|
Food
As Medicine: Spotlight on Chinese Wolfberry Fruit
I
had just settled in to my seat at a local Beijing restaurant
this past Christmas when the young male “tea attendant”
approached with a copper colored tea pitcher sporting a spout
that must have been at least 3 feet long. I didn’t recall
seeing these “tea attendants” on my previous visits to
China but they have become a familiar site at restaurants all
over the country. The popular and tasty herb at the core of
this presentation is gou qi zi in Chinese or wolfberry in
English. The tea made from the wolfberry has a very delicate
slightly fruity taste. The berries are a distinctive red
colored raisin like fruit. They are often eaten just like
raisins but have a milder more pleasant taste when fresh.
The
Chinese Wolfberry is now making a strong impression in herb
markets around the world, and for very good reasons well
documented and understood by Chinese for thousands of years.
On a nutritional and medicinal level this attractive little
berry packs a storehouse of nutrition and
potential health benefits outperforming many popular
foods and natural food stars such as spirulina, bee pollen,
and even carrots. Wolfberries pack more beta-carotene than
carrots, contain 19 amino acids, 21 trace minerals, and 31%
polysaccharides.
Taken
as food in the form of tea, mixed into any recipe calling for
a mild fruit taste, or just eaten straight as a low calorie
health snack, wolfberry has earned a respectable place on the
table. But add to these attributes the medicinal
characteristics and potential of wolfberry and a truly unique
food/medicine stands out. In Chinese medicine wolfberry fruit
nourishes the kidneys and liver, rebuilds and supports the
bodies vital energy, and improves vision. Research in China
has shown a positive role in the wolfberry for diabetes, high
blood pressure, lung conditions, eyesight problems, and a
number of other conditions. In a review article waiting to be
published on Wolfberry by Dr. Zhang and Dr. Nolting, the
authors elaborate on a number of research studies exploring
various medicinal claims surrounding wolfberry. In the area of
aging “wolfberry fruit may be a potent anti-oxidant, which
may help slow aspects of the aging process”. Liver cancer,
immune system support, and vision improvement are other areas
where significant studies have concluded that wolfberry plays
an important medicinal role.
So
can you find a bag of wolfberry fruit at your local Safeway ?
Doubtful, as we are just now seeing affordable supplements of
the product appearing in mostly specialty nutrition and health
food stores. Asian stores and China Town herb and grocery
stores are always good places to look for the berries but be
sure the berries have that fresh red plump look as often the
berries are rancid from improper storage. The best quality
wolfberries are grown in the northwest area of China and
exported fresh and properly stored.
Remember
to consult a well trained practitioner in Chinese medicine for
the appropriate use and dosages of wolberry for specific
health conditions. Always seek out an individual diagnosis, in
person, when considering the proper medicinal application of
herbs such as wolfberry. As a food for general health and
nutritional support wolfberry is safe and versatile. Even so
since it is not a native food in America always make sure it
is fresh and use caution when there is a history of serious
food allergies.
The
following recipe for fresh wolfberries is taken from the Zhang
and Nolting article and is offered here for your general food
use and enjoyment:
Chinese 8
Treasure Tea
Mix
together in a large tea pot the following ingredients:
5
wolfberry fruits, several raisins, walnuts, dates, langan
fruit, jujube fruit, hawthorn, and 1 tablespoon of dried green
tea leaf. (the langan, jujube, and hawthorn may be omitted to
make “5 treasure tea” if difficult to find). Boil and
simmer to desired strength to make a very nutritious tasty
tea.
A Hangover
Friend Tea (great for any over indulgence)
Mix
together 3 tablespoons of wolfberry and 3 tablespoons of
chrysanthemum in a standard teapot, boil and simmer to taste.
Sip as needed and “melt the guilt away”.
Dr.
Nolting, 05/1999.
RichNature
Home
Information on these pages is
provided for informational purposes and is not meant to
substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or
other medical professional. You should not use the information
contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem
or disease, or prescribing any medication. You should read
carefully all product packaging. If you have or suspect that
you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care
provider.
Copyright 1998 - RichNature
Incorporated All Rights Reserved. Questions please
e-mail webmaster@richnature.com |
