Goji Berry

Lycium barbarum · Wolfberry · Goji

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Blood lipid profile¹ Cardiovascular risk markers² Macular pigment density³ Blood lipids and cardiovascular risk^{1, 2} Retinitis pigmentosa⁴ Subthreshold depression^{5, 6}	Lipid transfer protein food allergy⁷ Pregnancy or breastfeeding⁸

Goji berry, the fruit of Lycium barbarum, is a traditional Chinese food and herb whose carotenoids and polysaccharides act through antioxidant and immune-modulating pathways^{7, 9}. People take it for blood lipids and cardiovascular risk markers, macular pigment, and, in smaller trials, retinal degeneration and subthreshold depression, most often middle-aged and older adults.

A meta-analysis of randomized trials found wolfberry lowered triglycerides and raised high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, more clearly with whole fruit than extract¹. A 2021 randomized pilot trial in healthy adults found goji berry intake raised macular pigment optical density, while a lutein-zeaxanthin supplement did not³. In Caenorhabditis elegans, a 2021 study found Lycium barbarum extract extended lifespan and alleviated toxic protein aggregation; no human trial has tested this. More than seven thousand products list goji berry, mostly capsules, with powders, tablets, gummies, and liquids also sold; see Form comparison.

Warfarin is the main coordination issue: a systematic review lists wolfberry among herbs that raise bleeding risk in warfarin users¹⁰, and case reports describe elevated international normalized ratio (INR) values⁷. Health Canada labels ask for a health care practitioner's advice before use alongside prescription medications⁸.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

55 sources, 45 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources