Goji berries: one eye result, and an extract that is not the berry

The strongest published evidence on goji is a meta-analysis of 7 human studies, and it studied Lycium barbarum polysaccharide, a purified extract rather than the dried fruit. Daily intake changed triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, LDL and HDL at p below 0.05 and left total cholesterol unchanged, and the abstract gives significance without effect sizes, so the size of any of those changes is not on record. The berry itself has one result worth knowing. In 27 healthy adults aged 45 to 65, 28 g of goji berries five days a week for 90 days raised macular pigment optical density at two retinal eccentricities (p = 0.029 and p = 0.044) and skin carotenoids by day 90 (p = 0.006). The group on a lutein and zeaxanthin supplement moved on neither measure. It was an unmasked pilot of 27 people, and the two arms never carried matching doses. The trial serving of 28 g analysed at 28.8 mg of zeaxanthin against 4 mg in the supplement, and that came from one Ningxia batch bought for the study, not from goji on a shop shelf. A systematic review of 17 foods sold as superfoods, searched to April 2017, counted 3 controlled human trials on goji among 113 in total and called the evidence on metabolic syndrome limited, because results were inconsistent or the trials too few.

The numbers, per 100 g

How much is actually in it

• One 28 g serving of the goji berries used in that trial carried 28.8 mg of zeaxanthin, seven times the 4 mg in the comparison supplement. — USDA-certified organic goji berries from Ningxia used in a 90-day randomised trial in adults aged 45 to 65 (n = 1 serving of 28 g) Evidence B source
  28.8 mg zeaxanthin per daily serving against 4 mg in the lutein and zeaxanthin supplement

What your body absorbs

• Eating 28 g of goji berries five days a week for 90 days raised macular pigment density and skin carotenoids in healthy adults aged 45 to 65, while a lutein and zeaxanthin supplement did neither. — 27 healthy adults aged 45 to 65 randomised to 28 g of goji berries or a supplement with 6 mg lutein and 4 mg zeaxanthin, five days a week for 90 days (n = 27) Evidence B source
  Macular pigment optical density up at 0.25 and 1.75 retinal eccentricities (p = 0.029 and p = 0.044); skin carotenoids up at day 45 (p = 0.025) and day 90 (p = 0.006); no change in the supplement arm

What it does to your health

• Pooling 7 trials, daily Lycium barbarum polysaccharide shifted triglycerides, fasting glucose, LDL and HDL at p below 0.05, and left total cholesterol unchanged. — participants of 7 human studies of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide selected from 315 retrieved publications, literature to 15 November 2020 (n = 7 studies) Evidence A source
  Significant pooled change in triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, LDL and HDL (p < 0.05); no change in total cholesterol

Safety, limits and interactions

• Goji is a real and fairly common allergen: 33 of 566 people with respiratory or skin symptoms reacted to a goji skin prick test, which is 5.8 percent. — 566 individuals with respiratory or cutaneous symptoms, skin-prick tested with goji berry extract in a multicentre study (n = 566) Evidence C source
  5.8 percent skin-prick positive (33 of 566); specific IgE positive in 13 of 24 available sera; 92.3 percent of goji-positive patients also positive to peach
• Among 31 people already allergic to plant foods, 77 percent had a positive goji skin test, and most of them had never eaten a goji berry. — 31 plant food-allergic individuals in Spain, tested with goji berry, peach peel and plant food panallergens (n = 31) Evidence C source
  24 of 31 skin-test positive (77 percent), 5 symptomatic and 19 asymptomatic; positivity tracked with peach peel and with nonspecific lipid transfer protein
• Four days of goji juice sent a 71-year-old woman on warfarin to hospital with a prothrombin time above 120 seconds and bleeding, rated a probable interaction at 6 on the Naranjo scale. — one 71-year-old woman on warfarin after knee surgery who drank goji juice for 4 days (n = 1) Evidence C source
  International normalised ratio indeterminate with prothrombin time above 120 seconds, epistaxis, bruising and rectal bleeding; Naranjo score 6, meaning probable

What people believe that the data does not support

• A review of 17 foods marketed as superfoods counted 113 human intervention trials in total and only 3 of them on goji berries, and found the evidence on metabolic syndrome measures limited. — controlled human intervention trials on 17 foods described as superfoods, searched to April 2017 (n = 113 trials, 3 on goji berries) Evidence A source
  No pooled estimate reported; the review states the evidence is limited because results were inconsistent or the trials too few

Who this works differently for

• In 150 people aged 65 to 70, a milk-based goji preparation at 13.7 g a day for 90 days raised plasma zeaxanthin by 26 percent and antioxidant capacity by 57 percent. — 150 healthy elderly people aged 65 to 70, randomised to 13.7 g/day of a milk-based goji formulation or placebo for 90 days (n = 150) Evidence B source
  Plasma zeaxanthin +26 percent and total antioxidant capacity +57 percent against no change on placebo; placebo group showed macular hypopigmentation and drusen accumulation while the treated group stayed stable
• Over 12 months in 42 people with retinitis pigmentosa, a Lycium barbarum supplement held visual acuity and macular thickness steady, and it changed nothing in visual field sensitivity or electroretinogram readings. — 42 people with retinitis pigmentosa who completed 12 months, 23 on Lycium barbarum granules and 19 on placebo (n = 42) Evidence B source
  No deterioration of 90 percent or 10 percent contrast visual acuity against placebo (p = 0.001); macular thinning in placebo only (p = 0.008); no difference in visual field sensitivity or full-field electroretinogram

