How to use goji berries? Goji berries for weight loss: positive and negative reviews. Goji berries: benefit and harm

About how to use goji berries, we'll talk just below. But before that, I would like to present to your attention another, equally important information about the mentioned ingredient. After all, not all people know what kind of product it is, where it grows and what its benefits are.

Goji berry is barberry?

This question is often asked by those who do not understand the plants, trees and their fruits. It is also worth noting that they are susceptible to deception from the sellers of this product. After all, in the pursuit of revenue, negligent entrepreneurs give out the usual fruits of unpretentious barberry for useful and expensive goji berries.

So what information do you need to have in order to purchase the right product? We'll talk about this below.

What is Goji?

Before you tell us how to use goji berries, you should give general information about the plant on which these fruits grow. As you know, such a shrub is called ordinary derrick or Berber tree (from the Latin Lýcium bárbarum). This species is a woody plant of the Nightshade family. As for the very name goji, it came from the Chinese name gǒuq. Surprisingly, most people believe that such berries are poisonous. However, it is not. After all, the fruits of the common tree (from the Latin Lycium barbarum) and the Chinese (Lycium chinense) are completely harmless. Moreover, they are considered very useful and often used in folk medicine.

Thus, if you want to purchase this product for medical purposes, then you should buy the fruits of only two shrubs, and everything else can be safely considered a forgery.

Where to buy goji berries?

Fruits of ordinary or Chinese can be purchased in markets, in specialized stores, and even in shops with tea. However, their price is quite high. After all, they grow such a berry in China, Tibet and even in the Himalayas. But if you see this product at a lower price, then you should not immediately doubt its quality, as today dereza ordinary and Chinese are cultivated everywhere, including in our country.

Appearance

About where to buy goji berries, you already know. Now I would like to present to your attention the description of woody plants and their fruits. Such berries grow on a bush, which reaches a height of 3.5 meters. Its branches are covered with very sharp and thin spines, as well as simple, entire, elliptical leaves. Before the appearance of the fruit, this plant is covered with bell-shaped flowers of purple or violet-pink hue.

Tibetan goji berries, as well as Chinese and others in different regions appear at different times, namely from July to October or from May to September. Fruits are small coral-red berries (can be yellow, orange, purple and even black) in size from 1 to 3 centimeters.

Beneficial features

Berry Goji, whose benefits are undeniable, is actively used in non-traditional medicine. From it make teas, tinctures, compotes, fruit drinks, etc. So what are such fruits attractive for modern healers? To answer this question, it is necessary to consider the chemical composition of ripe berries.

So, in the fruits of the tree, experts have found the following substances:

• Ascorbic acid - 0.5%;
• Betaine 0.1%;
• Vitamin A, as well as B1 and B2;
• a nicotinic acid;
• Amino acid GABA;
• Tetra terpenes, fizaline and zeaxanthin;
• Steroids β-sitosterol and solasodine;
• Polysaccharides;
• Scopoletin, p-coumarinic acid, proteins and many other elements.

Due to this composition, goji berries (the method of application will be described in detail below) work miracles, namely: rejuvenate and purify the blood, help get rid of back pain and stress effects, provide a quick recovery after SARS and ARI.

It is also worth noting that the Tibetan tree is often used for diabetes mellitus (with caution), visual impairment and anemia. In the fruit of this shrub, there are substances that help fight various viruses, strengthen the lungs, kidneys, nervous system and remove toxins from the body.

The right choice and reception

To treatment with non-traditional methods has gone to you not to the detriment, but to the good, you should know how to use goji berries. To begin with, they should be bought in the right place, because instead of real fruits of the tree you can sell another, cheaper product. In this regard, you need to ask the seller where exactly this product was brought from and whether there is a certificate for it. Such a careful choice is due to the fact that today a lot of berries began to come to our country from Spain. However, some experts argue that the fruits grown there do not have such healing properties, as, for example, the Tibetan product. That's why experienced consumers recommend buying these healthy berries only in Tibetan shops.

How to use goji berries? Begin the reception of herbal medicine based on such fruits preferably with minimal doses. After all, each drug, including natural, has its own contraindications and side effects. To understand whether it suits you or not, you should eat a few berries and wait a couple of days. If during this time you do not show any allergic reactions, then you can safely use them for treatment.

Proper collection and recommended dose

Before using goji berries for weight loss or general health improvement, experts recommend that they dry, although they are allowed in fresh form. To do this, the fruit should be carefully collected from the bush, and then sorted and, without rinsing in the water, flatten it on a clean paper. Dry such useful berries preferably in the shade. It is also worth noting that for this purpose, in no case should you use an oven. After all, under the influence of heat treatment, all vitamins, polysaccharides and other useful substances will leave the product.

