Hi Heather,

Just a note to say your goji juice (Goji Fusion) is amazing. It is about as fresh as it can get. Makes the stuff we can get up here taste like tar.

Thanks

Drinking goji berry juice (like Goji Fusion or Absolute Goji) for 14 days improves well-being, mental performance, and gastrointestinal function compared with placebo in a recent study.* Goji berry (Lycium barbarum) has been used in Asia since ancient times for its benefits against aging and for vision, kidney, and liver function.

Thirty-five healthy adults were randomly assigned to take a standardized preparation of 120 mL/day goji berry juice (17 subjects), equivalent to 150 grams of fresh fruit, or matching placebo drink (18 subjects). Before and after supplementation, subjects rated various symptoms of fatigue, memory, mental acuity, sleep, and physical health.

After two weeks, the supplemented group expressed significantly better energy level, sleep quality, mental focus, mental acuity, calmness, happiness, and overall health, as well as better gastrointestinal function, compared with baseline. They indicated lower levels of fatigue and stress. In the placebo group, the only significant improvements were reduced heartburn and greater happiness.  –Laura J. Ninger, ELS

*Amagase H, Nance DM. A randomized, doubled-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study of the general effects of a standardized Lycium barbarum (goji) juice, J Altern Complement Med. 2008 May;14 (4):403-12.

December 2008 LIFE EXTENSION

Dear CAOH,

How do the polysaccharides found in fresh goji berries survive “flash” pasteurization?  Are they still present in your juice?  In what form is the juice shipped to the US?

Thank you,

Dan Allis

Answer: Dan,

Flash pasteurization is well below the temp. threshold to destroy PS’s, enzymes or other valuable phytochemicals present in the goji juice (Goji Fusion). Sterile processing, which FreeLife (and many others) use, utilizes a very high temp, that in my professional opinion, can and does destroy all vital, biological components.

The goji is shipped as is, after flash pasteurization, to us in the U.S.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

I must be bored, because I decided to surf some competitor sites to see what they are up to and BOY did I find some funky stuff. I am not a critical person by nature but I decided to have some fun with this. All of this comes for just one, high Google ranked site.

“I am not knocking goji berries, I love goji berries and my family and I eat them every day. I am just having a little fun at the expense of this website.

First off, “Our Goji berries come from Northern Asia in the Tibetan and Mongolian Himalayas.” 

I don’t have a PhD in geography but even a sixth grader knows that the Himalayan mountain range never has and never will extend into Mongolia, and I personally know that goji, even in the smallest quantities are not coming from either Tibet, Mongolia, Tibetan Plateau or the Himalayas. Anyone claiming as much is either uninformed or just out-right lying. I would love to have any company advertising such claims to show me a picture with GPS coordinates as proof.

More gibberish. “Goji berries will grow in almost any climate, but are most prevalent in the Himalayas.”

I forgot, some of the worlds most celebrated botanical gardens are in the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau (which is at a lower elevation then the actual Himalayan mountain range) .

Fact: The Tibetan Plateau, comprising most of Tibet north and east of the Himalayas, lies at more than 3000 m (10,000 ft) in altitude, with poor soil and arid climate conditions unfavorable for fruit crops. Defined by the geography of Tibet, particularly in the western Himalayas, cold nighttime temperatures averaging -4°C year round  with six months of continual frost would inhibit plant bud development and prevent fruit formation. Existing in Tibet are minimal subsistence agriculture and impoverished crop management and transportation facilities unsupportive of commercial berry production. Although limited fertile regions suitable for food crops exist in the valleys of Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse, and the Brahmaputra River, there are no objective economic, scientific, or government reports on the commercial production of Lycium berry species from these Tibetan regions. (from Wikipedia, also verified via references)

More? “We are the best source for Himalayan Goji Berries because we directly import the authentic Lycium Barbarum, the original and most nutritious known strain of the 41 Asian varieties.”

There is that Himalayan goji berry again. This time it’s the most nutritious of 41 strains. Again, I am not a PhD ethnobotanist but I have done enough goji research over the last 3-4 years to know that there are less than a handful of edible Lycium varieties world-wide; Lycium chinensis and Lycium barbarum being the most famous  and well known. They have the best strain of the ’41 Asian varieties’. They better get some anti-virals, it sound like the flu to me.

Again, more non-sense: “500 times more Vitamin C than oranges.”

I want some of this action to help me if I get some of the above. So, if a 6 ounce orange has 50 mg’s of Vitamin C, than 6 ounces of Himalayan Goji berries would have 2.5 grams of Vitamin C. Now I see where their coming from, they have the special strain, Himalayan variety, that’s it. Joking aside, the berries have between 29 mg per 100 grams to as high as 148 mg per 100 grams. Goji is a very good vitamin C source and I do recommend them daily in my practice.

I am starting to feel bad about picking on this site but it’s like slowing when there’s an accident of the side of the road, you just can’t help yourself.

