Goji

A certainly very famous berry, the Tibetan Lycium berry is called “Goji”. It grows in remote unpolluted hills and valleys of Tibet and Mongolia, in soil so rich in nutrients that they are full of vitality, even when dried. Fine modulo

It was traditionally used in the Tibetan/Mongolian culture for centuries. The geographic area of this ancient culture included Bhutan, all of Mongolia and a portion of China. It was used as a food because of its neutral energic nature (neither cold or hot) and consequently used in traditional medicines for the same reason, in a broad spectrum of Tibetan medical formulas. This was and still is the only original berry.

Now, the point is that recently, beginning around 1996, the name “Goji” was borrowed and used to market another similar but far less nourishing lycium berry: the Chinese “wolfberry”. That caused market confusion and still remains a marketing error today. In my humble view Chinese producers wanted to market in this way willingly and things will NOT change. So my hint is: be very careful what kind of berry you’re buying! Not everybody is aware of this distinction. Of course local harvesters are very careful to distinguish the Tibetan Lycium variety “Goji” berry from its distantly related offspring, the Chinese “Wolfberry” also called “ Lycium barbarum” (remember this name for a correct distinction when buying), pointing out that its nutrient makeup and energetic qualities differ as do the regions and conditions within which these two different Lycium berries are growing.

Remember also “The Tibetan Goji Berry Company”, which is proud to continue to be a quality presence and Goji supplier for over thirty years with quality control that you most probably immediately recognize, if you’re lucky enough to found it around. Straight to the point of what interest you: are Goji berries for a grater health? Useless to ask. Among the many health benefits there are:

Weight loss – a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2011 indicates that goji berries support weight loss efforts.

Immune system – a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2009 states that those given goji berries showed a great improvement in several markers of immune function. Specifically: lymphocytes, interleukin 2, immunoglobulin. They have a peculiar and unique bioactive polysaccharide (LBP), which is a key marker for building immune response. What’s more, they all experienced great improvements in fatigue, sleep quality, memory and focus.

Eyesight – Goji berries are a source of zeaxanthin, an antioxidant that protect the eyes from high-energy light waves such as the sun’s ultraviolet rays (along with the carotenoid lutein). Zeaxanthin and lutein are associated with better vision and decreased likelihood of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

They also possess many other health benefits: protect the liver, support kidney function, increase metabolic activity, burn fat and aid digestion, improve circulation, support distribution of nutrients and quality energy levels, promote longevity (bringing life support to the blood and all internal organs), boost libido and energy, prevent growth of cancer cells, reduce blood glucose, lower cholesterol levels.

It must be said that goji berries may interact with certain kinds of medicines, such as blood thinners, blood pressure drugs and diabetes medications. But only if you overuse the berries. You can eat them with everything you want, in any way you want, but in order to preserve the nutrients preferably only raw. I personally eat them twice a day before lunch and before dinner.

My final hint is this: be aware of these two other names: “gou qi zi” and “fructus lycii”, also sometimes used to sell goji berries. Remember, again, that the best ones are ONLY: “Tibetan Lycium”.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Digestive enzymes

To digest the food we eat, we need powerful enzymes that break it down in order to extract vital nutrients: each of the three major food groups (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) must be broken down by specific enzymes before being absorbed by cells in the digestive tract. The problem is that with age the production of these enzymes begins to decline and amounts of the three major food groups pass undigested causing bloating, gas and most importantly malnutrition in older people. Which results in  lost appetite and declining of muscles. And it’s also exacerbated by a lack of probiotics.

In general, even in young people, after-meal abdominal symptoms often represent poor digestion of complex foods, causing one to be unable to fully absorb nutrients needed for an optimal health. The proper combinations of all foods is consequently very important wherefore different enzymes works in different ways: e.g. proteins should never be eaten with carbs, such as pasta + meat. I’ll write about these food combinations in future posts.

A natural solution to declining levels of digestive enzymes is to supplement with them to break down all major classes of food: starch, proteins, fats, cellulose and milk. Correspondingly:

Amylase, used to break down starch

Protease, to break down proteins

Lipase, to break down fats

Cellulase, to break down cellulose

Lactase, to break down lactose

More in details: a deficiency in amylase enzymes causes undigested carbs and starches molecules to pass into the colon where they are not digested anymore by enzymes but by gut organisms, literally fermenting them to produce carbon dioxide that leads to flatulence.

Proteins are digested by protease enzymes which, if not digested, in the colon produce bad smelling and toxic molecules. Besides, undigested proteins are associated with colon cancer.

Fats are digested by lipase enzymes. A lack in lipases leaves long-chain fats undigested which cannot be absorbed anywhere else and consequently just pass through producing greasy stools and cramping.

Cellulose enzymes break down indigestible dietary fiber essential to feed our colon organisms: we could say that prebiotics feed probiotics (read my previous post on them). The two are totally correlated because another cause of digestive malfunction occurs when microbial populations become imbalanced. Ergo it’s compulsory to properly feed our communities of bacteria living in our intestine.

And lactases break down milk sugar. If there is a deficiency in these enzymes lactose intolerance will manifest, causing abdominal cramps, flatulence and bloating.

Above all, I highlight again that a lack of those enzymes obviously causes malnutrition because vital nutrients cannot be absorbed by our body, with all the consequences you can well imagine. I want to repeat my final hint, already given when I posted twice about probiotics: look for supplements with dual-coating AND acid-resistant characteristics. Otherwise you’re merely wasting money.

….Always humble,

Angiolino