This plant is a member of the nightshade family, in which many representatives are known for their toxicity. The closest relatives of the dereza bush are wolf berries, datura, and belena. Some wolfberry plants are considered non-toxic (honeysuckle, dereza).
The Latin name of the plant is Lýcium bárbarum (barberry family). Other names are Chinese dereza, Tibetan barberry, Ningxia gotsi (grows in the Chinese province of Ningxia, the word gotsi is used by the Chinese to refer to the dereza bush). In nature, a shrub grows on the slopes of the Himalayas in China.
However, the climatic conditions of the foothills do not contribute to industrial cultivation. Most of the berries that are sold around the world as a means of strengthening and losing weight are grown on agricultural plantations in neighboring regions and provinces.
The amount of the toxic component in them is negligible, therefore, there are no obvious signs of poisoning. But microdoses of toxins provide a stimulating effect (stimulation is a distinctive feature of the effect of small doses of poisons). Therefore, eating goji kilograms is not recommended. Only use them for medicinal purposes, strictly observing the dosage.
For the therapeutic effect, goji berries are dried and fermented. Raw fresh fruits can cause poisoning.
Outwardly, goji resemble barberry. Their similarity is so striking that some sellers mix it with Chinese fruits, and then sell it at a fabulous (for barberry) price. Real goji can be distinguished by color (it is dark red, coral) and by the number of seeds (barberry has only 5, and goji has a lot).
The taste of dereza fruits combines sweetness, acid and salinity, it resembles the taste of ripe tomatoes (which can also be used to lose weight, with the difference that tomatoes are much cheaper and can be consumed in kilograms, but eating Chinese fruits all day is expensive).
The composition and benefits of vitamins goji berries
What is not attributed to the miracle dereza – a means for losing weight, a fat burner, an anti-cellulite preparation, a rejuvenation stimulator. What do goji berries actually give?
Let’s look at what these fruits consist of:
- Vitamins of group B (B1, B6, B12) – provide a strengthening effect.
- Vitamin C – according to marketers, it is 5 times more than that of citrus fruits. However, American independent consumer protection research provides other data: dried berries contain almost no vitamin C, and the amount of antioxidants is less than in a fresh apple. Not to mention the dogrose, cranberries and raspberries. Therefore, the benefits of goji berries for immunity are still in doubt.
- Vitamin E.
- Beta carotene.
The total amount of vitamins in Chinese fruits is comparable to strawberries, pomegranate, and blueberries (if only they really went through quality processing).
The beneficial properties of goji berries are also caused by micro and macro elements: iron, zinc, iodine, potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, manganese, copper, germanium – in total – 21 minerals.
Amino acids – about 20. These substances slow down aging and restore youth. There are also proteins (similar to royal jelly), mono- and polysaccharides. And high calorie content.
The benefits and harms of goji berries are determined by their composition. In Chinese fruits – a full-fledged complex of vitamins, a large set of digestible minerals, amino acids and proteins.
Why Goji Berries
The therapeutic effect of dereza is determined by the mineral and vitamin composition.
Reviews of customers of berries confirm the following:
- Dereza fruits support vigor and mood lift, stimulate motor activity, and therefore can be used as a sports supplement for active sports. With constant physical exertion, the berries provide a set of dry weight (the sports term is “drying”).
- Goji reduces appetite and dulls hunger. This property can be used in weight loss programs (in order to reduce the amount of food consumed, reduce its calorie content and not feel hunger). By themselves, they do not have a noticeable fat-burning effect. But they help to lose weight when combined with other activities.
- Vitamin-mineral complex – improves immunity and resistance to infections. This statement is true with the constant use of quality goji.
The effect of berries is not fully understood. The medicine of different countries recommends them for various purposes.
Here are some examples:
- In France, goji is a vitamin remedy for strengthening immunity.
- In the USA, the hype about the limitless benefits of Chinese dereza ceased after a series of studies and trials. In 2006, the FDA (Food Quality and Drug Administration) warned distribution companies of illegal activities. In 2009, a trial was held in which Goji distributors (FreeLife company) were accused of cheating customers and the lack of reliable evidence of the action of the tool. As a result, FreeLife paid a fine and stopped aggressive advertising.
- The most laudable application – in modern advertising in China. There it is a remedy for all diseases: restorative, stimulating sexual functions, purifying blood and digestion. However, among the Chinese healers of antiquity – this is only one of the remedies, but not the most unique or not the only one.
Consider when choosing a treatment: according to research by Chinese doctors, daily consumption of fresh goji juice improves digestion. However, in our latitudes, juice can only be canned, which means that its benefits – at best, are absent, at worst – are harmful.
Today there is not a single scientific study of the benefits of dereza fruits, which would confirm their unique properties for diet therapy, weight loss, rejuvenation or immunity.
Useful properties and application
The effect of Chinese fruits is primarily due to vitamin and mineral nutrition. Together with goji vitamins, they supply antioxidants that increase tone, uplift your mood and stimulate cleansing processes.
