Transparency In Supplement and Food Should Be a Priority

Posted by Cathy on

At Pacific Herbs we believe WHOLE HEATEDLY in transparency.  We believe you should know what is in our Chinese herb products and what is not!    We tell it all because we know we have the highest quality control standards, ISO/GMP approved, natural herbal products on the market. We tell you where and how are herbs are manufactured.  We provide test result information and we use only purified water to process our herbs, no solvents! Who would want an herbal supplement that is not transparent in their standards?

This is information every consumer has a right to know!  The same goes for our food supply.   Wait, it is the same thing, herbs are food too.

Anyway, the citizens of California have an unprecedented opportunity to improve our nation’s food system.  This week, the California Secretary of State placed the California Right to Know Initiative for GMO Labeling on the November ballot. 

The saying “As California Goes, So Goes the Nation” could be happening this November.  When voters pass this GMO labeling of food ingredients we will have true transparency in our food supply. Consumers should push for the same standards in their herbal products.  We are proud to be a leader in this evolution in the natural products industry. 

I look forward to updating you in November.

Ginseng Fights Fatigue Says Mayo Clinic

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natural herbal energy boostersNeed more energy, REAL energy that sustains you and not just a quick jolt of caffeine?   The most famous Chinese herb, ginseng, now has more proof on its fatigue fighting abilities.  

According to the Mayo Clinic, American Ginseng taken for 8 weeks can help decrease cancer-related fatigue symptoms.

This latest study was done in 40 community medical centers in the U.S and Canada on 364 cancer patients.  Half of the patients studied were undergoing cancer treatment at the time of the study and the other half had already completed cancer treatment.

Ginseng has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a natural energy booster, libido booster and overall tonic herb for thousands of years. These new findings, just presented at the American Socity of Clinical Oncology annual meeting found the study participants’ experienced

 "Significant Improvement" in their general exhaustion levels with no apparent side effects.  

Mayo researcher Debra Barton stated "After eight weeks, we saw a 20-point improvement in fatigue in cancer patients, measured on a 100-point, standardized fatigue scale." "Cancer is a prolonged chronic stress experience and the effects can last 10 years beyond diagnosis and treatment," she said. "If we can help the body be better modulated throughout treatment with the use of ginseng, we may be able to prevent severe long-term fatigue."

Along with ginseng's energy boosting benefits it also has been researched and concluded to decrease inflammation and regulate levels of coritisol (a common stress hormone). Energy Booster Herb Pack by Pacific Herbs is a perfect addition for anyone dealing with fatigue because it contains a high dose of ginseng. This energy drink is safe, delicious easy to take and perfectly packaged for everyone on the run.  Energy Booster Herb Pack has No caffeine, NO sugar and NO fillers. Energy booster can be taken as a energy drink or just straight in the mouth. 

Harvard Unlocks Secrets of Chinese Herbs

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Harvard School of Dental Medicine has discovered the secret behind an herb used in Chinese herbal medicine.  The herb commonly known as Chang Shan, is a type of hydrangea with a bioactive ingredient that can treat autoimmune disorders.  This is not the first time a Chinese herb has been found to have chemical constituents with significant health benefits.  Most drugs today have their origins in phyto or plant chemicals.  

Chinese medicine has been using plants, insects, fish and shell fish for more than 2,000 years to treat mankind’s illnesses.  Learning the secrets behind the power of these herbs is still an emerging field and scientists are continually learning how various herbal compounds in plants block or stimulate pathways in the body, triggering other reactions.  

In this case, the hydrangea plant contains halofuginone (HF) a compound which blocks the development of a harmful class of immune cells called TH17 cells. These cells have many implications in autoimmune disorders.

“HF prevents the autoimmune response without dampening immunity altogether,” said Malcolm Whitman, a professor of developmental biology at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and senior author on the new study. “This compound could inspire novel therapeutic approaches to a variety of autoimmune disorders.”

Traditional Chinese Medicine is proving more amazing everyday.

