About how to use goji berries, we will tell a little below. But before that, I would like to present to your attention other, no less important information about the mentioned ingredient. After all, not all people know what kind of product it is, where it grows and what its benefits are.
Is goji berry a barberry?
This question is often asked by those who absolutely do not understand plants, trees and their fruits. It is also worth noting that they are the ones who are deceived by the sellers of this product. Indeed, in pursuit of revenue, negligent entrepreneurs give out the usual fruits of an unpretentious barberry for useful and expensive goji berries.
So what information do you need to have in order to get the right product? We will talk about this below.
What is goji?
Before you talk about how to eat goji berries, you should give general information about the plant on which these fruits grow. As you know, such a shrub is called the common dereza or the berber dereza (from the Latin Lýcium bárbarum). This species is a ligneous plant in the nightshade family. As for the name goji itself, it comes from the Chinese name gǒuqǐ. Surprisingly, most people believe that such berries are poisonous. However, it is not. After all, the fruits of the ordinary dereza (from the Latin Lycium barbarum) and Chinese (Lycium chinense) are completely harmless. Moreover, they are considered very useful and are often used in traditional medicine.
Thus, if you want to purchase this product for medicinal purposes, then you should buy the fruits of only two shrubs presented, and everything else can safely be considered a fake.
Where to buy goji berries?
The fruits of ordinary or Chinese dereza can be purchased in markets, and in specialized stores, and even in tea shops. However, their price is quite high. After all, such a berry is grown in China, Tibet and even in the Himalayas. But if you see this product at a lower price, then you should not immediately doubt its quality, since today ordinary and Chinese dereza are cultivated everywhere, including in our country.
Appearance
You already know where to buy goji berries. Now I want to bring to your attention a description of woody plants and their fruits. Such berries grow on a shrub that reaches a height of 3.5 meters. Its branches are covered with very sharp and thin spines, as well as simple whole-elliptic leaves. Before the appearance of the fruits, this plant is covered with bell-shaped flowers of lilac or purple-pink hue.
Tibetan goji berries, as well as Chinese and others in different regions appear at different times, namely from July to October or from May to September. The fruits are small coral-red berries (can be yellow, orange, purple and even black) ranging in size from 1 to 3 centimeters.
Beneficial features
Goji berry, whose benefits are undeniable, is actively used in alternative medicine. Teas, tinctures, compotes, fruit drinks, etc. are made from it. So why are such fruits attractive for modern healers? To answer this question, you should consider the chemical composition of ripe berries.
So, specialists found the following substances in the fruits of dereza:
- ascorbic acid - 0.5%;
- betaine - 0.1%;
- Vitamin A, as well as B1 and B2;
- a nicotinic acid;
- GABA amino acid;
- tetraterpenes physalin and zeaxanthin;
- steroids β-sitosterol and solasodine;
- polysaccharides;
- scopoletin, p-coumaric acid, proteins and many other elements.
Thanks to this composition, goji berries (the method of application will be described in detail below) work wonders, namely: rejuvenate and purify the blood, help get rid of back pain and the effects of stress, and ensure a quick recovery after SARS and ARI.
It is also worth noting that Tibetan dereza is often used for diabetes (with caution), visual impairment and anemia. The fruits of this shrub contain substances that help fight various viruses, strengthen the lungs, kidneys, nervous system and remove toxins from the body.
The right choice and reception
So that treatment with non-traditional methods does not harm you, but benefit you, you should definitely know how to eat goji berries. To begin with, they should be bought in the right place, because instead of real dereza fruits, you can sell another, cheaper product. In this regard, it is necessary to ask the seller where exactly this product was brought from and whether there is a certificate for it. Such a careful choice is connected with the fact that today a lot of berries began to come to our country from Spain. However, some experts argue that the fruits grown there do not have such healing properties as, for example, a Tibetan product. That is why experienced consumers recommend buying these healthy berries only in Tibetan shops.
How to eat goji berries? It is advisable to start taking herbal medicine based on such fruits with minimal doses. After all, each drug, including natural, has its own contraindications and side effects. To understand whether it is suitable for you or not, you should eat a few berries and wait a couple of days. If during this time you do not manifest any allergic reactions, then you can safely use them for treatment.
Proper collection and recommended dose
Before using goji berries for weight loss or general healing of the body, experts recommend drying them, although eating them is allowed in fresh form. To do this, the fruits should be carefully collected from the bush, and then iterated over and, without washing in water, evenly lay on a clean paper. Drying such healthy berries is desirable in the shade. It is also worth noting that for this purpose in no case should you use an oven. Indeed, under the influence of heat treatment, all vitamins, polysaccharides and other useful substances will leave the product.
