Fresh they look like larger rosehips, dried like red raisins: the goji berries or wolfberries. Used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries as a fountain of youth and a miracle weapon against all sorts of diseases, they first conquered Hollywood and now Europe.
Goji berries are said to be a true superfood, full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other active ingredients. What is true and what are just advertising promises? Doesn’t a plant that can be as effective as the goji berry also have serious side effects? And what about the eco-balance of the fruit from the Far East?
The goji berry plant
The goji berry plant is a deciduous shrub that belongs to the nightshade family. The two to four meter high goji berry bush probably originally comes from China, from where the name also comes: “goji” means “happiness”. In Germany, the shrub is known as common buckthorn (Lycium barbarum) or wolfberry, occasionally also devil’s twine or witch’s twine.
Although not native to us, the goji berry plant is often planted as an ornamental plant or to strengthen embankments. So if you want to harvest your own lucky berries, you can plant the hardy and relatively frugal goji berries in your garden. You can either buy the corresponding plants in specialist shops or grow them yourself from cuttings. With regard to the location, it should be noted that the common boxthorn likes it sunny and does not tolerate waterlogging. Goji berries can also be grown in containers. You don’t have to care for the goji berries, water them moderately (the soil shouldn’t be wet) and fertilize with compost in the spring.
The flowering period of the goji berry bush is from June to August, the bright red fruits can be harvested from August to October. However, care should be taken when harvesting: the curved branches have long, slender thorns. The taste of fresh goji berries ranges from sweet to sour, dried berries are generally sweeter and can therefore also be eaten neat.
Buy goji berries: only organic
With increasing popularity, goji berries can be bought almost anywhere. In supermarkets, drugstores, natural food or organic shops, in numerous online shops, many pharmacies and of course in Asian shops. But the lucky berries are quite expensive: 100 grams of dried goji berries cost between 2 and 4 euros, organic quality sometimes more. Even more expensive is the berry extract used for tea and juice. Chocolate, jam and skin care products with the lucky berries are now also available in stores.
The high price is partly due to the manual harvest, but also to the hype surrounding the supposed miracle berry. Most of the goji berries sold here come from China – and that makes it problematic. Because China doesn’t take it very seriously with the regulations on pesticides and other environmental toxins. Goji berries from conventional cultivation are therefore highly contaminated with pollutants. According to a Greenpeace study from 2013, this also applies to organic products. A Chinese organic seal does not reliably say how the plants are grown. The EU organic seal or labels such as Demeter, which have even stricter guidelines, are better.
In addition, you should always look at the country of origin. Cultivation areas in the Middle East or South America often have problems with high levels of pesticides. And pesticides in particular seem to accumulate heavily in the goji berries. The magazine Öko-Test also found a relatively high pesticide content in conventionally grown wolfberries in a recent study. Goji berries from organic cultivation attracted positive attention, receiving the test result “very good”. If you want to be absolutely sure that your goji berries are organic, it is best to simply plant your own bush.
Ingredients and nutritional values of goji berries
The nutritional values of goji berries are difficult to determine. In studies, the measured proportions of sugar, vitamins and minerals fluctuated, sometimes greatly. On the one hand, this is due to the examination of the dried fruit, because the drying process can influence the nutrient content. On the other hand, the different soils from which the shrub can draw different amounts of nutrients. Nevertheless, it can be said that at least organically grown goji berries have many healthy ingredients.
The USDA, the American food authority, gives a calculated average as a guideline in its nutritional value database. Goji berries are particularly rich in vitamin C with 48 mg per 100 g of dried berries. There are also 190 mg of calcium, significantly more than in milk, and 6.8 mg of iron. However, the dried sweet berries also have 319 kcal – a real calorie bomb. Goji berries are therefore not suitable for losing weight, even if they contain many important amino acids and secondary plant substances.
Tasty recipes
Dried goji berries look similar to raisins, so it makes sense to use them the same way. For example, the wolfberries can be baked into cakes or stollen. Or try a sweet cookie recipe with goji berries. The dried lucky berries are also well suited as ingredients in muesli or in desserts, for example in a light quark dish.
But it doesn’t always have to be sweet: The fresh goji berries go well with game, poultry and meat due to their acidity. They can either be processed into a tasty sauce, or they are simply stewed in the juice and provide variety for the Sunday roast. Spicy dishes for vegetarian or vegan cuisine can also be conjured up with the red berries. How about a stuffed pumpkin, for example?
Possible effect of goji berries
In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are used to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, states of exhaustion, impotence, to support the immune system and other ailments. The antioxidants, the concentration of which is said to be particularly high in the lucky berries, are also said to help with Alzheimer’s, against glaucoma and even with the prevention and healing of cancer. However, these effects have not yet been proven.
There is a study from 2008 that examined the general effects of goji berry juice and came to a positive result. But their sample was too small and the duration too short to provide more than an indication of possible effects. Further investigations took place either in the laboratory or on animals and therefore cannot be extrapolated to humans. The European food authority ESFA therefore classified the effectiveness of goji berries as “not proven”.
Dangerous Side Effects of Goji Berries
If the lucky berry is only partially healthy, is it at least harmless? Not exactly. Due to its property as a nightshade plant and the secondary plant substances, the plant has some side effects that are not risk-free. The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices warns that goji berries can actually be dangerous for people who take anticoagulants. The berries increase the blood-thinning effect of the medication, which can lead to sudden bleeding. Pregnant women should therefore also avoid the wolfberry to be on the safe side, although there is no reliable data on this so far.
And there is something else that makes goji berries dangerous: their allergy potential. It’s not about the berry itself, but about the numerous cross-allergies, for example with tomatoes, peaches, nuts or tobacco. An American study from 2012 provides evidence of strong allergenic side effects of wolfberries. The German nutritionist Udo Pollmer even declares the goji berry to be life-threatening and demands that it only be sold in pharmacies. However, that seems too radical to us. Almost all plants have side effects or allergies.
The better alternatives to goji berries
Negative ecological balance, possibly contaminated with pesticides, high in calories, possible trigger of allergies and unproven effects: Goji berries are definitely not a superfood.
But there are alternatives. Almost all local berries such as raspberries, currants or strawberries also contain many vitamins, minerals and secondary plant substances. For example, 100 g of strawberries contain 57 mg of vitamin C, more than goji berries. And with just 33 kcal per 100 g, the energy-nutrient ratio is definitely in favor of the strawberries. In addition, you can buy them regionally and from guaranteed organic cultivation in the respective season or even grow them yourself on the balcony or in the garden. The same applies to other local fruits and vegetables: peppers, kohlrabi, apples – the list can be extended as desired. Nothing exotic, but definitely healthier for you and the environment.
