University of Florida Plant Information Goji Berry—a Novel Nutraceutical “Superfruit” for Florida Master Gardeners

HS1391

Goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) is a native shrub to China belonging to the Solanaceae family. Common names of the crop include Chinese wolfberry, Himalayan goji, Tibetan goji, Fruktus Iycii, gougizi, goji berry, matrimony vine, Chinese boxthorn, Ningxia wolfberry, red medlar, and mede berry. It is widely cultivated and used throughout the arid and semiarid regions of northwest China (Figure 1). Goji berries have been used in both fresh and processed forms for food and medicine for more than 4,000 years in China (Wang et al. 2015). The goji berry fruit is known as a “superfruit” thanks to its high levels of vitamins and minerals, as well as other medicinal benefits recognized in many countries around the world. The term “superfruit” is frequently used to refer to fruit extraordinarily rich in antioxidants and nutrients (Chang et al. 2018; Himelrick 2018). Goji berry has nutraceutical properties. Nutraceuticals, also called “functional foods,” aid in the prevention or treatment of certain diseases and disorders. Since the 2000s, goji berry has been sold in Western countries as a nutraceutical product and as an antiaging remedy. Thanks to effective marketing strategies, this crop has rapidly grown in North America, southeast Europe, and the Mediterranean over the last several years (Potterat 2009). 

1. This document is HS1391, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 2020. Revised January 2024. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Yujie Jiao, visiting PhD student, and Guodong Liu, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.