All About Wolfberries

These tiny seeds are packed with health benefits. By SHAWNA TANG

Wolfberries, or gouqi in Chinese, are exotic-looking red seeds found in the hillsides of northern China and Europe. They grow in pretty bunches on a perennial shrub. When ripe, the berry turns juicy red and has a dull sweet taste.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the wolfberry is said to balance the yin and yang of the body, as well as fortify qi or life force, and has been used by the Chinese for over 5,000 years. The fruit is native to a part of Inner Mongolia where the poeple, who eat it daily, are said to have life expectancies of over 100 years and seldom suffer from arthritis, cancer or diabetes.

There is no scientific proof but wolfberries are commonly believed to improve eyesight. Traditional mothers often include these fruit in soups which they regularly feed to their children, especially during exam time, to prevent eye strain.

Modern scientists have broken the berry into its constituent elements to prove that these seeds contain 18 types of amino acids, 21 trace minerals, 29 kinds of fatty acids, including vitamin A amounts similar to that of a carrot, vitamin C dosages higher than in oranges, many categories of the vitamin B and grand quantities of antioxidants found in vitamin E. They're your natural multi-vitamin!


WOLFBERRIES HELP

• strengthen a weak immune system
• prevent ageing symptoms such as fatigue and sexual impotence
• improve vision
• reduce the risk of prostrate, lung and stomach cancer
• strengthen the kidneys and liver
• reduce high blood pressure
• control diabetes

WAYS TO ENJOY WOLFBERRIES

• Boil in soup: Add wolfberries to any of your favourite Chinese soups.
• Brew in wine: Soak 200g of the fruit into 1 litre of Chinese white wine. Let it stand for 10 days before consuming.
• Add to cereal: Mix 15g of wolfberries with cereal for a healthy breakfast.
• Bake in a muffin: Instead of raisins, use wolfberries for cakes or muffins.

tip!

TCM practitioners recommend a daily intake of 20-40g of wolfberries, the equivalent of three to four tablespoons. Here's one way to get your daily dose:

Here's a Great Skin...

Wolfberries & Chrysanthemum Tea

(serves 4)

4 cups water
4 tsp wolfberries
60g chrysanthemum
70g sugar

1 Combine all the ingredients in a pot.
2 Bring to boil for 2 minutes, turn off the heat.
3 Cover and infuse tea for 15 minutes before serving.

Extracted from Simply Her