The Legendary Ningxia Wolfberry
Contains High Levels of
Bioactive Nutrients
The wolfberry is a deciduous woody perennial plant, growing 1-3 meters high. The stems bear green lanceolate or ovate leaves. The plant blooms with small purple flowers. The ripe fruits turn orange-red, have an oblong shape and are about 1-2 cm long.
Ningxia, China, grows the Lycium barbarum wolfberry. A census in China reported recently that the number of Ningxia residents living more than 100 years exceeds the national average by 400%. The locals say their longevity secret is the locally grown fruit.For centuries the Huang He (Yellow) River has created a super fertile and mineral-rich floodplain, called “China’s herbal medicine valley,” that is the perfect place to grow wolfberries. The area has been awarded the “Green Certificate,” which is said by some to be the equivalent of the USDA’s Organic Certification, or it may refer to an agricultural training program for China's rural poor. Because of their superior quality, many medical studies performed on the wolfberry have used the Ningxia wolfberries. Medicinal PropertiesWolfberries have been an important traditional medicine in China, used since ancient times as a general tonic, to protect the liver, to improve vision, to strengthen weak legs and to promote a long life. Chinese people have been using the fruits to make tea, soup, stew and wine, or they chew them like raisins. Wolfberry contains amino acids, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, and polysaccharides that can help with:
Antioxidant
Ningxia wolfberries provide a high level of protection against the dangerous superoxide free radical, as documented in the
S-ORAC
test conducted by Brunswick Laboratories.
Anti-Aging
Since the wolfberry contains
phytochemicals
with antioxidant activity, it can slow down the aging process. A study showed that the fruits help to prevent oxidation of DNA and help restore damaged DNA! This suggests usefulness in cancer prevention and regression. Vision ImprovementThe Chinese have traditionally used wolfberries to help with vision problems, such as cataracts, retinopathy and macular degeneration. The fruits contain the phytochemicals lutein and zeaxanthin which neutralize free radicals formed by sunlight. Glycemic IndexThe glycemic index, or GI, ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Wolfberries are low glycemic, having a GI of only 10.6 (table sugar is rated at 83). Thus, their polysaccharides support proper cellular communication without spiking blood sugar levels. Ancient LegendsEarly Chinese medical texts praised wolfberries for strengthening the eyes, liver and kidneys, as well as fortifying the chi or life force. There is a story of a woman who lived during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) who reportedly lived to be over 300 years old and attributed her longevity to this amazing fruit. More recently, a story was published in the 1950s about Li Quingyum who lived over 200 years and died in 1930. He revealed the secret of his long life was taking 5 grams of wolfberries daily. He reported about what happened when he began eating wolfberries: “From then on I became healthy and agile. I can walk a hundred li [a li equals half a kilometer] and not feel tired. I became better in strength and stamina than the average person.” To learn how you can acquire the best form of of this juice (NingXia Red) for yourself, click here.
Return to
Motivation
from
The Wolfberry
.
|