Healthy people of middle and young age are allowed to eat about 15-50 grams of dried berries per day. As for the elderly, they are recommended to reduce the named dose exactly by half. This is due to the fact that a large number of dried berries in one go can easily cause pressure surges.
Before brewing goji berries or consuming them as a whole, they should be washed well under a stream of cold water. By the way, often such fruits are pre-soaked in water for an hour, and then eaten as dried fruit or added to various cocktails, salads, desserts, yoghurts, breakfast cereals, pastries, etc.
How to make tea from dereza fruit?
Tea with goji berries is often used as an antiviral and invigorating drink. Due to the fact that the most accessible form of these fruits, which can be purchased in special shops, are dried products, their most popular method of use is brewing. However, it should be borne in mind that during such a procedure, this product loses part of its beneficial properties. In this regard, it is undesirable to brew it with boiling water. After all, the only way you can save all the vitamins and other elements, and with regular use, get enough minerals, vegetable protein, polysaccharides, etc.
So, before brewing goji berries (contraindications for such tea will be described below), you should wash them well in cold water, and then take a full large spoonful of dried fruit, put in a deep bowl and pour 250 ml of not very hot water (temperature should be about 85 degrees) . In this condition, the product is preferably kept under a loose cover for a quarter of an hour.
So how to drink goji berries brewed with hot water? The finished drink should be cooled at room temperature, and then consumed in an amount of 1-1.5 liters per day. It is worth noting that this tea has a refreshing effect, as well as a sour taste, which is quite similar to a compote of green apples.
If you urgently need to lose a couple of kilograms, then such a drink should be consumed instead of water for several days. By the way, dry goji berries for weight loss are just as effective as tea. This is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of nutrients and vitamins, which are extremely necessary for the body during strict and rigid diets. Of course, few people believe that by drinking tea from such fruits or the berries themselves, you can lose weight. However, the fact remains. Indeed, due to the nutritional value of this product, you begin to eat less fatty and other high-calorie foods, which cannot but affect your figure.
If you do not aspire to ideal forms, then in such a drink you can add sugar in addition or put a couple of spoons of honey.
One cannot ignore the fact that in alternative medicine very often additional ingredients are added to such tea in the form of mint, ginger, blackcurrant leaves, lemon, etc. At the same time, it is worth noting that the goji taste combines quite well with all of the named components.
As for contraindications, it is undesirable to drink such tea to pregnant and lactating women, as well as during high blood pressure, especially to people over 65 years of age.
We make a useful tincture together
Goji berry, the use of which is very extensive, is ideal for the preparation of alcohol tinctures. To make such a medicine yourself, it is necessary to wash the dried dereza fruits well, and then grind them using a meat grinder or an ordinary blender with nozzles with knives. Next, the pulp from the berries must be placed in a glass jar or bottle and immediately pour forty-degree vodka. Moreover, the level of alcohol should be slightly higher than the level of the crushed mass and completely cover it.
After both components are in the container, they should be thoroughly mixed, loosely closed with a lid and put in a dark place for exactly a week. After seven days, the fermented mass needs to be filtered, and then put in a refrigerator, where the tincture must be stored until direct use.
It is advisable to take a folk medicine based on goji berries on the first large spoon twice a day before lunch and dinner. The course of treatment with such a tincture should last no more than a month. If necessary, it can be repeated after a couple of weeks. It is advisable to use this tool in the season of colds, when you need to strengthen your immunity. Due to the fact that such homemade tincture contains alcohol, it is highly recommended not to give it to young children, as well as pregnant women and mothers during breastfeeding.
Dereza fruits as a component of nutrition
As mentioned above, you can use such berries in their entire form without brewing, drying and not insisting on vodka. To do this, the fruits should be collected and then thoroughly washed in warm water. If you use a dried product, then you can eat it without first soaking it. However, in this form it is too hard and not very tasty. That is why it is recommended to put dry and clean fruits into a container, pour plenty of water and keep it in this state for several hours. By the way, the decoction obtained in this way is undesirable to pour. It should be drunk half a glass after each meal. It should be noted that this fluid contains a huge amount of nutrients and healthy substances.
You can eat goji berries at least every day, but only on condition that you observe the above dose of 15-50 g. Such fruits are ideal for a low-calorie snack between breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, dried berries soaked in water are actively used in the preparation of various dishes. They are added to milk drinks (kefir, yogurt, katyk, yogurt, etc.), as well as side dishes, goulash, cereals, soups, and even sweet homemade cakes. At the same time, these berries can be laid out in liquid dishes even when not soaked. As for the test, it’s still worthwhile to stand them in the water, otherwise hard patches will make the homemade muffin or cake not as tasty as we would like.