This study involved an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Harvard-affiliated and Massachuetts General Hospital and published in Nature Chemical Biology, Febuary 2012.

Prior research had shown that HF reduced scarring in tissue, scleroderma (a tightening of the skin), multiple sclerosis, scar formation, and even cancer progression. “We thought HF must work on a signaling pathway that had many downstream effects,” said Keller.

Recognized only since 2006, Th17 cells are “bad actors,” implicated in many autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS), and psoriasis. The researchers found that minute doses of HF reduced multiple sclerosis in a mouse model. As such, it was one of a new arsenal of drugs that selectively inhibits autoimmune pathology without suppressing the immune system globally.

Click here to browse our line of natural and traditional Chinese Herbs.

This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University.

Reference:  http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/02/secrets-of-ancient-chinese-remedy-revealed/

 

Alcohol Abuse Reduced With This Chinese Herb

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herbs for alcohol

Are you struggling with alcohol abuse? Would you believe an herb (that grows as fast as weeds) could help you cut down your drinking habit?  Could this herbal alternative for alcoholics become a reality?

A Chinese herb that has been available for hundreds of years now has a new published study from  McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School found this Chinese herb helps alcohol drinkers reduce their intake. The study was recently published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

"It didn't stop the drinking," says researcher David M. Penetar, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, "they still drank, but they drank less."

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)  has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and has references dating back to 600 A.D.   For the past 1400 years it has an excellent safety record.

Many tout the extract from kudzu, known as puerarin, as  a hangover remedy. Best of all, this all natural herbal alternative has no side-effects and if very inexpensive.  A weeks supply can cost as little as $6.00

When those in the study treated with puerarin they drank about a beer less than when they were treated with placebo.  On average, the men and women drank 3.5 beers after placebo and 2.4 after puerarin.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism funded the study. Even though this study was a small sample size, the study was designed well and the research outcomes validate what many have known for generations.   Chinese herbs can provide "Wellness For Centuries."

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) More Popular For Treating Children Than Western Medicine in Taiwan

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(TCM) is one of the most commonly used Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM). However, there is a lack in the number of studies about the use of TCM for children. In Taiwan, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) medical visit services are fully reimbursed by National Health Insurance. Chinese herbs are also covered by their national health insurance system. A study in Taiwan used a nationwide cohort database to investigate demographics, diseases patterns, and parents’ characteristics of pediatric TCM users.

Children aged <12 years were extracted from the National Health Insurance Research Database for analysis. These pediatric TCM users’ demographics, medical conditions, and reasons for medical services were compared with users of Western medicine by Poisson regression. Children who did not use any medical services were excluded.

Of 107,337 children who were enrolled and followed up in 2005, 19,669 children (18.3%) used TCM. Compared with Western medicine-only users, school-age children (aged 6-12 years), preschool age children (3-5 years), and toddlers (1-2 years) were more likely to use TCM than infants (<1 year; rate ratio = 4.47, 3.66 and 2.59, respectively; P < .001 for all). Parental factors were associated with more TCM use, including female gender, age >35 years, past experience with TCM, and higher income levels. Allergic reactions and respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and musculoskeletal problems were also associated with higher TCM use.

The use of TCM was correlated with both patient and parental factors, among which children’s age and parental TCM use were the most prominent.

Source: PubMed  Pediatrics. 2012 May 14

Characteristics of Pediatric Traditional Chinese Medicine Users in Taiwan: A Nationwide Cohort Study.  Chen HY, Lin YH, Wu JC, Chen YC, Thien PF, Chen TJ, Yang SH, Chen JL, Lo SS.   Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan;

 

Energy Drinks Are Not Sexy!

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Health Energy Booster Herb Pack with ginseng Even though energy drinks are readily available in every convenient store and a staple among students for the instant “pick-up”, the facts are now coming out about the damage they cause to your teeth.  Is a temporarily buzz worth all the cavities and what about the other side-effects?

Dental erosion doesn’t have anything to do with hygiene, it doesn’t have anything to do whether you brush your teeth or not. It’s just pure acid in the drink.

