I have researched goji juice and goji berries thoroughly and have presented the information found in scientific studies here. If you are looking for general information about goji juice, check out our Story section.

There are dozens of species of Lycium that grow wild throughout the world, but not all are edible.

Scientific names: Lycium barbarum; Lycium chinense; Lycium europeaum (These are all different species of the plant, but have similar properties. Many botanists unite the three species under the name L. barbarum, but they are, in fact, distinct. There are several other species that grow throughout Asia, Europe and the US that may contain similar nutritional and anti-aging benefits).

Common names: Gou qi zi, Goji, wolfberry, lycium fruit, bastard jasmine, box thorn, tea tree, matrimony vine

Studies Involving Goji Berries

Second Military Medical University, Department of Microbiology, Shanghai, China.

Seventy nine people in advanced stages of cancer were treated with the drug LAK/IL-2 combined with Lycium Barbarum polysaccharides (LBP). From the 75 evaluable patients, regression of the following cancers was observed: malignant melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, lung cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and malignant hydrothorax. The response rate of patients treated with LAK/IL-2 and LBP was 40.9% while that of patients treated only with LAK/IL-2 was 16.1%. Study

Department of Pathophysiology, Beijing Medical University, Beijing, China

The results of this study showed that the increase of blood pressure in hypertension rats could be prevented significantly by treatment with 10% Lycium barbarum polysaccharide. Study

Cancer Institute, Ningxia Medical College, Yinchuan, China

Radiosensitizing effects (becoming more sensitive to radiation treatment) of the Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) were observed in mice with lung cancer. Study

Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyunghee University, Seoul, Korea

A component isolated from Lycium chinense was used to treat rats injured with GalN, which causes the release of glutamic pyruvic transaminase and sorbitol dehydrogenase (damaging the cells). It was found that the Lycium component had prominent hepatoprotective (protected the cells from damage upon exposure of ) activity and it was suggested that its therapeutic value should be investigated further. Study

Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

In this study, researchers wrote “natural plant extracts of Lycium barbarum are well-known to exhibit anti-aging effects. We therefore hypothesized that they exhibit neuroprotective effects against toxins in aging-related neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether extracts from L. barbarum have neuroprotective effects against toxicity of fibrillar Abeta(1-42) and Abeta(25-35) fragments.”

They went on to say that primary rat coritical neurons that they exposed to these damaging “Abeta” peptides showed markedly reduced damage when pre-treated with extract isolated from L. barbarum. In conclusion, researchers noted that the extract caused a “neuroprotective effect” and that the effective dosage of the extract performed better than a well-known western neuroprotective medicine called lithium chloride (LiC1).

They conclude that “Study on anti-aging herbal medicine like L. barbarum may open a new therapeutic window for the prevention of AD (Alzheimer’s disease).” Study

Antioxidant Research Group, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.

This human supplementation trial showed that eating Lyceum barbarum significantly raised levels of zeaxanthin in the group eating the fruit. Zeaxanthin is known to help prevent age-related macular degeneration (eyesite degeneration caused by the degeneration of the central retina – this is the most common cause of vision loss in the US in those over 50). Study

Institute of Pharmacy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China.

In this study, the effects of a Lycium barbarum polysaccharide-protein complex on interleukin-2 and “tumor necrosis factor-alpha” in human blood cells was investigated. Interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha are two important “cytokines” in antitumor immunity. The production of cytokine “is a key event in the initiation and regulation of an immune response” that is important in attacking cancer. Administration of the polysaccharide increased the levels of interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the blood. The researchers concluded that the particular polysaccharide studied may induce positive immune responses and possess therapeuetic effects on cancer. Study

Institute of Materia Medica, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China.

In this study the polysaccharide complex LBP3p, from Lycium barbarum was investigated, and specifically its effect on the immune system of mice. The effects of the polysaccharide on tumors as well as various other things were studied.

It was found that the polysaccharide could “significantly inhibit the growth of tumors and increase macrophage phagocytosis, the form of antibody secreted by spleen cells, spleen lymphocyte proliferation, CTL activity, IL-2 mRNA expression level and reduce the lipid peroxidation” in mice. (all good things). Researchers concluded that the results suggested that “LBP3p has a highly significant effect on tumor weight and improves the immune system.” Study

Department of Hygiene, Hubei Medical University, China.

In this study, a purified component of lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP-X) was isolated from lycium barbarum. Different doses of the component were tested on mice. The results showed that “LBP-X induced a remarkable adaptability to exercise load, enhanced resistance and accelerated elimination of fatigue.” It was found that the polysaccharide significantly enhanced muscle performance, enabling muscles to recover more quickly after strenuous activity and perform better all around. Study

Please check back soon for more goji juice research, as  I will be adding more studies to this list and will soon offer a more organized approach to this information.