The Goji Berry is the most recognizable name for this fruit from China. In India, they are known as Wolfberries and have been used medicinally for 6,000 years in Chinese, Tibetan, and Ayurvedic Medicine.
Goji berries are native to central Asia, specifically the Himalayan Mountains the where they grow in a few specific regions. They are typically eaten raw or made into juice, wine, or tea. The goji berries are commonly eaten as a snack or added to recipes and made into powders, capsules and tablets, teas, and tinctures for medicinal purposes.
These berries fall into the nightshade family with over 2,800 species found in foods, herbs, shrubs, and trees. Many have heard of nightshades concerning foods that can be problematic for some because of specific alkaloids found in them that can impact nerve-muscle, and joint function, and digestion. Although nightshade foods (potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, tamarinds, pepinos, pimentos, paprika, cayenne, and tabasco sauce) are the first considered, they are best known as drugs including mandrake, tobacco, and belladonna, and even is found in one of Ayurvedic forite herbs, Ashwagandha.