Sugar is Not Sexy Either

The other main ingredient in energy drinks is sugar. Energy drinks contain A LOT of sugar! For example a can of Monster energy drink contains 52g of sugar. A teaspoon of sugar weighs about 4g so the Monster drink contains an equivalent of 13 teaspoons of sugar.

This sugar acts to give a quick surge of energy. However an invasion of sugar into the bloodstream activates the release of insulin. Insulin is used by the body to regulate the level of blood sugar at a constant level. Insulin also stimulates the storage of fats and the increase in triglyceride levels. High triglyceride levels usually go in conjunction with low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Both of these are risk factors in cardiovascular disease.

Eating or drinking sugars per se does not cause diabetes but there has been research that has shown the link between the consumption of sweet drinks and increased levels of diabetes. High sugar levels also depress the immune system. Vitamin C and glucose have similar chemical structures so the process that allows sugar into the cells is the same as that which allows vitamin C into the cells. The result is that the more sugar there is the less Vitamin C there is. White blood cells require Vitamin C, with less, your immune system suffers.

There is also a link between consumption of sugar and teeth decay. Sugars assist plaque to form and develop on teeth. Plaque causes tooth decay. Tooth decay is not only painful it is also costly in terms of dental cover. Energy drinks are a particularly bad form of sugar intake in relation to teeth as they are usually consumed outside mealtimes.

Caffeine – An Adrenaline Rush Your Body Cannot Sustain

Energy drinks usually contain a large amount of caffeine. Some energy drinks have been found to include between three and five times as much caffeine as a can of cola. Caffeine is addictive; as the body gets more tolerant to the effects then increased levels of caffeine will be required to obtain the same level of stimulation. There have been many studies dealing with caffeine and human health over the years which have shown a number of adverse effects on the body:

  • Caffeine is a stimulant and so can cause heart palpitations, insomnia and anxiety attacks.
  • It is a diuretic and so causes your kidneys to remove extra fluid from your body. If this occurs whilst you are exercising then there is a danger of becoming severely dehydrated very quickly. Energy drinks should never be consumed in conjunction with exercise.
  • Caffeine has been shown to have an  adverse effect of the calcium balance in bone health so leading to a greater risk of fractures.
  • Mood or behavioural problems can occur from caffeine intake/
  • There have been links between caffeine intake and cancer.

Advertising for energy drinks is often targeted at children and young adults. You only have to consider advertising and sponsorship of extreme sports, snowboarding and skating. Although these drinks are often directed at adolescents they are the ones that are at greater risk from consuming caffeine. Doctors from the University of Miami paediatrics department warned “Frequently containing high and unregulated amounts of caffeine, these drinks have been reported in association with serious adverse effects, especially in children, adolescents and young adults with seizures, diabetes, cardiac abnormalities, or mood or behavioural disorders and those who take certain medications”. One report found that one can of energy drink given to children aged between five and twelve would result in seven out of the ten of them having consumed dangerous levels of caffeine.

There has also been a trend of mixing the energy drinks with alcohol because it makes the person feel alert and energetic even when they are drunk. This however is a lethal combination as both the caffeine and the alcohol act to dehydrate the body. The cocktail of energy drinks, alcohol, dancing and heat has led to numerous hospitalisations.

The bottom line is that large quantities of caffeine and refined sugars and bad for our bodies. The temporary boost given on the consumption of these drinks is masking the short and long term damage being caused. There are natural alternatives that will provide an energy lift that do not contain the caffeine and sugar. Pacific Herbs has the only all herbal, 500 year old Energy Booster in a packet. Twelve natural herbs like ginseng, goji berries and others which have been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Get a boost for your mind and body without the unwanted side effects.

 

Dandelion For Breast Cancer

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News from the University of New Mexico, the lowly dandelion has been shown effective at fighting breast cancer and prostate cancer. Used for centuries in Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine the dandelion plant has been used for many aliments.