Healthy people of middle and young age per day are allowed to eat about 15-50 grams of dried berries. As for the elderly, the recommended dose is recommended to be reduced exactly twice. This is due to the fact that a large number of dry berries at one time can easily cause pressure jumps.

Before brewing goji berries or using them in their entirety, they should be rinsed well under a stream of cold water. By the way, often such fruits are preliminarily soaked in water for an hour, and then eat as a dried fruit or add to various cocktails, salads, desserts, yoghurts, breakfast cereals, pastries, etc.

How to make tea from the fruits of the tree?

Tea with goji berries is often used as an antiviral and invigorating drink. In view of the fact that the most affordable form of these fruits, which can be purchased in special shops, are dried products, their most popular method of application is brewing. However, it should be borne in mind that during this procedure, this product loses some of its useful properties. In this regard, it is undesirable to brew steep boiling water. After all, only so you can save all the vitamins and other elements, and with regular use get enough minerals, vegetable protein, polysaccharides, etc.

So, before brewing goji berries (contra-indications of such tea will be described below), you should wash well in cold water and then take a full large spoonful of dried fruits, put in a deep bowl and pour 250 ml of not very hot water (the temperature should be about 85 degrees) . In such a state, it is desirable to keep the product under a tight lid for a quarter of an hour.

So how to drink goji berries, brewed with hot water? The finished drink should be cooled at room temperature, and then consumed in an amount of 1-1.5 liters per day. It is worth noting that this tea has a refreshing effect, as well as an acidic taste, which pretty much resembles a compote of green apples.

If you need to quickly lose a few pounds, then this drink should be consumed instead of water for several days. By the way, dry goji berries for weight loss are as effective as tea. This is due to the fact that they contain a large number of nutrients and vitamins, which are extremely necessary for the body during strict and rigid diets. Of course, few people believe that using tea from such fruits or berries themselves, you can lose weight. However, the fact remains. After all, due to the nutritional value of this product, you begin to eat less fat and other high-calorie foods, which can not but affect your figure.

If you do not strive for perfect forms, then in such a drink you can additionally pour in sugar or put a couple of spoonfuls of honey.

One can not ignore the fact that in nontraditional medicine, additional ingredients in the form of peppermint, ginger, black currant leaves, lemon, etc. are often added to such tea. It should be noted that the taste of goji is quite well combined with all the named components.

As for contraindications, it is undesirable to use such tea for pregnant and lactating women, and also during high blood pressure, especially for people over 65 years of age.

We make together a useful tincture

Berry berry, the use of which is very extensive, is ideal for the preparation of alcohol tinctures. To make such a drug yourself, you need to thoroughly wash the dried fruits of the tree, and then grind them using a meat grinder or a conventional blender with knife attachments. Next, the gruel from berries needs to be placed in a glass jar or bottle and immediately pour over forty grape vodka. And the level of alcohol should be slightly above the level of the ground mass and completely cover it.

After both components are in the container, they should be thoroughly mixed, loosely closed with a lid and put in a dark place for exactly one week. After a lapse of seven days, the fermented mass must be filtered and then put in a refrigerating chamber, where the tincture must be stored before direct use.

To take a folk remedy on the basis of goji berries, it is desirable for 1 large spoon twice a day before dinner and dinner. The course of treatment with such a tincture should last no more than a month. If urgently needed, it can be repeated in a couple of weeks. Use this tool is desirable in the season of colds when you need to strengthen your immunity. In view of the fact that alcohol is contained in such a home-made tincture, it is highly discouraged to give it to young children, as well as to pregnant women and mothers during breastfeeding.

Fruit of the tree as a component of nutrition

As it was said above, it is possible to use such berries in a general way, without brewing, drying and not insisting on vodka. For this, the fruit should be collected, and then carefully washed in warm water. If you use a dried product, it can be eaten without pre-soaking. However, in this form it is too hard and not very tasty. That is why it is recommended to put dry and clean fruits in a container, pour a large amount of water and sustain this state for several hours. By the way, the broth obtained in this way, it is undesirable to pour out. He should drink half the glass after each meal. It should be noted that this liquid contains a huge amount of nutritious and healthy substances.

There are goji berries you can at least every day, but only on condition that you observe the above dose in 15-50 g. Such fruits are ideal for a low-calorie snack between breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, the dry berries soaked in water are actively used in the preparation of various dishes. They are added to milk drinks (kefir, yoghurt, katyk, curdled milk, etc.), as well as garnishes, goulash, cereals, soups and even sweet home-made pastries. At the same time in liquid dishes, these berries can be laid out and not in a wet state. As for the test, it is still worthwhile to withstand in the water, otherwise rigid impregnations will make the homemade cake or pie not as tasty as desired.

