A pound of black wolfberry costs thousands of dollars at every turn. Who gave it the courage?
I believe that many people have eaten wolfberry, but not many people have eaten black wolfberry. As the name suggests, black wolfberry is black wolfberry, but its price is not cheap. Thousands of yuan per catty, known as “black gold”.
Behind the high price is the magical “effect”. Many “bricks” say that black wolfberry has anti-oxidation and anti-cancer effects. Really?
I. What is black wolfberry? Can it really fight cancer?
Black wolfberry, the dried fruit of the wild Solanaceae Lycium barbarum, is called “Kara Alkat” by Uyghur doctors and “Pangma” by Tibetan medicine. “Uyghur Medicine Records” records: black wolfberry has the functions of strengthening the kidney, moistening the liver, improving eyesight, strengthening the stomach, invigorating the brain, anti-aging, and clearing the meridians.
Although black wolfberry is artificially planted, its yield is unstable and there are few wild ones. The so-called “rare is more expensive”, which also makes many people think that black wolfberry has higher nutritional content than red wolfberry.
Actually, red wolfberry and black wolfberry both belong to Solanaceae Lycium barbarum, and most of the components are the same, but the content of anthocyanin and some trace elements in black wolfberry Higher, it may be slightly better than red wolfberry in terms of anti-oxidation, anti-atherosclerosis, immunity enhancement, blood lipid lowering, etc., but there are no more clinical studies to confirm that black wolfberry has other magical effects, so there is no need to exaggerate. The efficacy of black wolfberry.
Black wolfberry can resist oxidation and cancer?
Professor Shi Weiqun, Chief Physician of Zhejiang Xinhua Hospital Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Center believes that although the “Compendium of Materia Medica” records that black wolfberry can be used to treat heart heat, it is said to be anti-cancer. The rules are too exaggerated. Black wolfberry has certain medicinal value, but in terms of the possibility of eliminating tumors, there is no clinical data to show that Black wolfberry anti-cancer is just an over-hyped method by merchants.
In addition, the antioxidant capacity of black wolfberry is not so strong, and its antioxidant capacity is mostly derived from the anthocyanins contained in the berries. But in fact, eggplants, blueberries, grapes, cabbage and other violet-blue vegetables and fruits contain high concentrations of anthocyanins.It is not necessarily achieved by black wolfberry, so for black wolfberry, it is not necessary to Follow the trend blindly and eat in moderation.
Second, the new discovery of the effect of wolfberry – 28g per day may help prevent eye diseases
Of course, as a traditional Chinese medicine, wolfberry naturally also has it The role of, and also caused foreigners to study. It is said that wolfberry can improve eyesight, low optical density of macular pigment is a risk factor for age-related macular degeneration, and wolfberry can help improve eye protection pigment.
Last December, a research team from UC Davis published a study in Nutrients. In this small clinical study, the researchers recruited a group of volunteers to carry out the clinical study. After conditional screening, 31 observation subjects were included and divided into an experimental group (with 28g of wolfberry daily for 5 days a week) and a control group (each containing 6mg lutein and 4mg zeaxanthin supplement).
By comparison, it is found that 28g of wolfberry 5 days a week can effectively supplement carotenoids for 3 months, and the effect is better than that of health care products. It also means that a handful of goji berries a day may help prevent or delay age-related macular degeneration.
Third, Is it better to chew the wolfberry directly, or drink it in water?
Wolfberry contains a variety of essential nutrients for human body: protein accounts for about 20%, fat accounts for 10%, sugar accounts for 40%, and the rest are inorganic salts, various trace elements and vitamins . 100 grams of wolfberry contains 3.39 mg of carotene, 0.23 mg of vitamin B1, 0.33 mg of vitamin B2, 1.7 mg of niacin, and 3 mg of ascorbic acid.
There are different opinions about how to eat wolfberry. Some people say that it is best to eat dry, and others say that soaking in water can exert its effect. In fact, most of the rich nutritional value of wolfberry cannot be precipitated by soaking. If you want to give full play to the health effect of wolfberry, it is best to eat it dry. You can also eat wolfberry after soaking in water.
Fourth, how to distinguish the quality of wolfberry?
Since dry eating is involved, then it involves selecting clean and high-quality wolfberries. How to choose the right wolfberry?
1. The color is not as red as possible.
The color of fresh wolfberry varies from place to place, but the color is soft, shiny, and fleshy. The dyed goji berries are mostly old goods from previous years. From the sensory point of view, the flesh is poor and dull, but the appearance is very bright and attractive. Therefore, when buying goji berries, you must not be greedy for “color”.
2. Smell it
For wolfberry fumigated with sulfur, just grab a handful and cover it with both hands for a while, then put it under your nose Smell, if you can smell an irritating choking odor.
3. Try it
Ningxia wolfberry tastes sweeter, but there is a bit of bitterness in the throat after eating; while in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other places The wolfberry is sweet and greasy, the wolfberry soaked in alumWhen chewed, the wolfberry will have a bitter taste of alum. As for the sulfurized wolfberry, the taste is sour, astringent and bitter.
Although wolfberry is good for health, it must be taken in moderation. Lycium barbarum has a high sugar content and is warm in nature. Excessive consumption will cause anger, so it can be controlled at about 20g of wolfberry every day.
References:
[1] Yan Huifang. The anti-cancer effect of high-priced black wolfberry is exaggerated propaganda[J].Family Medicine.Happy Health,2015(10):84-85.< /p>
[2]Distinguish the quality of wolfberry[J].Northern Horticulture,2015(13):157.
[3]Goji Berry Intake Increases Macular Pigment Optical Density in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Pilot Trial.Nutrients 2021,13(12),4409