According to the United States Department of Agriculture Germplasm Resources Information Network[2], it is also known as Chinese wolfberry, goji berry, barbary matrimony vine, bocksdorn, cambronera,[3] Duke of Argyll's tea tree,[4] or matrimony vine.[5] Unrelated to the plant's geographic origin, the names Tibetan goji and Himalayan goji are in common use[6] in the health food market for products from this plant." I have learned to trust the Wikipedia encyclopedia as it only gives relevant and useful information about any subject. There is never any hype or misrepresentations here. This is exactly the way I operate my business as well. As Dr. Mindell stated in a recent interview "I never make any claims about Goji. I just report my findings, then the people decide whether or not to drink it."
In China this fruit is known to be medicinal in nature. According to the Wikipedia, "Known in Asia as an extremely nutritious food, wolfberries have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for at least 2,000 years (Gross et al., 2006). Their undocumented legend, however, is considerably older, as wolfberries are often linked in Chinese lore to Shen Nung (Shennong), China's legendary First Emperor, mythical father of agriculture, and herbalist who lived circa 2,800 BC.
Since the early 21st century in the United States and other such industrialized countries, there has been a rapidly growing recognition of wolfberries for their nutrient richness and antioxidant qualities, with 54 new product introductions worldwide during 2006[15]. Such rapid commercial development includes wolfberry among a novel category of functional foods called "superfruits" expected to be a double-digit growth market over the next several years[16][17] [18].
It is apparent that the growth and popularity of Goji is rapidly spreading. This multi-billion dollar industry, though highly scrutized by the FDA and other departments, is fluorishing. Despite critics and the nay sayers, it is obvious that the Goji fruit is causing quite a stir worldwide.
Stay tuned for more Goji insights from the world of functional foods.