The bottom line

Two more eye trials exist, and neither used plain dried berries. In 150 healthy people aged 65 to 70, a milk-based goji formulation at 13.7 g a day for 90 days raised plasma zeaxanthin by 26 percent and total antioxidant capacity by 57 percent against no change on placebo. That was a proprietary product, and its authors say the link between the blood change and the macular change is unclear. In 42 people with retinitis pigmentosa followed for 12 months, Lycium barbarum granules held 90 percent and 10 percent contrast visual acuity steady against placebo (p = 0.001), and macular thinning showed up in the placebo group only (p = 0.008). Visual field sensitivity and the full-field electroretinogram did not differ, which is what a small trial in a rare disease looks like when the softer outcomes move and the functional ones do not. Goji is a real allergen, and it travels with peach. Skin prick testing of 566 people who already had respiratory or skin symptoms found 33 positives, 5.8 percent, a rate from people sent to an allergy clinic and not from the general public. Among 31 people in Spain already allergic to plant foods, 24 tested positive to goji, 77 percent, and 19 of those 24 had no symptoms, so a positive test in that group is sensitisation rather than a proven reaction. If you take warfarin, ask the person who prescribes it before you start. A 71-year-old woman was hospitalised after four days of goji juice with a prothrombin time above 120 seconds, nosebleeds, bruising and rectal bleeding, scored 6 on the Naranjo scale, which means probable, in one case report rather than a measured risk. We did not find any study of absorption, any data on what drying or cooking does to the berry, or any US or EU health claim naming goji.

Sources

1. gojb-daily-r2-03 · trial product analysis
   A daily goji berry serving provided 28.8 mg of Z, which was substantially higher than the 4 mg of Z present in the supplement.
   Nutrients, 2021 · checked 2026-09-24
2. gojb-daily-r2-02 · randomised pilot trial
   After 90 days, MPOD was significantly increased in the goji berry group at 0.25 and 1.75 retinal eccentricities (p = 0.029 and p = 0.044, respectively), while no changes were noted in the LZ group. Skin carotenoids were significantly increased in the goji berry group at day 45 (p = 0.025) and day 90 (p = 0.006), but not in the LZ group.
   Nutrients, 2021 · checked 2026-09-24
3. gojb-daily-r2-01 · meta-analysis
   A total of 315 publications were retrieved and 7 articles were included...The pooled estimate showed that daily consumption of LBP played significant effects on regulating serum triglyceride (TG), fasting blood glucose, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations (p < 0.05), while it was effect-free on the total cholesterol (TC).
   J Am Nutr Assoc, 2022 · checked 2026-09-24
4. gojb-daily-r2-06 · prospective sensitisation study
   566 individuals, with respiratory or cutaneous symptoms were skin-prick tested with GB extract. Thirty three were positive (5.8%)...LTP seems to be the major allergen involved in sensitisation and cross-reactivity.
   Food Chem, 2013 · checked 2026-09-24
5. gojb-daily-r2-07 · case series with allergy testing
   Skin tests to Goji berries were positive in 24 patients (77%): 5 symptomatic patients and 19 asymptomatic patients. Positivity to Goji berries was associated with positivity to peach peel and to the panallergen nonspecific lipid transfer protein (LTP).
   J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol, 2012 · checked 2026-09-24
6. gojb-daily-r2-08 · case report
   We describe a 71-year-old Ecuadorean-American woman who was taking warfarin and was hospitalized for a markedly elevated, indeterminate international normalized ratio (INR) (prothrombin time > 120 sec) after consumption of goji juice...Application of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale indicated a probable relationship (score of 6) between the patient's elevated INR with associated bleeding and her concomitant use of L. barbarum and warfarin.
   Pharmacotherapy, 2012 · checked 2026-09-24
7. gojb-daily-r2-09 · systematic review
   Seventeen superfoods were identified, including a total of 113 intervention trials: blueberries (8 studies), cranberries (8), goji berries (3), strawberries (7), chili peppers (3), garlic (21), ginger (10), chia seed (5), flaxseed (22), quinoa (1), cocoa (16), maca (1), spirulina (7), wheatgrass (1), acai berries (0), hemp seed (0) and bee pollen (0). Overall, only limited evidence was found for the effects of the foods described as superfoods on metabolic syndrome parameters, since results were not consistent or the number of controlled intervention trials was limited.
   Food Funct, 2018 · checked 2026-09-24
8. gojb-daily-r2-04 · randomised placebo-controlled trial
   Both plasma zeaxanthin level and antioxidant capacity increased significantly in the LWB group, by 26% and 57%, respectively, but did not change in the placebo group...However, the mechanism of action is unclear, given the lack of relationship between change in plasma zeaxanthin and change in macular characteristics.
   Optom Vis Sci, 2011 · checked 2026-09-24
9. gojb-daily-r2-05 · randomised placebo-controlled trial
   There were no deteriorations of either 90% or 10% contrast VA in the LB group compared with the placebo group (p = 0.001). A thinning of macular layer was observed in the placebo group, which was not observed in the LB group (p = 0.008). However, no significant differences were found in the sensitivity of visual field or in any parameters of ffERG between the two groups.
   J Ethnopharmacol, 2019 · checked 2026-09-24