Acai and goji berries are fruits that are used for a wide variety of medicinal purposes. Goji is also called wolfberry or Lycium. You might take either acai berry or goji berry remedies to help treat cancer, anemia or diabetes. Consult your doctor before taking acai or goji berry to prevent or treat any medical condition to discuss the proper dosage and health dangers.
Benefits
You might take goji or acai berry to help treat or prevent low iron levels and anemia, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. These berries might also prevent or treat cancer and high blood sugar or diabetes, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Goji berry could also treat macular degeneration, says the University of Michigan Health System. Some other benefits goji might provide include protecting your liver, and treating sexual dysfunction, high cholesterol, burns, pain and inflammation, skin infections and coughs. You could take acai berry to treat dysmenorrhea, hepatitis, diarrhea, autoimmune conditions, allergies, fevers, jaundice or scrofula. However, no widely accepted scientific evidence supports the use of acai or goji berry to prevent or treat any medical condition.
Functions
Acai berry contains essential fatty acids, vitamin E, fiber, protein, certain enzymes and minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc, says the University of Michigan Health System. Acai also contains phytosterols and the bioflavonoids called anthocyanins. These components in acai berry provide anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer effects, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Goji berry contains polysaccharides that also have antioxidant and anti-cancer actions, as well as cholesterol- and blood glucose-lowering actions, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Specifically, goji berry contains betasitosterol that inhibits cholesterol absorption and a cerebroside that acts to protect the liver, explains the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Goji berry also has high levels of the carotenoid called zeaxanthin, which protects the retinas in the eyes, says the University of Michigan Health System.
Dosages
You might take 3 to 4 tbsp. of goji berry tincture each day, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Alternatively, you could consume 15 g of whole goji berries. You could take 1 to 2 g of acai berry tablets or capsules daily, or 1 oz. of acai berry powder mixed with 10 to 12 oz. of water once or twice daily, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Ask your physician about the dosage of acai or goji berry that's right for you before taking these remedies.
Medical Research
Chinese studies of animals published from 2004 to 2006 have found that goji berry can improve insulin resistance, reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and provide antioxidant effects, says the University of Michigan Health System. It goes on to state other Chinese studies in rats published in 2002 and 2007 discovered that zeaxanthin extracts from goji berries have liver-protective effects. Goji berry also improved fertility and sexual function in partially castrated rats, according to a study published in Life Sciences in 2006.
Double-blind in vitro studies revealed that acai berry has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, according to a 2008 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. A human study published in the same journal issue also found that acai berry's anthocyanins have antioxidant effects, notes the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Acai berry extracts also inhibited leukemia cells in a laboratory study published in the same journal in 2006.
Dangers
Acai berry's antioxidant actions could potentially interfere with some chemotherapy medications, and goji berry's blood-thinning effects might increase your bleeding risks if you're taking anticoagulants like Coumadin, warns the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Although no other significant side effects or drug interactions have been reported from using acai or goji berry, no formal safety studies have been performed on their use either.
Member Comments