History

You’ve Never Heard of a Goji Berry? It is also called wolfberry (Lycium Barbarum) by native Chinese and have a long tradition in Chinese folk medicine.

You’re not alone, but that’s about to change. This little red berry is about to open your eyes. The people of the Ningxia province in China love and cherish these berries so much, that they devote two weeks every year to festivals in honor of the berries. There is good reason for the locals to honor the Goji berry. After thousands of years of use, those who use the berry are still awed by its unmatched healing and protective powers. They celebrate as a continuing acknowledgement of just how much their very lives depend upon it. No medicinal plant in all of Asian medicine can compare with Goji for its incredible diversity of it’s legendary benefits.

Ancient Chinese medical texts extolled Goji for strengthening the eyes, liver, and kidneys as well as fortifying the "qi" (chi) or life force. An early medical work, Shen Nung Ben Tsao (475-221 B.C.), noted Goji’s benefits ranging from replenishing vital essences to strengthening and restoring major organs. The physician's handbook, Ben Cao Gang Mu, written during the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644), reported, that by taking in Goji regularly, it regulates the flow of vital energy and strengthens the physique, which can lead to longevity.

The Hometown of the Goji Berry

The highest quality (specially with respect to their herb-medicinal functions) Goji Berries grow in Zhongning County of the Ningxia province of China due to the soil, climate and other growing conditions. Zhongning County is usually called the home of Goji berries in China. Chinese government has established Zhongning as one of its foremost TCM herb farming and production bases, and Zhongning Goji Berry fruit farming and processing has become strictly controlled in accord with the national Green Food Standard and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).

The Xinhau News Agency, reported that the Ningxia variety of Lycium barbarum “is far superior to ordinary Chinese wolfberry in both tonic effects and economic results.” Due to their superior quality, some of the medical studies done on the Goji Berry have specified the use of the Ningxia Goji Berries. As with other plants, the Chinese wolfberry has a number of species or varieties. Of the eighty different species of wolfberries worldwide, the Lycium barbarum from Ningxia has by far the highest levels of immune-stimulating polysaccharides.

Ningxia's Perfect Geography for Goji

The Huang He (Yellow) River originates in the Yekuzonglie Basin located on the northern slope of the Bayankera Mountains in the Qingzang Plateau and flows through the Ningxia Province. This river creates a unique, mineral-rich, super fertile silt-water flood plain found nowhere else on earth, producing incomparable wolfberries.

The beautiful Ningxia region is called “China's herbal medicine valley” and is renowned for meeting all of the stringent rules to be awarded the prestigious “Green Certificate,” the equivalent of the USDA's Organic Certification.

Ningxia, China is legendary for amazingly healthy people. The Chinese national census recently reported that the number of Ningxia residents living more than 100 years exceeds the national average by an amazing 400%. Ningxia locals now admit their health secret lies in the locally grown Goji Berries.

The people of the Ningxia Province in China have known for thousands of years of the amazing secret of the Ningxia Goji Berry. For centuries this ancient culture has used wolfberries to replenish the body's "vital essence." This special berry is honored by the local farmers with a gala two-week festival. There is even a statue honoring the young women who harvest wolfberries.

In ancient times, the Chinese people were said to have three cherished tonics for health. They were ginseng, ling tzi, and Goji Berries. The Goji berry legends found in ancient Chinese medicine reach back over 5,000 years through the mists of time. Called "GOJI" by native Chinese, wolfberries have a long tradition in folk medicine. Ancient Chinese medical texts extolled Goji berries for strengthening the eyes, liver, and kidneys as well as fortifying the "qi" (chi) or life force. An early medical work, Shen Nung Ben Tsao (475-221 B.C.), noted Goji berry benefits ranging from replenishing vital essences to strengthening and restoring major organs.

The physician's handbook, Ben Cao Gang Mu, written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.) reported, "taking in Goji berry regularly may regulate the flow of vital energy and strengthen the physique, which can lead to longevity."

Goji berries are a Chinese National Treasure

The good health and vitality of the Ningxia elderly has long been attributed to Goji berries. To the people of the province, a bowl of fresh wolfberries a day is part of life. Its health benefits have been extolled for generations. In fact even today, the Ningxia Goji berry is considered a national treasure.