Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Goji Berry Plant 2Apr 26, 2009 10:03 pm buggered if I know! Lets find out *Fu turns to book collection Re: Goji Berry Plant 4Apr 26, 2009 10:17 pm google oooooooooooooohooo! Quote: Legend has it that Goji berries (Lycium barbarum eleganus) were discovered by a doctor studying an ancient society living in a remote region of the Tibetan Himalayas. He found that some members of this society lived long lives up to 100 years or more, in good health, they had no grey hair, and never lost their teeth. Eventually he recognized that all of these centenarians lived near certain water wells over which grew Goji berry vines. As the berries ripened, they fell into the water wells where their nutrients dissolved in the water which was subsequently drunk by the people living nearby. It became clear that the berries added something to the water which made those who drank it robustly healthy and live to a ripe old age. Legend further has it that Li Qing Yuen, who allegedly lived from 1678 to 1930 (age 252) ate a diet consisting mainly of Goji berries. The story of Li Qing Yuen has reinforced the belief that Goji berries can significantly extend life and benefitting their long-held reputation as a highly beneficial anti-aging food. To this day, there is an annual 2 week festival to celebrate its many health-giving properties 252 years old! "Me musts haves the ring" Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Goji Berry Plant 5Apr 26, 2009 10:48 pm Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Quote: For about two years now my family has been eating dried Goji berries as a regular part of our diet after reading the many claims about them being beneficial to health. Pronounced "go-gee", they're supposed to contain, weight for weight, more: * vitamin C than any other fruit * antioxidants than any other food * beta-carotene than carrots * iron than steak A daily serving is about 12-15 grams - less than will fit in the palm of your hand. They are an easy way to take one of your 'five servings' of fruit and vegetables. About a year ago we stopped using them for three weeks and quickly went back to using them. Apart from the fact that we like their taste here's what we found compared with the claim made for them: Claim: It improves sexual libido (OK I thought you might want this first!) I find: Yes - it's true! Gentlemen - feed your wife goji berries. But be warned you'll need to eat them yourself to keep up with her. Claim: It improves circulation I find: Also true. My wife had always suffered from cold hands and feet - but not when she ate goji berries. When we stopped for three weeks her cold hands returned. If you prefer goji juce, which works just as wel; you need about 30ml per day. Claim: It is beneficial for prostate problems. I find: Not sure about this one, however after blood tests showed a higher than normal PSA count I recently underwent a prostate examination (that's another story) and the verdict was - no sign of prostate cancer and why did my doctor ask for the test? Claim: They reduce cholesterol levels. I find: Another one I can't confirm but - in those blood tests my cholesterol level was found to be lower than normal. Claim: They reduce joint problems. I find: True. My wife had problems with her wrists, she has apparently bones which are too flexible and which bend slightly and bruise becoming painful. Since starting to eat goji berries the problem has been much reduced. I used to get periodic stiff necks. Not a trace of them since starting to take goji berries. Claim: They improve eyesight. I find: I think it's true. Both of us have stopped wearing glasses to read. When we stopped taking goji berries we had to use glasses again. Claim: They improve the skin and make you look younger. I find: Hmm. Can't be sure about this one but then we both signed the Peter Pan pledge years ago. I recently took early retirement and people keep saying 'Retire? Surely you are not old enough'. Claim: They reduce inflammation more effectively than aspirin. I find: I haven't noticed any such effect. Having said that the only headache I've had in the last six months was during the three week period when we stopped taking them. Claim: They promote a general feeling of well being. I find: I feel just fine but then I always did and can't honestly say I've noticed any difference. My wife however is convinced she feels better when taking them. Now for the bits we've found out that as far as we can tell isn't recorded about the berries. 1. They are very easy to grow yourself, but take time to start producing fruit. Put three of the dried berries in a small pot of damp compost. Seedlings will grow within 3 weeks. Once they are 10cm tall transfer them to a bigger pot. The plants can't quite make up their mind if they are a bush or a vine. They will climb to some extent. They grow to about ten feet in 3 / 4 years. They like practically any soil, shade or sunshine. A high phosphate fertilizer will help; use it in spring. You'll need to protect them from slugs - they love the leaves. (Rabbits like them too unfortunately) The plants flower from June, producing attractive pale blue-lilac blossoms. Berries grow from the fourth year and you'll need to protect them from birds who also love them. We have ours where we grow roses and hawthorn bushes. 