Since fresh Goji berries are almost never found outside of their growing regions, they are usually imported to the U.S. as dried berries or as juice.  Hundreds of Goji-related businesses have popped up since the exotic berry first made its debut in the U.S. about the year 2002. You can now find Goji juice, juice concentrate, whole fruit puree, juice powder, pulp powders, whole or ground seeds, seed oils and essential oils, all derived from wolfberry seeds.  You can even buy the seeds on Ebay and grow your own!  Many health stores offer dried Goji berries, Goji berry trail mix and Goji granola bars.

Goji Juice
Goji first gained popularity as a juice in 2002 as part of a multi-level marketing campaign.  It is difficult to find Goji juice prepared from 100% Goji berries, and blends usually contain several other berry and fruit juices to enhance the flavor. Unfortunately, most juice blends don't state the actual percentage of Goji used in the juice.

Dried Goji Berries
For full potential benefits, you might be better off consuming the dried berries, or taking a powdered supplement.  Powdered extracts are readily available, but the whole berries are generally preferred.  Dried Goji berries are becoming easier to find, but they come at a fairly high price. Suppliers recommend an ounce a day, and the dried berries usually sell for a little over $1 per ounce. 

You can find Goji berries on numerous web sites by searching for "Goji" or "wolfberry."  Whole Foods carries the dried berries in bulk, and Trader Joe's sells a Goji berry trail mix. Bestselling author and supplement expert, Dr. Paul Gross, "the Berry Doctor,” suggests visiting your nearest Chinatown where you can buy them for a fraction of the price that you’ll pay to a health food store or to a network marketing distributor.  Choose dried berries that are the largest and reddest with a moisture content similar to raisins.  If possible, he recommends that you buy berries that are grown in the rich soil of Ningxia, the Goji berry capital of China. Find out what else Dr. Gross has to say in his new book entitled Wolfberry: Nature's Bounty of Nutrition and Health

Powdered Goji Supplements
Goji supplements are easy to find, and they come in a variety of strengths and blends.  The freeze-drying process is generally believed to be the best method of preserving the rich nutrients, so keep that in mind when buying Goji supplements.  You can find pure Goji, but you will also discover that Goji is often combined with other vitamins or fruit extracts such as Acai to maximize potential health benefits.  Although many sources believe that the dried berry is better for you than the powdered supplements, the upside is that you can avoid the extra sugar and save a few dollars with Goji in tablet or capsule form!

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