Study Shows Goji Berry Juice Improves Well-Being

Monday, December 08, 2008 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: goji berries, health news, Natural News

(NaturalNews) People who drank goji berry juice for two weeks experienced improvements in several measures of overall physical and psychological well-being, in a study funded and conducted by the goji berry juice company FreeLife International and published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Researchers assigned 35 healthy adults to consume 120 milliliters of either FreeLife GoChi juice or a similarly colored and flavored placebo for two weeks. This followed a two-week washout period, during which participants had not consumed any dietary supplements, energy drinks, green tea, or products containing goji berries.

Both at the beginning and end of the study, participants were asked to rate their general feelings of well-being, their neurological and psychological states, and any health problems including those of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal or musculoskeletal systems.

After two weeks, eighty percent of participants in the berry juice group reported improved sleep quality, 50 to 60 percent reported improved feelings of contentment, happiness and good health, and 50 percent reported increased athletic performance and energy and decreased fatigue. There were also significant improvements in calmness, ability to focus on activities, and gastrointestinal function.

Non-significant verbally reported benefits included healthier skin, harder nails, an increase in sexual activity and performance, and a decrease in menstrual pain.

Participants in the placebo group reported a significant increase in feelings of happiness and a significant change in heartburn frequency.

Goji berries have been used in the traditional medicinal practices of China and other Asian countries for more than 2,500 years to improve the health of the eyes, kidney and liver and to fight the effects of aging. The current study is the first outside of China to scientifically examine the effects of goji berry juice consumption. The amount of juice used was equivalent to 150 grams of fresh fruit, the same amount recommended in traditional Chinese medicine.

Sources for this story include: www.foodnavigator-usa.com.