2. The berries taste great eaten fresh or can be dried for storage. We have a hot air drier which works well. You are not supposed to pick the berries by hand because they are very easily damaged (like ripe blackberries). 3. Try adding some dried berries to a bottle of water. The berries will add a touch of flavour and by the time you have drunk the water they will have re-hydrated and provide a tasty snack. 4. Check your local chinese supermarket for a cheaper source of the dried berries, Goji berriesfailing that try Holland and Barret (Currently £22 per Kg) or even Tesco as a source (Hey Tesco - did you know that at £47 per kilogram you are the most expensive supplier I found?) If you live in South East England, especially Suffolk look out for them growing in roadside hedges. You can buy the berries online at a much reduced cost. Buying in bulk, about £14 per kilogram seems a good price. 5. Buy plain yogurt and add dried goji berries. Leave overnight or for 2-3 hours. The berries will re-hydrate and taste delicious with the yogurt. Some people may like to liquidise or chop the berries in the yogurt before eating it. 6. If you can't wait, add boiling water to dried berries. They will re-hydrate within 10 minutes and you can drink the liquid too, however I'm not sure about how boiling water will affect the 'active' ingredients of the berries. 7. Cats love the dried berries. They make great treats but like humans, they can get tired of them. 8. Dried goji berries are a great addition to oatmeal when making flapjack. 9. The young leaves can be used to make a herbal tea. 10. The roots of a goji berry plant can be washed, crushed and work well as an antiseptic for scratches. 11. Make muffins with the dried berries - recipe 12. Make a mixture of dried goji berries and mincemeat and make goji berry mince pies. 13. There are a lot of small seeds in the berries. If these annoy you you can soak 150g of dried berries in water for two days then liquidize the result. Straining the mixture through a 1mm mesh sieve will remove most of the seeds (which can be planted). Add cherry juice and lime juice concentrates and a little blueberry juice. A small amount of vodka too (Which helps preserve it and extracts bits water won't). The result is a delicious drinkable form - keep it in the fridge and take about 30ml per day. All in all goji berries are here to stay in my family. It's just a shame they are so expensive in the shops and as yet we haven't enough plants to supply all our needs. Re: Goji Berry Plant 6Apr 27, 2009 3:31 pm yeah ive heard they make you really horny !!! Living in Caloundra Thread****** Lovin my house all finished!!! Now tackling the HUGE task of the Garden- viewtopic.php?f=31&t=14782 Re: Goji Berry Plant 7Apr 27, 2009 4:03 pm I use them quite often - sprinkled in a salad or just a tablespoonful into a snackmix. I'm always a bit dubious about so called superfood claims but the berries are tasty and their texture is different. I'd be interested in seeing a plant of them though. Building Upside down house in Wantirna VIC Current Stage: Procrastination... it's just all too hard.... Blog: http://thereluctantbuilder.blogspot.com/ Re: Goji Berry Plant 9Apr 27, 2009 5:18 pm Helyn Well, ozkarnak, don't be coy - do tell - do they have aphrodisiac properties then??? Oh god I hope not - I added them to a salad I made for my grandparents and they are both in their ninties ! Building Upside down house in Wantirna VIC Current Stage: Procrastination... it's just all too hard.... Blog: http://thereluctantbuilder.blogspot.com/ Re: Goji Berry Plant 12Apr 27, 2009 9:00 pm So pop around to their place to see them and see if there's a sparkle in their eyes that wasn't there before. Re: Goji Berry Plant 13Apr 27, 2009 9:37 pm *Fu rocks back and forth in the corner repeating over and over, "Think of a happy place, think of a happy place... " Re: Goji Berry Plant 14May 07, 2009 1:36 pm Thanks for taking the time to help, I really apprciate it. Re: Goji Berry Plant 15May 07, 2009 10:30 pm OMG today I was out with someone who turns to me and says, "Hey guess what i got the other day"... "A Goji berry" She is going to let me know how it goes. They were being sold at Perths Garden week. She is going to have a go at propagating it too Re: Goji Berry Plant 16Feb 19, 2015 9:24 pm Fu Manchu OMG today I was out with someone who turns to me and says, "Hey guess what i got the other day"... "A Goji berry" She is going to let me know how it goes. They were being sold at Perths Garden week. She is going to have a go at propagating it too Ok Fu Manchu so as this post is now 6 years old did/have Goji Berry vine/tree get planted and if so has it fruited here in Perth. Thanks Rod Re: Goji Berry Plant 17Mar 15, 2015 1:27 am Hi Rod, we grew goji berry bushes in Perth. Easy to do if you build up the sand with compost etc. Had to protect them from birds when fruit ripening... At first the fruit was sparse, you would need a lot of bushes initially to get a decent sized crop. They didn't survive relocation though. 0 5101 |