also grown commercially as a leaf vegetable.

Marketing

Since the early 21st century the dried fruit has begun to be sold in the West as a health food (typically under the name "Tibetan goji berry"), often accompanied by extensive claims regarding its purported health benefits. The berry is said to contain 2500 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit, making it one of the world's richest sources of vitamin C behind the Australian billygoat plum and the South American camu camu.

Companies marketing the berries often also include the unsupported claim that a Chinese man named Li Qing Yuen, who was said to have consumed wolfberries daily, lived to the age of 252 years (1678-1930).

External links

• NHIondemand database
• PDR for Herbal Remedies
• Plant-life.org
• Searching for wolfberry on the Pubmed database finds 50+ papers of interest
• A Friendly Skeptic Looks at Goji Juice By Dr. Ralph Moss

References

• Mindell, Earl. Goji: The Himalyan Health Secret. Momentum Media (October 1, 2003). ISBN: 0967285526

• Solanaceae
• Chinese cuisine
• Dietary supplements
• Fruit
• Medicinal Plants
• Herbs
• Juices
• Leaf vegetables