Goji Berries

[anton]

aka Chinese Wolfberry (Lycium eleganus barbarum)

I'm sure everyone has by now heard of this latest craze in health food. ANyway I bought a bunch of the dried berries (I also planted some seeds that have just sprouted) and was wondering how To best consume them. The taste of the dried berry is not particularly pleasant, can i add a few dried berries to some tea or to a ginseng infusion? how will these interact in tcm terms. And in terms of conventional nutrition will the hot water destroy any of the nutrients?

[herb ox]

Anton,

You can enjoy your Gou Qi Zi (pronounced "gou chee dzuh") in a variety of ways. Firstly, hot water will not affect the efficacy of the berry. Furthermore, there are so many creative ways to consume this popular ancient remedy.

Traditionally, Gou Qi Zi was used to nourish the kidney yin and essence, but it also nourishes the lungs, liver and blood as well. I like to add it to a dish I make with Shan Yao (wild Chinese yam - dioscorea opposita) for a savory, nourishing dinner. Another popular way is to soak it in wine or liquor and drink the resulting infusion daily. Or perhaps cook it with your oatmeal in the mornings.... what? You don't eat oatmeal?!?!?

Recently, "goji berries" have sprung onto the scene with a new commercial twist... they're still the same ancient berries, though. Quality can be highly variable - look for large, plump and dark red. Some can be fake or dyed bright red. Top quality at the herb shop in Chinatown will probably still be cheaper than the new 'hyped up' packages at the health food store.

enjoy,

herb ox

[anton]

Anton,

You can enjoy your Gou Qi Zi (pronounced "gou chee dzuh") in a variety of ways. Firstly, hot water will not affect the efficacy of the berry. Furthermore, there are so many creative ways to consume this popular ancient remedy.

Traditionally, Gou Qi Zi was used to nourish the kidney yin and essence, but it also nourishes the lungs, liver and blood as well. I like to add it to a dish I make with Shan Yao (wild Chinese yam - dioscorea opposita) for a savory, nourishing dinner. Another popular way is to soak it in wine or liquor and drink the resulting infusion daily. Or perhaps cook it with your oatmeal in the mornings.... what? You don't eat oatmeal?!?!?

Recently, "goji berries" have sprung onto the scene with a new commercial twist... they're still the same ancient berries, though. Quality can be highly variable - look for large, plump and dark red. Some can be fake or dyed bright red. Top quality at the herb shop in Chinatown will probably still be cheaper than the new 'hyped up' packages at the health food store.

enjoy,

herb ox

Thanks for all the tips herb ox, I didn't know any of the stuff about the fruits TCM use. I only bought them because of the massive anti-oxidant content. I just put a handful in a cup of hot Jasmine tea. Gotta say they are much tastier when they soak up some moisture and go soft... Thanks for the tip regarding the liquor too. Being of Russian descent I'm sure some Guo qi zi will find their way into one of the vodka bottles i've got sitting around