Goji Berry: Health Promoting Properties
Prodromos Skenderidis, Stefanos Leontopoulos, Dimitrios Lampakis
Abstract
Since ancient times, it has been noticed that Goji berry fruit juice, roots and leaves consist of ingredients that contain a wide variety of bioactive substances. The consumption of goji berry fruits results in properties which improve the subjective feeling of general well-being. The aim of this work is to present the information from the existing literature on the possible role of goji berry plant parts and their extracts as a functional food. Lycium barbarum Polysaccharides (LBP) and polyphenols are the most researched aspects of fruits associated with the promotion of human health. Goji berry fruits demonstrated anti-oxidative properties that are associated with age-related diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and antitumor and immunoregulatory activities. Bioactive secondary metabolites contained in fruit lead to positive effects for human vision, while other biochemicals contained in the root bark have shown hepatoprotective and inhibitory actions on the rennin/angiotensin system. The results presented so far in the literature verify their use in traditional medicine.