[Lapg] 7 Foods/Plants The Healthiest People Eat

[sasha karlik]

Something I have suspected for several years, seems to be strongly
affirmed if not confirmed by something I just read, following a link on
Wikipedia to a very well written (2007) article at Tibetinfonet.net.  If
your curiosity is piqued after reading my short, irate rant, please read
the complete article, at tibetinfonet.net.  The first paragraph of that
article appears below the link.  The entire article is several pages
long and worth the read...

The real secret is that the name "Goji Berries" was created by cunning
marketeers, to fraudulently sell a Chinese ag product, (Lycium)
wolfberries, as somehow "Tibetan" or "Himalayan""Goji Berries".  They
are neither Tibetan, nor are they really "Goji Berries".

Here is another 'secret' these marketers would prefer to keep a secret:
Chinese wolfberries, even while grown and shipped with pesticides and
fungicides, are often labeled and sold as "Organic", "Tibetan" or
"Himalayan", and voila!, the price magically doubles or triples, as that
pesky "Chinese" problem somehow magically disappears.

If you like "Goji Berries", try making a little trip to Chinatown.  You
can find pallet loads of Chinese wolfberries at more than a dozen shops
from about $5-$10/lb.  Please do not buy them to re-package or resell as
somehow Tibetan.  It's sleazy, dishonest and disgusting to steal and use
the good name of Tibet to cover up something that likely has toxic
pesticides and fungicides and was probably produced by the mostly
slave-labor market practices of the PRC.

To perpetuate this deception only to inflate the profit margin is the
epitome of greed and really sucks.

In my humble opinion: The marketers who pull this kind of sh*t anywhere
should get their individual and collective ass kicked off the planet.

Thanks to Dennis Pilien for bringing up the question-- I'll bet you buck
that these babies are already growing somewhere right here in North
America.  (anywhere between Panama to Alaska...)

Order all the best heirloom seeds easily from one CA based seed bank:
JLHUDSONSEEDS.NET

"The best solution is a permaculture solution..."

Sasha Karlik

http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/SeedlistLO-LZ.htm
LYCIUM (LISH-ee-um, LI-see-um, or LYE-see-um)
SOLANACEAE. 'MATRIMONY VINE', 'BOXTHORN'. Ornamental shrubs, often
clambering, or with graceful, arching branches. Valued for their
funnel-shaped flowers and bright scarlet berries. Good for hedges,
wildlife habitat, erosion control, food and medicine. Some of the 100 or
so species are hardy in the North, and the pendant types are especially
attractive cascaded down a wall. Good by the seaside and for fixing
sandy banks. Easily grown.
—Lycium chinense. (b,h) LYCI-12. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $14.00
'CHINESE WOLFBERRY', 'KUKO', 'KO-CHI'. Purple half-inch flowers June to
September, followed by attractive scarlet 1/2 - 1" long berries, August
to October. Graceful arching shrub to 12 feet, with bright green 1 1/2 -
3" oval leaves. E. Asia. Hardy in the North, and "It is a splendid sight
in autumn gardens, when its slender branches are laden with scarlet
berries."—Yashiroda. These branches are much valued in Japanese
flower-arranging. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks. The young leaves are eaten
in salads or boiled with rice as flavoring, and are also drunk as tea.
The berries are eaten and a medicinal wine is made from them. Leaves,
root and fruit are all highly valued in Chinese medicine, as "prolonging
life, improving the complexion & brightening the eye."—Pen Ts'ao.
—Lycium exsertum. (a!,h) LYCI-22. Packet: $2.50
'WOLFBERRY'. Profuse small lavender flowers followed by abundant bright
red edible berries. Spiny shrub to 3 - 6 feet. Low deserts, Arizona &
México. Very drought resistant. The berries were eaten in great
quantities by the Indians, fresh, cooked, or dried like raisins. Good
wildlife shrub. Germinates in 2 - 6 weeks.



http://www.tibetinfonet.net/content/update/124

Under the exotic name 'goji berry', a variety of Lycium fruit, more
commonly referred to as wolfberry, has taken the booming global 'health
food' market by storm. Although the berries do possess exceptional
nutritional qualities, many of those marketing 'goji berry' products
claim the fruit has miraculous properties, such as curing cancer and
increasing longevity; claims that have been exposed as fraudulent. What
has been often overlooked however is that the aggressive marketing
strategies supporting the goji craze rely heavily on portraying the
berries as a Tibetan product. This Special Report shows that the
purported Tibetan origin of goji berries is bogus and relies on the
misappropriation and distortion of western research on Traditional
Tibetan Medicine (TTM). Moreover, there are no indications that the
berries that have swamped worldwide markets have actually been grown
commercially in any Tibetan region of the People's Republic of China
(PRC). Rather, they originate from regions at the outer fringes of the
Tibetan Plateau where they are grown by Chinese Muslims (Hui). Apart
from obscuring the provenance of the berries, Western goji traders
present standard stereotypes, implicit assumptions of cultural
superiority, and politically correct sanitisations, which neatly reflect
the politically dominant image of Tibet in China. Many companies
distributing goji products appear to cynically take advantage of the
naivety or serious health problems of western consumers, as well as of
inaccurate Tibet images in order to market a Chinese crop as a Tibetan
product without providing any apparent returns to Tibetans. The example
of the goji berry demonstrates that, unless transparent structures are
established within and outside the PRC to verify the authenticity of
Tibetan products, the name of Tibet is destined to be misappropriated as
a convenient label that profits non-Tibetans.



Superfood #2: Goji Berries
Move over carrot.
This little, bright red berry from China is one of the most potent
sources of beta-carotene and vitamin C. These are both fantastic
antioxidants.

Goji berries also contain 18 amino acids and over 21 minerals which give
them a serious power-punch to anyone’s system.
Goji berries help stimulate your body’s natural human growth hormone
which is critical in anti-aging and longevity.
You can only get them dried in the US, so don't expect to find them in
any produce section. Some health food stores will carry them, but you're
best bet is online.
Goji berries are a fantastic snack--eat them just like you would
raisins--to add to your superfood arsenal and are a great addition to
any herbal tea.



On 09/01/2010 09:37 AM, Dennis Pilien wrote:
> 	
> Hi All:
> Here's a thought: These are the healthiest foods/plants to eat. See
> attachment for more details on each food/plant nutrient. My question to
> any of you is "Do you know where I can get any one these locally?" I am
> searching online for seeds or cuttings or techniques to raise or grow my
> own.
> I want to grow them in my mini-greenhouses/ponds this fall/winter as
> needed and/or in my own garden or community garden plot. I want to use
> permacultural agriculture, aquaponics/mariculture and experimant in the
> city a bit. I hope it works out. I might also try a Chido Govero-style
> of agriculture also (small-scale, high-end product, permaculturally) of
> course.
>  
> The 7 foods/plants the healthiest people eat are: *Cacao, Goji Berries,
> Maca, Raw Honey, Spirulina, Sea Vegetables, Pumpkin Seeds*
> 
> 	
> 
> 
> 
> 
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