Goji Berry: The Long-lived Anti-aging Fruit.
Legend has it that 2000 years ago, a doctor discovered that a village in China consisted mostly of centenarians. He found that the villagers were living next to wells where goji berry trees grew. As the fruits ripened, they would fall off into the water and their nutrients would be infused into it. The people would the drink the water, and lived to a very ripe old age…
While that story may only be an urban legend, documentation of the benefits of goji berries, also known as wolfberry, do exist in Sheng Nong Ben Cao 神农本草, the oldest book on Chines herbs from around 250 BC. The book records 365 traditional herbs that are classified into 3 grades: 1). top 2) middle, 3) low. Goji berry is one of the 120 herbs belonging to the top grade.
Goji berries is a well-known “super fruit” due to its high nutritional value, and is an excellent source of vitamin C. Its vitamin C content is so high, 500 times more than oranges, thus earning the nickname “the anti-aging fruit”. Aside from the wide array of amazing health benefits, we want to explore on these tiny orange-red color berries’ benefits to the skin!
So what’s inside this long-lived “anti-aging” fruit?
Vitamin C
As all beauty junkies know, a key benefit of this vitamin is its ability to reduce the appearance of age spots on the skin. which is involved in skin coloration. Goji berry’s high amount of this potent vitamin helps to minimize the looking skin-hyperpigmentation as well as uneven skin tone.
Minerals
Goji berries contain 11 of the key 22 essential dietary trace minerals , which include selenium, zinc, iron, and potassium. All combined together, they firm, tighten, and plump the skin’s appearances.
Amino acid
Containing 18 amino acids, including 8 essential amino acids, goji berry acts as a natural toner, thereby improving the skin’s tone and color, providing hydration and a radiant glow to the skin.
Carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene)
carotenoids are fat-soluble pigments that give colors to various plants. All these carotenoids act as antioxidants, protecting cells from free radicals that help destroy cellular membranes and DNA within the cell. This property thus protects the skin from environmental toxins, specifically, UV radiation.
Wow! We usually love to snack on blueberries for its antioxidant benefits. Now we can’t wait to add these little bright orange-red superfruit into our health and beauty routine! Given its range of benefits from fighting free radicals to boosting collagen production, goji berry really proves to be a total antioxidant powerhouse!