Another doozy! (Any typo or misspelling here comes from their site): “HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE:
Goji berries are known to have a unique polysaccharide that stimulates the pituitary gland in the anterior of the brain to produce more Human Growth Hormone, the master hormone in our bodies. HGH is know to slow down, and even reverse some of the effects of aging. For centuries, people in Asia that have customarily eaten Goji berries have been documented to live longer and healthier lives with little or no incidence of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple scirosis, or a host of other “dread” diseases that are afflicting many of the Industrialized Nations of the world.”

We better let every professional sports player in on this one. Just think steroids will be a thing of the past. All you need to do now is eat a hand-full of goji berries and watch time being shaved off your ¼ mile sprint or amaze your friend with your new found muscles and ripped abs, just from eating goji berries.

The best part about the above referenced paragraph, is that if I eat goji berries I won’t get the ‘dread’ disease – multiple scirosis. That sounds like a nasty one!

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Question Dr. E

I have been using your products for the last 6 mo. and have been very happy with them.
I currently take 1 scoop of your protein powder, 1 oz of Acai and 1 oz of goji in a soy/rice milk shake every morning. I’m always looking to try and experiment with new things.

I’m going to be placing another order and would appreciate your product recommendations. I’m 45, very fit, active and plan on staying that way,…LOL

I’m currently interested in:

• L-Tryptophan

• Whey Protein Powder

• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji

• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder

• Liquid Power

1. Would all of the above be recommended or would the benefits of some be found in the others and then they would overlap eliminating the need for all of them?

2. Would you have any other recommendations?

3. How would you recommend taking the supplements?

Thank you in advance for your response.

Tom

Answer Tom,

I am almost 44 and have the same goals. This is what I do in the morning. It’s a little extreme but I want to live to 100, go to bed with a smile on my face and just not wake-up the next day, never having to see any doctor and not on medications. You can also check out my practice website here
www.advancedhealing.com

From caoh.com* I take daily:

• 1 scoop whey protein*

• 2 scoops Absolute Acai*

• 1 ounce Liquid Power*

• 1 tblsp liquid flax seed oil

• 1 tblsp wheat germ oil

• 1 tsp molecularly distilled fish oil

• 1 heaping tblsp Ultra Supreme Greens*

• Frozen strawberries and blueberries

And if I need a little immune boost I will add 1 ounce of TheraAloe*.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Reply Dr. E,

Thank you for your reply.

I have a couple more questions:

1. How do you feel about L-Tryptophan? What kind of people would you recommend this for? I know way back they took it off the market due to some unfortunate incidents.

2. ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder? Why choose one over the other?

3. Taking the list below, how beneficial would adding supreme greens be?

• Whey Protein Powder

• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji

• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder

• Liquid Power

• 10 oz soy milk

• 4 oz rice milk

• 1tbl flaxseed oil

Tom,

1. How do you feel about L-Tryptophan? What kind of people would you recommend this for? I know way back they took it off the market due to some unfortunate incidents. It was as still is totally safe. FDA made a big mistake now it’s fixed. 3 before bed is the recommended dose and can be taken by most adults.

2. ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder? Why choose one over the other? Absolute Acai, because it’s pure 100% acai goodness.

3. Taking the list below, how beneficial would adding supreme greens be? Very beneficial.

• Whey Protein Powder
• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji
• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder
• Liquid Power
• 10 oz soy milk – Would use water, too many sugar calories and not much nutritional benefit.
• 4 oz rice milk – Would use water, too many sugar calories and not much nutritional benefit.
• 1tbl flaxseed oil

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger Dc, BSc

Question: Hi, I just wanted to know if goji juice can cause problems if you take medications. I take blood pressure medication for high blood pressure and also to slow down my heart beat because sometimes it goes fast, do you think it would interact with the meds. Thank you

Answer: I can’t answer for you specifically, in regard to goji and medication, as I do not know your history and you are not a client of mine.

The most important point here is that: Goji “is” nothing more than a fruit.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Related Products

Goji Fusion
Absolute Goji
Goji Berries

Question: A very good friend of mine is using/selling Bazi. What, if anything, do you know about this product?

Thanks!

Melissa Murphey

Answer: Melissa,

In theory it looks like a good product but more likely than not, it isn’t. This is from their promotional material:

“How much of each fruit is in the XELR8 Phyto8 Blend?”

“The Phyto8 Blend is a proprietary blend of 8 fruits known only to XELR8. Extensive research has gone into placing each fruit in a perfect ratio to allow for optimal benefits of health and wellness, this is what makes Bazi so unique and exclusive to XELR8.”

This must have been written by a presidential campaign speech writer, attorney or both. Translated into plain English we get: We don’t list how much fruit is really in there and we definitely don’t want to publicize it because it’s just a little juice and a lot of water. The extensive research I am sure was conducted at Cambridge, Harvard or Yale by a team of Nobel Prize winning biochemists.

I am just having fun with this as you can probably tell. This is 100% on par with the promotional literature of every Multi Level Marketing company in existence. They talk-up the product(s) without ever giving you any facts to back it up.

I hope this helps or at least made you laugh.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Response: It does make me laugh and also makes me want to steer clear of it! My best friend is using and selling it and loves it. So hard to tell her no, but I don’t want to get into ANOTHER multi-level program. I have been in Beauticontrol Cosmetics and New Vision International and am done with it.