Other uses
The fruits of the dereza shrub are often used as seasonings for sweet and savory dishes. It is worth noting that they give the dinner the same sweetish-sour taste, as if you added regular barberry. However, the benefits of this dish will be much greater. After all, the presented berries contain a huge amount of vitamins and nutrients.
To make this seasoning yourself, you should take dried goji berries (you are unlikely to find negative reviews about this product), wash them thoroughly and put them on paper towels. After the fruits have dried again, they need to be placed in a dense plastic bag, and then placed on a cutting board and knead with a rolling pin until small crumbs are formed.
If you have previously used this spice in the kitchen, then you probably know how to use it. For the uninitiated, we will talk about this procedure in more detail.
During the preparation of various dishes, seasoning from dried dereza fruits should be added almost at the very end, after turning off the stove. After all, everyone knows that under the influence of high temperatures, the useful components of this product are completely destroyed, and all that remains of it is only the taste and pleasant aroma. Similarly, it is necessary to add this spice to homemade pastries. To do this, you need to choose instant cooking recipes so that cookies, muffins or other goodies are fully usable after a quarter of an hour after turning on the oven, multicooker or microwave.
Of course, it is healthier and tastier to eat such berries fresh. But, unfortunately, in our country this is quite problematic, since it is almost impossible to acquire these fruits that have just been picked from the bush. However, you should not be upset, because even in dried form this product can become a valuable component of your nutrition, especially if it is used correctly and regularly. So, if you want to fully appreciate the properties and taste of such an ingredient, do not be afraid of experiments and use unusual culinary recipes, embodying your fantasies. Indeed, in any case, the fruits of dereza will bring you only benefit.
For what reasons should this product not be used?
Too many healthy foods can negatively affect the human body. So why in some cases you can not eat goji berries? Their harm may lie in the fact that such fruits contain too many acids and vitamins. It is for this reason that a person who has consumed this product immeasurably can become covered with hives after a short period of time. However, it is worth noting that such an allergy can occur not only from goji fruits, but also from other fruits and berries, which are also strong allergens.
In addition to rashes on the skin, excessive consumption of this product can lead to increased gas formation and even diarrhea. This is especially true for those people who have very weak intestines. In addition, a side effect of goji berries is possible in the form of a change in the effectiveness of certain medications that were taken in parallel with the product. There is no particular evidence for this, but many experts argue that such fruits can both enhance and reduce the effect of drugs, in particular if they are used to lower blood pressure or to eliminate pain in the heart muscle. In this regard, you are advised to consult with your doctor in advance whether it is possible to use alternative treatment in combination with traditional therapy.
Contraindications to the use of the product
Goji berries (contraindications will be discussed below) are a healing product that is often used to treat and prevent various diseases. But, like any medicine, these fruits also have their side effects. We described them in detail a little higher. In the same section, we present to your attention detailed information about the contraindications of this product. Despite the fact that there are not as many of them as traditional medical products, you should still be aware of them.
So, in view of certain properties, such berries are strictly forbidden to be consumed in any form by the following groups of persons:
- children under three years old;
- people prone to allergic reactions, especially yellow, red and orange fruits, berries and vegetables (for example, mangoes, apricots, apples, tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruits, etc.);
- people who often have diarrhea;
- people with cancer.
As for the last contraindication, this moment is considered controversial. Indeed, on the one hand, such fruits contain antioxidants that can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. On the other hand, the use of this product can significantly reduce the effectiveness of medical treatment. This is due to the fact that during therapy, people are prescribed serious drugs that suppress the immune system. In turn, the beneficial and nutritious fruits of dereza will increase immunity more and more. In this regard, this ingredient is recommended to be used by patients with oncology with extreme caution and only after consulting a doctor.
There is another contraindication for the use of goji berries. It applies to pregnant women and nursing mothers. In the first case, such fruits can not only saturate the body of the future mother in childbirth with nutrients and vitamins, but also interfere with the assimilation of other elements no less important for the baby. In the case of nursing mothers, this contraindication is due to the fact that the berries presented are a strong allergen, and this can adversely affect the health and even life of the newborn baby.
By the way, if you do not want to purchase such fruits in the store, then you can grow them yourself. For this, goji berry seeds are sold, which, although capricious, still grow well in the southern regions of our country.