Keen Cuisine: Gaga Over Goji

You can walk into a grocery store and shell out about $2.50 for a 12-ounce bag of raisins. Or, if you want to up the ante on antioxidants, you can get a 12-ounce bag of dried cranberries for around $9. Or you could stake $18 on a similar amount of dried goji berries. If you prefer liquid nutrition, you can get a quart of goji juice for $50.

Goji berries are nutritionally dense, rich in amino acids, fiber, vitamins A and C, and the minerals calcium, magnesium, and selenium. Marketers of goji berries claim they will promote weight loss, cure diabetes, fight fatigue, combat heart disease, strengthen the immune system, reverse skin damage, increase feelings of happiness, delay aging, protect the liver, improve vision, and enhance sexual function. No claims have been verified by research in peer-reviewed journals, but that hasn't stopped the hype.

• Not every edible has a celebrity following. But goji berries have been touted as an anti-aging superfood in the tabloids by Madonna, Liz Hurley, and Kate Moss, among others. Mischa Barton attributes her flawless complexion to a daily shot of goji juice.
• Lycium barbarum, also known as wolfberry, is native to Asia. As if to suggest that they emanate from a spiritual plane, goji berries are often marketed as originating in Tibet and the Himalayas. In fact, most are cultivated in north central China, where they have been valued as a medicinal food for over 2,000 years.
• Goji are rich in antioxidants, especially anthocyanins, as are many dark-colored fruits and berries. Studies at Ohio State University show that anthocyanins derived from black raspberries inhibit the growth of cancer cells in animals exposed to an esophageal carcinogen. The data "provide strong evidence that anthocyanins are important for cancer prevention," say the researchers.
• Wolfberries are too fragile to be harvested by hand. Most are shaken from branches and then dried. They are often then boiled to make an herbal tea.