Other uses

The fruit of the bush of a tree is very often used as a seasoning for sweet and savory dishes. It is worth noting that they give the dinner the same sweetish-sour taste, as if you added a regular barberry. However, the benefits of this dish will be much greater. After all, the presented berries contain a huge amount of vitamins and nutrients.

To make such a seasoning yourself, you should take dried goji berries (you will hardly find negative reviews about this product), wash them thoroughly and put them on paper towels. After the fruit is dry again, they need to be placed in a tight polyethylene bag, and then placed on a cutting board and kneaded with a rolling pin until a fine crumb is formed.

If you previously used this spice in the kitchen, you probably know how to apply it. For the uninitiated, let's talk about this procedure in more detail.

During the preparation of various dishes, the seasoning from the dried fruit of the tree should be added almost at the very end, after the plate is turned off. After all, everyone knows that under the influence of high temperatures, the beneficial components of this product are completely destroyed, and all that remains of it is just a taste and a pleasant aroma. Similarly, you need to add this spice to homemade cakes. To do this, you need to choose recipes for instant cooking, so that cookies, muffins or other goodies are fully usable already after a quarter of an hour after turning on the oven, multivark or microwave oven.

Of course, it is more useful and tastier than all to eat such berries in fresh form. But, unfortunately, in our country it is rather problematic, since it is practically impossible to purchase these fruits that have just been torn from the bush. However, do not worry, because in a dried form, this product can become a valuable component of your nutrition, especially if it is used regularly and regularly. So, if you want to fully appreciate the properties and taste of such an ingredient, do not be afraid of experiments and use unusual culinary recipes, realizing your fantasies. After all, in any case, the fruits of the tree will only benefit you.

For what reasons this product can not be used?

Very many useful products can adversely affect the human body. So why in some cases you can not eat goji berries? The damage to them can hide in the fact that such fruits contain too many acids and vitamins. It is for this reason that a person who has consumed this product immeasurably can become covered with hives after a short period of time. However, it should be noted that such an allergy can arise not only from goji fruits, but also from other fruits and berries, which are also strong allergens.

In addition to rashes on the skin, excessive use of this product can lead to increased gas production and even diarrhea. Especially it concerns those people who have a very weak intestine. In addition, the side effect of goji berries is possible in the form of a change in the effectiveness of certain medications that were taken in parallel with the product. There is no special evidence for this, but many experts say that such fruits can both strengthen and reduce the effect of drugs, in particular if they are used to lower blood pressure or to eliminate pain in the heart muscle. In this regard, you are advised to consult with your doctor beforehand whether it is possible to use traditional treatment in conjunction with traditional therapy.

Contraindications to the use of the product

Goji berries (contraindications will be discussed below) are a curative product, which is often used to treat and prevent various diseases. But, like any drug, these fruits also have their side effects. We described them in detail a little higher. In the same section, we present to your attention detailed information on the contraindications of this product. Despite the fact that there are not so many of them as traditional medical means, they still need to be known.

So, in view of certain properties, such berries are categorically forbidden to use in any form the following groups of persons:

• Children under three years;
• People prone to allergic reactions, in particular to yellow, red and orange fruits, berries and vegetables (for example, mango, apricots, apples, tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruits, etc.);
• People who often have diarrhea;
• People with cancer.

As for the last contraindication, this moment is considered controversial. After all, on the one hand, such fruits contain antioxidants that can suppress the growth of cancer cells. On the other hand, the use of this product can significantly reduce the effectiveness of medical treatment. This is due to the fact that during therapy, a person is prescribed serious drugs that suppress the immune system. In turn, the useful and nutritious fruits of the tree will increase immunity more and more. In this regard, this ingredient is recommended for patients with cancer very carefully and only after consulting a doctor.

There is one more contraindication for the use of goji berries. It concerns pregnant women and nursing mothers. In the first case, such fruits are able not only to saturate the organism of the future childbirth with nutrients and vitamins, but also to prevent the assimilation of other elements that are no less important for the baby. In the case of lactating mothers, this contraindication is due to the fact that the berries are a strong allergen, and this can be detrimental to the health and even life of the newborn baby.

By the way, if you do not want to buy such fruits in the store, then you can grow them yourself. For this, seeds of goji berries are sold, which though whimsical, but still grow well in the southern regions of our country.