Goji

Goji, goji berry, or wolfberry (Chinese: 枸杞; pinyin: gǒuqǐ) is the sweet fruit of either Lycium barbarum or Lycium chinense, two closely related species of boxthorn in the nightshade family, Solanaceae.^[1] L. barbarum and L. chinense fruits are similar but can be distinguished by differences in taste and sugar content.^[2]

Both of these species are native to East Asia,^[1] and have been long used in traditional East Asian cuisine. In the United States, varieties of the genus, Lycium, are given the common names, desert-thorn and Berlandier's wolfberry for the species, Lycium berlandieri.^[3]

The fruit has also been an ingredient in East Asian traditional medicine, namely traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean medicine since at least the 3rd century AD.^[2][4] In pharmacopeias, the fruit of the plant is called by the Latin name lycii fructus and the leaves are called herba lycii.^[5][6]

Since about 2000, goji berry and derived products have become common in developed countries as health foods or alternative medicine remedies, extending from exaggerated and unproven claims about their health benefits.^[7][8][9]