Thanks for the info. I kind of felt the same way. If their blend was “legitimate” they would probably share the info.

Love your products! Love the simplicity of your site! Love the organic factor in much of it! Keep up the GREAT work!

Melissa Murphey

Question: Hi,

Last summer I purchased your liquid vitamins! I do like them but was recently diagnosed with a gluten allergy. I want to continue to take them but want to be sure you do not put gluten in them. Please research this and get back to me. Thanks

Tamara Simone-Collins

Answer: Tamara,

There is no gluten in our Liquid Power. I hope you enjoy the product.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Related Product:

Liquid Power

Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2007 Aug 21

Chang RC, So KF.

Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Anatomy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Lycium barbarum (Gouqizi, Fructus Lycii, Wolfberry) is well known for nourishing the liver, and in turn, improving the eyesight. However, many people have forgotten its anti-aging properties. Valuable components of L. barbarum are not limited to its colored components containing zeaxanthin and carotene, but include the polysaccharides and small molecules such as betaine, cerebroside, beta-sitosterol, p-coumaric, and various vitamins. Despite the fact that L. barbarum has been used for centuries, its beneficial effects to our bodies have not been comprehensively studied with modern technology to unravel its therapeutic effects at the biochemical level. Recently, our laboratory has demonstrated its neuroprotective effects to counter neuronal loss in neurodegenerative diseases. Polysaccharides extracted from L. barbarum can protect neurons against beta-amyloid peptide toxicity in neuronal cell cultures, and retinal ganglion cells in an experimental model of glaucoma. We have even isolated the active component of polysaccharide which can attenuate stress kinases and pro-apoptotic signaling pathways. We have accumulated scientific evidence for its anti-aging effects that should be highlighted for modern preventive medicine. This review is to provide background information and a new direction of study for the anti-aging properties of L. barbarum. We hope that new findings for L. barbarum will pave a new avenue for the use of Chinese medicine in modern evidence-based medicine.

PMID: 17710531 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Related Products: Goji Berries, Goji Fusion, and Absolute Goji

Question: You showed a long, long list of pix of your travels. This not answer any questions for me. You say your GOJI is ORGANIC–PURE with not a thing added to a 17 oz bottle. I called on phone. The person I spoke with sounded completely uniformed–knew nothing. What’s UP? I wanted to ask some questions in person. For instance, is the stuff that Earl Mindell is pedaling in a Multi-Level Mkt’ing co. half juice & water.? It is VERY expensive. My Bro-in-Law is convinced it is the ONLY REAL Himalayan Juice. Rest is all just poor facsimiles. I want some facts directed to me before I will order. I did receive some very good tasting juice that is ORANGE from TOTAL HEALTH. It was 6 bottles for $99.00, free shipping. It is delicious, but is yours better. Theirs is 32 oz. yours is 17, you say.

Much confusion. I want some direct answers, before ordering. I have tasted a bottle for $10. from Swanson Vitamins. It is TERRIBLE. Tastes like Prune Juice. I tasted a bottle from OUTPOST HEALTH STORE. WAS EXPENSIVE & SYRUPY. What’s with all these various GOJI’s. I think I will order the powder & make my own.

Sincerely

Marge Joyce

Answer: Marge,

The juice you are referring to is our Absolute Goji; it is 100% organic, 100% pure goji juice. I do not know the exact percentage of Dr. Mindell’s goji juice because they do not disclose that fact. Your brother-in-law has been indoctrinated into a Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) belief system that says theirs is the best and everyone else is either a liar or a cheater. That is how MLM’s work.

We offer two goji products: Goji Fusion and Absolute Goji. Both are excellent products and our company has a flawless reputation. I am including a link that has many question and answers about goji in general and our goji products. I hope this helps with your decision.

http://www.caoh.com/liquid-vitamin-blog/?cat=15

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Response from Marge: Thank You, it does help. I HATE what Earl Mindell is pulling off. My Bro-in-law, is convinced since he is drinking GOJI, it has stopped his Prostate Cancer. I told him he got early detection, otherwise Nothing would have helped much. Ed is 85, & seems healthy,& ANY GOJI is good, but his $34. a bottle PLUS shipping. It is not Organic. The label does say Water, & several other juices added. And it is Purple in color. I do have this Orange, Organic that was only $99. (no shipping chg) It is very good. It is 32oz, but does have Pear, Apple, & preservative. No water.

What does yours taste like? I also like the berries. I have bought them Organic at OutPost in MILW. & ordered the Organic from Swanson Vitamins.

Thank YOU again. I’ll be in touch.

Marge Joyce

My Response: Marge,

Personally I recommend the Goji Fusion. It’s 60% goji and has one of the top fruits in the world for natural vitamin-C content, the camu-camu fruit. One ounce supplies 250mg of natural vitamin-C. So you get both the benefit of goji and the benefit of 250mg’s of natural vitamin-C. Or, if you want to 100% goji than the Absolute Goji is it. Both taste great but taste is a subjective thing.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Related Products: Goji Berries, Goji Fusion, and Absolute Goji