There are websites who have wolf berries and websites who have goji berries. Some claim they have only wolf berries which are far superior to goji berries and many claim that the goji berries are the only true health promoting, high anti-oxidant wild berry of China. In trying to understand where the truth lies, my investigation began with the genus and species of these plants. Any plant with the same genus and species is the exact same plant. When the plant is even just slightly different it is given a different species. All plants of the same genus species can cross pollinate, they can live wherever other plants of that same genus and species are found and they are indistinguishable.

There are however, subspecies. The goji berries from Tibet that grown in the wild are technically (Lycium Eleagnus barbarum L. Tibet) While these plants are still Lycium barbarum, but they are considered a subspecies (just slightly different) and very closely related to the plants growing in the cultivated plantations in China. Based on the work of a number of researchers and scientists, there is little difference between Lycium barbarum berries growing in China and Tibet. The real difference comes from variations between climate and soil fertility where the plants grow. As a rule, wild plants in fertile soils with harsher climates create fruit with the highest amounts of antioxidants. In checking goji berries from various areas of the region, it has been the wild, mountain grown berries we have found to have the deepest red color and the highest ORAC scores, which is what we expected.

Goji bushes are in the Solanaceae family which also includes the tomato, green pepper, eggplant and potato that most Americans are familiar with.

Lycium barbarus (also Lycium barbarum)
Lycium barbarus grows in various regions of Asia such as Tibet and Inner Mongolia but it thrives in an area called the “goji belt”. There are several provinces of China and areas in Tibet where these vines grow in the wild.

The goji berry plant likes a soil that is slightly alkaline (pH of 8.2 to 8.6) and very fertile. Temperatures n the mountains can get very cold and very hot (102 degrees F to 16 degrees below 0 F.) It is this type of soil and climate that grows the largest, plumpest, most beautiful goji berries. The fruits are a deep red color, contain few seeds and have an exquisitely sweet taste. (As a side note, it is the rich, fertile, yet harsh climate of Alaska that brings the highest antioxidant blueberries found in the US. Studies done at New Brunswick Labs which extensively investigated blueberries grown in the US have shown a direct correlation between harsh climate and antioxidants in their fruit. It seems the plant, if it has all the nutrients it needs to be healthy, will actually make more substances to protect it from the harsh environment.)

So are goji berries from one area better than goji berries from another area?

Dr. Earl Mindell, R. Ph. M.H., PhD. headed up research using the FTIR to compare goji berries from all the Goji producing regions of China and Tibet. His conclusions are that for the most part all goji berries from anywhere within the “goji belt” are very, very similar. And there are fluctuations from year to year, depending on rainfall, sunshine and temperatures. However, he did find for the most part goji berries growing in fertile valleys amongst the mountains had higher peaks and some extra peaks. He identified the substance causing these peaks and glycol-nutrients, predominantly glycosides or polysaccharides. Our bodies use these substances to make molecules such as glycoproteins which become receptors sites on our cell membranes. These glycoproteins are very, very important. Cell communication is foundational to a healthy body. And substances that need to enter the cell often times require receptor sites for them to work. For example, insulin requires a receptor site in order to attach and get glucose across the cell membrane.

It is Dr. Mindell’s opinion that consistently there were three regions that showed higher peaks, larger berries, and more health properties than all the other regions. These regions were Ningxia China, Xinjiang China and areas of Tibet in the Himalayan Mountains. These 3 regions alone showed the most dramatic FTIR peaks and richest sources of phytonutrients. In Ningxia and Xinjiang China, these berries are usually Green Certified and most do not have the USDA certification. These berries are from plantations and are cultivated. It is only the mountains of Tibet where you can find wild-grown, wild-harvested goji. And Wilderness Family Naturals' Goji berries are now Certified Organic, making them the best of all the goji berries available in the United States.

See Dr. Mindell’s book: Goji, The Himalayan Health Secret. For more information on How to Select a High Quality Goji or Wolfberry, please click here.

Whole Goji Berries, Certified Organic Raw, Wild , Sun-dried, Whole (from Tibet)
8 oz.	$7.25
1 lb.	$12.95
5 lb.	$56.00
22 kg. (48.4 lbs.)	$484.00
Sample, limit of 4	$2.00

Goji Berry or Wolfberry? Tibet or China? Which is better?

So are goji berries from one area better than goji berries from another area?

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