In the super food series, we now focus on something grown mostly in the Himalayan region and in parts of Tibet. Wolfberry, commonly called goji berry, Chinese wolfberry or murali in India, is also cultivated in other temperate and subtropical regions. It is a popular fruit in Eastern Asia and China. As of now, there seems to be no clear difference between areas of cultivation, so you do not have to look for berries grown in any particular place.
Wolfberry has a lot of good stuff in it — 11 essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and trace substances. It is low in calories and high in micro nutrients, and thus qualifies as a super food.
The berry is sweet, tastes like most other berries and is a good adjunct to your daily life. It is a very good detox agent. In Chinese detox therapies, it is used extensively. While there is no proof as per modern medicine’s methods of research, goji berry has favourable effects on the heart and helps to prevent heart attacks. It is also a natural anti-inflammatory and so plays a role in anti-ageing as well.
In my medical experience, goji berry teas are among best berry-fortified teas. There seems to be something in the goji berry that seems to work favourably with teas during weight loss. The best part of having goji berry is that it can be had as a fruit or in its dried form. It does not need to be taken as a pill unlike spirulina, so you have the best of both worlds.
Reports have suggested that wolfberry seems to have a vitamin K-like substance and therefore it can interact with warfarin-type of drugs (an anticoagulant or substance that prevents clotting of blood, which is also referred to as vitamin-K antagonists). If you take warfarin, then you should not consume too much of wolfberry. This suggests that wolfberry has a natural aspirin-like substance, which is anti inflammatory and causes bleeding. Whether it is similar to aspirin or not, wolfberry is a good addition to your daily life, of course, in small portions ■
— drwasim@yourwellnessdoc.com