Goji berries are a traditional Chinese medicine that we are all very familiar with in our daily life, and its applicable symptoms and the population that can use it are very extensive. Goji berries have the functions of nourishing the liver and kidneys and moistening the lungs. Moreover, from children to the elderly, goji berries can be taken by everyone. Since goji berries can nourish the kidneys, is goji berries also suitable for people with Yang-boosting needs?

Goji berries are a plant of the Solanaceae family, mainly distributed in the northwestern and north-eastern regions, with Ningxia goji berries being the best. As a common health product in our daily life, they often appear in food and are loved by the people. In the ‘Compendium of Materia Medica’ by Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty, it is recorded that ‘In spring, the leaves of goji berries are collected and named Tianjingcao; in summer, the flowers are collected and named Changshengcao; in autumn, the seeds are collected and named Goji berries; in winter, the roots are collected and named Diguipi.’ This fully demonstrates that goji berries are a treasure throughout, and the roots, leaves, flowers, and fruits can all be used as medicine.

1 The effects of goji berries:

Goji berries are sweet and mild in taste, and according to traditional Chinese medicine, they can not only better nourish the liver and kidneys, benefit the essence and improve eyesight, and nourish the blood, but also enhance people’s immunity. Goji berries are rich in beta-carotene and various vitamins, which can better prevent heart disease and cancer. For modern people, the most practical effect of goji berries is to relieve fatigue and lower blood pressure. Goji berries can also better protect the liver, lower blood sugar, soften blood vessels, lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, and have certain curative effects on fatty liver and diabetic patients. Therefore, goji berries are increasingly popular among people.

2 How to use goji berries correctly:

Goji berries have many effects, not only can they treat kidney Yin deficiency and soreness in the lower back, they are also known as the ‘Herb of Immortality’; they can also nourish the liver and improve eyesight, produce saliva and quench thirst, moisten the lungs and relieve cough, anti-aging, beauty, and prevent and treat cancer. They are very beneficial to human health and are an excellent auxiliary material for soups and porridge in the autumn and winter. It is important to correct a long-standing misunderstanding among the people, that is, goji berries are not necessarily a kidney-tonifying medicine, but a ‘sex drive’ medicine, as there is a proverb that says ‘When you are a thousand miles away, don’t eat goji berries.’ This means that when a person is traveling alone far from home, they should not eat goji berries, or they will feel lively and passionate.

What diseases can goji berries treat:

Goji berries are warm and stimulating, but they can be used to treat symptoms such as cold limbs and sexual apathy, but they cannot be used as a kidney-tonifying and Yang-boosting medicine. Its root bark, called di gu pi, is indeed a very good kidney-tonifying medicine. Di gu pi is benign and can treat the symptoms of hot flashes and sweating in perimenopausal women.