Chinese medicine has a lot to answer for. The ivory trade is the big one that springs to mind. But luckily for us (and rhinos and elephants) the humble wolfberry isn’t one that will do much harm. In fact, if you believe the hype it will only do good – and lots of it. That’s because it’s a ‘super food’!

The Chinese know this berry as gou qi zi, which translates to wolf energy berry – hence the name wolfberry – but these days it also goes by the name Goji.

Don’t get carried away though. It’s not going to give you the power of wolves and cause you to spout an extra set of wicked canines making you look like one of the Twilight cast. However, some claim that this tiny little red fruit is ‘super’ enough to take on one of our biggest killers – cancer! (Plus a stack of other illnesses and afflictions.)

But only believe its healing properties if you trust marketers and hundreds of years of Chinese medicine. Because the white coats still have this berry on the operating table and they’re not prepared to back it just yet.

What we do know about wolfberries will make blueberries jealous though. We’re talking micronutrients such as calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, selenium, riboflavin, vitamin c, plus phytochemicals beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and polysaccharides – and all in much bigger quantities than the poor blueberry.

Chinese herbalist Li Chine-Yuen, said to be the oldest man, included wolfberries amongst his secret to longevity – he died at the age of 256. WTF? Yeah, not surprisingly, this has not been proven. However, with 23 wives and 200 decedents, 256 years old or not, this man was a powerhouse of activity – with the virility of a wolf if you will.

If you want to follow in Mr Li’s footsteps and ward off diabetes, memory deficits, loss of vision, lung disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease, whilst boosting your libido, immune system and general strength, maybe give the wolfberry a whirl.

Just remember, some medical professionals have palmed it off as a placebo. But even if this antioxidant filled berry is just a placebo – it still tastes good on my porridge.

About Natalie Millhouse

I am Natalie Millhouse, self-confessed triflehead and copywriter. From working in creative agencies concepting award-winning advertising campaigns, to in-house copywriting maintaining long-term brand appeal, I’ve done it. And now as Triflehead I blend interesting facts and personal opinion to help make everyone a pub trivia champion or at least fill awkward silences and just be a 
generally awesome person.