Passing on Traditions: Goji Berries Health Benefits
Jason Main
April 20, 2010
Traditions remain to be a part of so many people´s lives in this quite modern world. Anywhere you turn your head, there are those remains of practices and customs that have been inherited from the bows of ancestral times.
In China, much of their current practices still involve methods that have been established centuries ago. One of those customary practices is the use of goji berries as an alternative cure to certain diseases such as cancers and other common illnesses.
Nowadays, these berries have found their way to the US markets and are essentially promoted for the fruit´s health benefits. The berries are grown in many provinces of China and are imported to the US as dried fruits or in liquid form as juice. Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uyghur are two of the provinces that grow the berries in huge plantations. Other places include the Chinese regions in Tibet and Mongolia.
The fruits are usually at peak of maturity in the later second and early third quarters of the year. The flowering starts and lasts for three months prior to the ripening of the fruits; after which, the fruits are ready for harvest.
A goji berry is dense orange to bright red in color and grows 1 to 2 centimetres. They are usually found in bunch of threes or fours that almost appear to be strung together. The fruit has an oval shape that looks like a betel nut.
During harvest time, people would usually prepare a mat on the ground to catch the fruits as they shake the tree. This method is adopted as the delicate nature of the fruit makes it impossible to be picked by the hands. After this, the fruits are dried immediately under the sun or through a heating machine. Drying under the sun takes several days while the use of machine allows the process to take place in as early as 48 hours.
For more information on Goji Berries, read the Goji Berry blog
In China, much of their current practices still involve methods that have been established centuries ago. One of those customary practices is the use of goji berries as an alternative cure to certain diseases such as cancers and other common illnesses.
Nowadays, these berries have found their way to the US markets and are essentially promoted for the fruit´s health benefits. The berries are grown in many provinces of China and are imported to the US as dried fruits or in liquid form as juice. Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uyghur are two of the provinces that grow the berries in huge plantations. Other places include the Chinese regions in Tibet and Mongolia.
The fruits are usually at peak of maturity in the later second and early third quarters of the year. The flowering starts and lasts for three months prior to the ripening of the fruits; after which, the fruits are ready for harvest.
A goji berry is dense orange to bright red in color and grows 1 to 2 centimetres. They are usually found in bunch of threes or fours that almost appear to be strung together. The fruit has an oval shape that looks like a betel nut.
During harvest time, people would usually prepare a mat on the ground to catch the fruits as they shake the tree. This method is adopted as the delicate nature of the fruit makes it impossible to be picked by the hands. After this, the fruits are dried immediately under the sun or through a heating machine. Drying under the sun takes several days while the use of machine allows the process to take place in as early as 48 hours.
For more information on Goji Berries, read the Goji Berry blog
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