 

"The study demonstrates a number of of previously unknown effects of Taraxacum officinale on human cancer cells and suggests that TO (dandelion) extracts or individual components present in the extracts may be of value as novel anti-cancer agents"1

.

The medicinial benefits from dandelion in this study are attributed to one specific Taraxacum species extract so don't assume the dandelion you buy at your local farmers market or that growing in the lawn will have the same health benefits.

 

We know that plants and herbs all play a significant role in the discovery of new medicines particularly in the area of cancer research. In Traditional Chinese Medicine  (TCM) dandelion is used to clear heat, especially liver heat with red, swollen, painful eyes.  Dandelion also goes by the name Pu gong ying and has been known to dissipate nodules and reduce abscesses in the breast and promote lactation when lack is due to heat.  Pu gong ying has been used in treating breast cancer in TCM for many years and this study confirms why dandelion is a one of the most useful herbs for breast cancer patients.

 

References:

1. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 32: 1085-1090, 2008

Evaluation of aqueous extracts of Taraxacum officinale on growth and invasion of breast and prostate cancer cells    SOPHIA C. SIGSTEDT1, CARLA J. HOOTEN1, MANIKA C. CALLEWAERT1, AARON R. JENKINS1,ANNTHERESE E. ROMERO1, MICHAEL J. PULLIN2, ALEXANDER KORNIENKO3,TIMOTHY K. LOWREY4, SEVERINE VAN SLAMBROUCK1* and WIM F.A. STEELANT1*

 

Laboratories of 1Biochemical and Biomedical Research, 2Aqueous Environmental Chemistry, and 3Synthetic Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM; 4UNM Herbarium, Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA   Received December 4, 2007; Accepted January 25, 2008

 

Yaz and Yasmin Birth Control Pill Side Effects & Lawsuits

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No Yaz or Yasmin birth control Please don't be one of the thousands of women who are being injured by Yaz or Yasmin birth control pills.  

 

"The birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin, which were endorsed by an FDA advisory committee last December, contain a drug called drospirenone. Women who take it are nearly seven times more likely to develop thromboembolism (obstruction of a blood vessel by a blood clot, which can cause deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, heart attack, and death) compared to women who do not take any contraceptive pill, and twice the risk of women who take a contraceptive pill containing levonorgestrel."  The Alliance for Natural Health.  http://www.anh-usa.org/fda-huge-conflicts-of-interest-with-big-pharma/comment-page-1/#comment-90047 

 

Thousand of women have filed a lawsuit against Bayer, saying they were injuried, but this doesn't change the fact that many are scarred for life.  After a stroke, many women never regain complete use of their arms and legs as before. Many are under age 35 and will live the rest of their lives in bodies that can't run, walk up stairs or even have the use of an arm or hand.   

 

Reconsider your options for birth control and learn about safer ways to handle menstrual cramps and PMS. There are many good options beyond the pill.   PMS symtoms can be addressed with natural remedies and menstrual cramps are managable with Chinese herbs.  I thought birth control pills were the answer once… before I studied Chinese medicine. Then I learned how to put the body back into balance with herbs and diet I realized how much better I could feel without using a drug.  You can do it too.  PMS Relief Herb Pack will change the way you feel about your monthly periods and your body with thank you.

 

Wall Street Journal Reports on Placenta Popularity

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After nine months of gestation and then birthing a child, a women has every right to be exhausted.  What every new mother needs is a diet rich in nutrients and blood building foods to replenish her body.  The placenta is the secret that can return a woman’s vitality quickly.  

I’m happy to see the Wall Street Journal report on what seems incredulous, eating your placenta.   American hospitals have treated childbirth as practically a disease that needs medical intervention for decades. This growing phenomenon, of eating the placenta is as natural as childbirth and a welcome return to the wisdom of women.

A placenta holds a wealth of nutrients and should never be disregarded as medical waste.

Here’s the blogs I wrote on Eating Your Placenta, more than a year ago.   Enjoy!

