Goji Berries枸杞

Classification and Origin

Lycium barbarum; in the Chinese tradition — 宁夏枸杞 (Níngxià gǒuqǐ).

Lycium ruthenicum; in the Chinese tradition — 黑果枸杞 (hēiguǒ gǒuqǐ).

nightshade family (茄科, qiékē), genus Lycium (枸杞属, gǒuqǐ shǔ).

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, benchmark provenance area — Zhongning County (中宁, Zhōngníng); "Zhongning lycium" holds geographical indication status (地理标志, dìlǐ biāozhì).

Qinghai Province (青海, Qīnghǎi), primarily the Qaidam Basin (柴达木, Cháidámù) and the Nomhon area (诺木洪, Nuòmùhóng); also Xinjiang (新疆, Xīnjiāng).

Type: tea substitute, herbal infusion (代用茶, dàiyòng chá); not tea in the botanical sense.

Facts

the infusion of black lycium can be used as a visual pH indicator — from blue in an alkaline medium to purple in an acidic one.

the international word "goji" is a Latinised rendering of the Chinese reading of 枸杞 (gǒuqǐ).

the meme "goji in a thermos" (保温杯里泡枸杞) has taken hold in Chinese pop culture.

young lycium shoots are eaten as a vegetable, and the root bark (地骨皮, dìgǔpí) is a separate raw material of traditional medicine.

black lycium was once promoted as "soft gold" (软黄金, ruǎn huángjīn), after which its price dropped considerably as plantations expanded.

History and Culture

lycium is mentioned in early Chinese herbals, including the Shennong Bencao Jing (神农本草经, Shénnóng Běncǎo Jīng) and later in Li Shizhen's (李时珍, Lǐ Shízhēn) Bencao Gangmu (本草纲目, Běncǎo Gāngmù).

goji is a classic example of the concept of "food and medicine sharing a single root" (药食同源, yàoshí tóngyuán).

the berries are part of "eight-treasure tea" (八宝茶, bābǎo chá) — a sweet infusion of the Hui people in Ningxia and Gansu.

goji has become an unofficial marker of everyday health consciousness.

Botany and Raw Material

a deciduous thorny shrub about 1–3 m tall, with arching branches and lanceolate leaves; flowers lilac-purple.

an elongated-ellipsoid berry approximately 1–2 cm long, orange-red, sweet, with numerous small seeds.

a shorter, heavily thorny shrub, adapted to deserts and saline soils.

a small, nearly spherical berry about 5–9 mm in diameter, dark purple to black, often of a flattened shape and with a short pedicel.

the young shoots and leaves of lycium (枸杞叶, gǒuqǐ yè; 枸杞头, gǒuqǐ tóu) are also eaten, from which infusions and vegetable dishes are prepared.

Terroir

alluvial and lightly saline soils of the river valley, irrigation from the Yellow River (黄河, Huáng Hé), abundant sunshine, and large diurnal temperature differences.

altitudes on the order of 2600–3000 m, a dry, sharply continental climate, saline soils, and strong ultraviolet radiation.

arid areas with similar conditions, where black lycium is also collected, partly from wild stands.

Production

by hand; red lycium is picked in several passes from early summer to autumn as it ripens.

traditionally, fresh berries are briefly dipped in a weak food-grade alkali solution (食用碱, shíyòng jiǎn) to disrupt the waxy coating of the skin and accelerate drying.

sun drying on racks or warm-air drying; it is important not to overdry or "burn" the raw material.

dried especially gently, at moderate temperature and often in the shade, to preserve unstable anthocyanins.

by size, colour, and integrity; large, uniform berries go into the top grades.

Organoleptic Profile

soft, slightly springy, distinctly sweet with a light sour note.

clear, pale orange-yellow; taste mild, sweetish, without bitterness.

almost unsweet, neutral-herbaceous, with perceptible seeds.

mild in taste, but visually striking in colour due to anthocyanins.

Chemical Composition

Lycium polysaccharides (枸杞多糖, gǒuqǐ duōtáng; LBP in the literature), carotenoids with a predominance of zeaxanthin (mainly in the form of zeaxanthin dipalmitate), betaine, free amino acids, vitamins, and trace elements.

anthocyanins (petunidin derivatives predominate), proanthocyanidins, polysaccharides.

Health Notes

the red lycium is credited with the properties of "nourishing the liver and kidneys" (补肝肾, bǔ gān shèn) and "brightening the eyes" (明目, míngmù); this is the language of traditional concepts, not clinical diagnoses.

Lycium polysaccharides, zeaxanthin in relation to eye health, and the antioxidant activity of extracts are under investigation; the black berry is studied primarily for its anthocyanins.

it is a food product, not a medicine.

Brewing

approximately 5–10 g (about 20–30 berries) per 300–500 ml of water.

about 85–95 °C.

5–10 minutes; the swollen berries may be eaten.

withstands 2–3 infusions, after which the flavour weakens.

approximately 2–3 g (20–30 small berries) per glass.

about 40–60 °C — not boiling, to preserve anthocyanins and colour.

warm or cold; a cold infusion is especially striking in colour.

Teaware: for the red variety — a glass tumbler, gaiwan, or thermos; for the black variety — transparent glass, to observe the colour.

Storage

a dry, cool, dark place in an airtight container.

the berries are hygroscopic; at elevated humidity they stick together, darken, and mould.

in a refrigerator or freezer in tightly sealed packaging.

periodically inspect the raw material for food moths and small beetles.

Price and Authenticity

approximately 70–160 ¥/kg as an order of magnitude; the specific price depends on the variety, grade, calibre, and harvest year.

the colour is uneven, dark red rather than "fire-engine bright"; there is often a pale spot near the pedicel; the taste is sweet; when steeped, the water colours gradually.

dyeing with food-grade and even industrial colorants, sulphur fumigation (硫熏, liú xūn) for brightness, sweetening and weighting, selling old raw material as fresh.

small, often with the pedicel still attached; the infusion in warm water changes colour depending on pH.

admixture of similar-looking dark berries, dyeing, passing off ordinary raw material as "wild high-altitude."