Goji Berry: The Chinese Mountain Superfood
Goji berries (Lycium barbarum) have been used in Chinese medicine for 2,000 years. The story of the modern "superfood" boom and how to grow them.
The goji berry or wolfberry (Lycium barbarum and Lycium chinense) is a small bright orange-red berry from a thorny shrub native to the high valleys of Ningxia in central China. Used in Chinese traditional medicine for over 2,000 years, the dried fruit became a global superfood marketing phenomenon in the 2000s.
Origin and history
Native to central China, particularly the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region โ still the world's largest commercial producer. Used in traditional Chinese medicine since at least 200 BCE; references in 1,000-year-old herbal texts describe goji as a longevity tonic.
Where goji grows today
China (Ningxia, Xinjiang) dominates global production. Modest cultivation has begun in North America, Europe, and Australia. Most goji on Western shelves is dried Chinese fruit.
How to grow goji
USDA Zones 3-10 โ exceptionally hardy. Thorny upright shrub (2-3m). Tolerates poor alkaline soils. Drought-tolerant. First fruit in year 2. Birds love the ripe fruit.
Bottom line
Tolerates harsh conditions where almost no other fruit grows. Plant one for hardy ornamental color and a small harvest of red-orange berries.