Never quite sure what will inspire me to write a blog but seeing this video today did the trick.  This blog is about the human placenta and why women are now calling  “a placenta cooking lady” to prepare their placenta’s into pills to ingest after childbirth.   The placenta is attached to the fetus via the umbilical cord.  Once the baby is born the placenta and cord are considered medical waste (so we’re told) at the hospital.  We’ve known for some time the  umbilical cord  is a source of stem cell research and many wealthy parents now have the cord frozen and stored, a insurance policy of sorts for future medical needs.  Recently, in a return to ancient wisdom and in conjunction with science we are relearning about the tremendous nutritional value of the human placenta.  Chinese Medicine has understood this value for generations. Ingesting dried placenta in pill form can help a new mother recuperate from childbirth and reclaim some lost blood and nutrients.

 

You can have your placenta cooked, dried and placed into pills to supplement your child birth recovery.  Those that have used  placenta pills after birth swear they have a shorter recovery from postpartum hemorrhaging, more energy from replenished nutrients, increased milk production and no post-partum depression. In fact, a good friend of mine recently gave birth and she has just finished taking her placenta pills.  This was the first time she had placenta prepared into pills and she reported feeling energized and healthier than after her previous child births.  She said it was a little like a caffeine type energy boost without the caffeine and she had an extremely easy recovery overall.  This was her sixth child!

 

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, placenta is considered a powerful and sacred yang tonic. The placenta is cooked with a few herbs and wine.  Wine in Chinese medicine has a dispersing action and therefore helps to distribute the placentas nutrients throughout the women’s body.  The placenta is full of natural oxytocins which are responsible for contracting the uterus, it also contains  hormones which is believed to be the reason it helps with postpartum depression.  Historically Chinese Medicine has used human placenta for those who have low energy.  Interestingly, it is the only meat that comes from life, not death and other mammals do eat their placentas.  Maybe the animal kingdom has something to teach us.

Check out this link at Time Magazine, there is a short video showing the placenta being prepared,  in case you’ve never seen one.

Women Want Non-Medical Treatment For Menopause Symptoms

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Studies now state the obvious!  Menopausal women prefer non-medical treatment for their menopause symptom relief and want more support from their doctors.  This was the finding in a February Journal of International Obstetrics and Gynecology.

This community based study looked at 4407 women aged 45 to 54 living in north east Scotland. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about their menopausal symptoms and their management.

The questionnaire included a symptom checklist which asked about problems such as stiff joints, aches and pains, headaches, vaginal dryness, hot flushes, night sweats, depression, anxiety, mood swings, decreased sexual interest and menstrual symptoms.

Participants were asked whether they had experienced the symptom in the last month and how bothered they were by this.

The study found that nearly half of the women (46.7%) experienced hot flushes, 46.4% night sweats and 28.2% vaginal dryness. Approximately two-fifths of women reported these symptoms as quite a bit or extremely bothersome.

Surgically menopausal women (participants who have had a hysterectomy and/or oopherectomy) reported the most bother from menopausal symptoms and the greatest frequency of bothersome symptoms.

The study also looked at the different management strategies women adopt, from HRT to alternative therapies and social support. It found that the most common management strategy used by menopausal women was social support through talking to friends or family. This was reported by more than 60% of women.

Moreover, the questionnaire found that women reported taking vitamins, minerals and supplements and herbal remedies rather than HRT, for example, 38% of postmenopausal women had used herbal remedies.

Dr Lisa Iversen, Academic Primary Care, Division of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen and co-author of the paper said:   “Our results provide a powerful reminder that the menopause is a time of life when women experience numerous symptoms, many of which are bothersome.”

“We found that many women used non-medical approaches to help relieve the symptoms suggesting a large need for effective non-hormonal management options for menopausal women.”

John Thorp, BJOG Deputy-Editor-in-Chief added:

“The results of this questionnaire show that women during the menopause face many different symptoms and have different coping strategies,

“As so many women use herbal remedies,(approx. 38%)  it is important that they are tested for efficacy and safety to the same standard as hormone replacement therapy.”