First of all, cleansing begins in the digestive organs. The intestinal evacuation function is activated, which may look like frequent stools or a slight relaxation. The flow of bile increases, which can create pain in the right hypochondrium. As a result of cleaning, the absorption of food improves, the metabolism is accelerated.
After cleaning the digestive organs, vascular cleansing is stimulated. Berries lower cholesterol and sugar. As a result, the walls of the vessels become stronger, blood circulation improves.
Vitamin-mineral complex provides cell rejuvenation. It pushes not only the external signs of old age, but also the physiological climax.
Contraindications and side effects
Widespread use of goji berries is limited by existing contraindications.
The following side effects are found:
- Abdominal pain (in some cases this is associated with a cleansing effect, in other cases, with the use of preservative components that cause indigestion and pain). As a rule, pain, nausea, vomiting occur with an overdose – the use of a large number of fruits.
- Insomnia – berries are a natural stimulant, so they should be consumed in the morning or in the morning.
In serious diseases, it is necessary to take goji no more than a few pieces (two or three). Diabetes, hypotension (low blood pressure) are associated with poor state of blood vessels. Dereza fruits stimulate cleansing processes. For weak vascular walls, the release of toxins into the blood can stimulate their rupture. Therefore, you need to use goji carefully to lower the process of purification “on the brakes.”
Dereza lowers blood sugar. This process is difficult to control, therefore, for patients with diabetes, it is recommended to take berries of 1-2 pcs. (so as not to cause a sharp decrease in sugar – hypoglycemia).
Fruits are contraindicated in cases of bleeding disorders. They can stimulate bleeding.
Goji is also contraindicated in the presence of allergies and during pregnancy (they are stimulants, which means they can cause tension of the walls of the uterus and the risk of miscarriage).
It is important to know: the benefits of a product are determined not only by its composition, but also by the method of procurement.
Goji supplies us from another part of the world, so they may contain preservatives and other chemicals. It is difficult to determine the quality of a natural preparation when ordering. We can definitely say that if you have an allergy or abdominal pain, this can be attributed to preserving components and poor-quality harvesting of berries in the places of their cultivation.
How to take goji berries
Goji is a tonic. It is added to food and seasonings, brewed as teas and compotes, soaked and eaten as dried fruit, but in a strictly dosed amount. How to use goji berries for general immunity? We list the methods of application.
How to drink goji berries – juices, teas, cocktails
- Tea with goji berries – is prepared in the following proportion: 5-6 fruits per glass of boiling water. Tea is infused for 15-20 minutes, while consumed separately from food. Recommendations on how to brew goji berries indicate the use of water at the boiling start stage (the so-called white key).
- Juice – tones, suppresses the appetite, however, it benefits only in the absence of preservatives. The most useful juice, which contains a full complex of vitamins, is obtained from fresh berries and consumed immediately after pressing.
- Cocktails – made on the basis of other fruits or fresh milk, adding the pulp of berries to them during the whipping process.
- Stewed fruit – for their preparation, the fruit is poured with water and allowed to infuse for 0.5-1 hour. Compote liquid is drunk during the day (but no later than 16-00), soft soaked berries are eaten or added to salads.
How to Eat Dried Goji Berries
- Eat separately from food, in 30 minutes. 20-40 g before meals (in the morning and before dinner, afternoon snack).
- In medicinal cooking, they are used as a spicy additive to salads, soups, rice and other dishes.
You can also eat goji seed oil. It supplies a complex of vitamins and minerals, stimulates purification and establishes metabolic processes. Therefore, it can be logged not only to reduce weight, but also to set it for painful thinness.
Seed oil
Oil – squeeze from the seeds of goji berries. An oil preparation keeps its properties longer and is easier to transport. Exposes less complex storage and transportation requirements. Therefore, goji seed oil is a worthy substitute for vitamin fruits on the menu. For medicinal purposes, it is used separately from food (1 teaspoon or tablespoon each). In preventive – add to salads and other culinary dishes.
How to take goji berries for weight loss
In general, goji promotes weight loss, but does not guarantee it without an additional diet. Using only the fruits of dereza, you can’t lose weight. But it is possible to stimulate the process, strengthen it. For this, it is necessary to combine the action of goji with cleansing the body, a healthy diet, physical activity, a bath, massages.
A recipe for goji berries for weight loss, healing, or as a vitamin diet recommends eating them separately from food.
- Brew in the form of compote (1 tablespoon of berries per 0.5 liter of water, insist half an hour) – drink half a glass during the day.
- Eat brewed compote with lemon juice (a few drops per glass of tea or compote).
- There is a pulp of fruits, carefully chewing and soaking in saliva in the mouth (up to 30-40 chewing movements per each berry).
Goji berries for weight loss are more an advertised move of marketers than a truly effective remedy. However, they are very useful for the health and purification of the whole body. And also as a tonic and stimulant.