Couldn’t agree with that last statement more.  Check out Menopause Relief Herb Pack, for natural Menopause Relief the most trusted and tested herbs used safely for centuries.    (See how they are tested here.)

 

 

What Are Herbal Aphrodisiacs?

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Chinese herbs sexual enhancementHappy Valentines Day everyone.   We often get asked, “do you have herbs to improve my libido that really work?”  The answer is YES!

 

Pacific Herbs Libido Boost Herb Pack For Him  and  Libido Boost Herb Pack For Her are made with natural herbal aphrodisiacs.  Epimedium, aka Horny goat weed and  Polygoni multiflori aka He Shou Wu combined with  other tonic boosting herbs have been used in Chinese herbal medicine since the 1st Century.

 

An aphrodisiac can be anything that arouses or intensifies sexual desire. Throughout the centuries Chinese emperors had concubines to keep happy, or was it the reverse? Either way, preserving one’s stamina and sexual vitality was of the utmost importance to one’s health and herbs were considered a source for the proverbial “fountain of youth”.

 

 

Emperors and kings have not been the only ones interested in sexual performance. Perfecting Chinese herbal formulas for sexual enhancement, has also been considered -priority for over two thousand years. Libido Boost for Her and Libido Boost for Him are the same combination of herbs used by millions to enhance sexual desire and performance.

 

Ginseng is probably the most well known of the herbs used throughout the centuries. Yet a Chinese herb formula with ginseng will often be more potent than any given single herb. A formula for sexual improvement is always designed to build both yin and yang energy from a Chinese medicine viewpoint. All natural aphrodisiac formulas are designed to build the kidney energy because in Traditional Chinese medicine the kidney’s are the source of the sexual stamina.

 

 

Other powerful kidney tonics include Cistanche, see this post to find out more about this truly remarkable plant that grows only with a host plant next to it. Cistanche is completely dependent on the energy of it’s host plant for all it’s growth and maturation.  You will find cistanche in Pacific Herbs Libido Boost for Him.

 

 

The herb Rehmannia is another superior herb to replenish your yin and yang energy. It is always given in combination with other herbs by Acupuncturist’s and Chinese Medicine practitioners. In fact, it is one herb of six in a formula that many in Asia use for years. This formula called Six Flavor Rehmannia is commonly taken in pill form and is very safe to take long term.

 

 

Horny goat weed also known as Epimedium, (by name alone) must be included in this list. Many studies have researched the power of this plant. The general consensus is the leaves active constituents help increase the relaxation of smooth muscle and this allows more blood flow to the penis or clitoris or other smooth muscles. It also has immune regulating effects. Again, it’s often used in combination with other herbs for the sought after aphrodisiac effects.

 

 

If your looking for a powerful herb formula to boost your energy, check out Energy Booster Herb Pack.  Without caffeine and without sugar you can still get a natural boost of real energy.  That’s the power of herbs such as ginseng and goji berries.

Happy Valentines Day!

GoJi Berries For More Energy And Less Weight

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Chinese herbs for energyHave you tried goji berries yet?  Before you could only find them at Asian grocery stores and China town.  Now Whole Foods and health food stores everywhere are carrying them. 

Goji berries have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for more than 2500 years.  Sometimes they are also labeled as Lycium or Wolfberry.   Goji berries make a great snack that provide quick energy.  They have been used as a blood tonic herb in Chinese herbal medicine for this reason.  This is exactly why we included them in our Energy Booster Herb Pack.

They look a little like a dried raisin, but smaller and red in color.  Often selling for about $15.00 for half pound, they are NOT cheap!  But the health benefits of this Chinese herb are more than worth their weight. 

The value in these little berries has been demonstrated in hundreds of studies.   One of the most  recent studies done in the U.S. on goji berries found they can increase your metabolic rate and reduce body weight. So, if you're looking for a healthy snack food or a boost of energy, goji's are a great choice.

_________________

References:

http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbclip/440/121151-440.html

J Am Coll Nutr. 2011;30(5):304-309.