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Himalayan Goji Juice:
A Lesson from the HimalayasThe Origin of the Goji Berry FreeLife has chosen to call its product "Himalayan" goji juice. They claim their goji is the "only true goji." To us, proprietary claims sound pretty silly. Scientists generally believe that goji actually originated in China. The Mandarin word for goji is gouqi. Paul M. Gross, PhD Further, goji berries do not grow well at higher altitudes. The fruitless search for the Tibetan goji berry
FreeLife admits that their "Himalayan" goji berries are not grown in the Himalayas. They are instead grown and harvested in China and Mongolia.
The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world, steeped in a long, rich history of mystical knowledge. They are home to the great yogis throughout time. The world's most ancient natural health system of Ayurveda comes from the sages of the Himalayas. "Himalayan Goji Juice" sure sounds like a catchy brand name. Since FreeLife likes the Himalayas so much, we thought we would share a diet lesson which comes straight from the sages of the Himalayas.
Yoga and Ayurveda have become intensely popular in the West. We'd bet that many FreeLife people do yoga themselves. The ancient yogis considered food in terms of prana. Prana is the "life force," the living, healing energy in foods. It takes life to maintain life. Instead of evaluating foods by nutritional content (by separating foods into components like polysaccharides, vitamins and minerals), Ayurvedic yogis looked into this value of prana in a food. A food is considered sattvic (pure) if it is high in prana. Sattvic food results in a clear, calm mind and a body that is prone to health and vitality. Foods with low prana are considered tamasic (impure), and according to the yogis these lead to lowered consciousness and disease. Ayurveda teaches that sattvic foods become tamasic (impure) some time after cooking. For example, rice has a "23-hour expiration date" after cooking. Ayurveda considers freshly cooked, brown rice as extremely sattvic (pure) and full of healing energy. But in a day's time this same rice gains more and more tamasic (impure) energies. Fruit juices, according to the yogis, are meant to be taken fresh, and not heated or cooked. When a juice is dried, reconstituted, superheated, sterilized, and embalmed with unnatural flavorings, non-organic concentrates, and preservatives for a two-year shelf life, well, we don't think the ancient yogis would approve. We think the yogis would rather see you drink freshly squeezed, organic juices that are high in prana and healing energies (go get a juicer). The reason: they want to see you healthy and happy. A general rule of Ayurveda is: The longer the shelf life, the less prana in a food. Virtually all refrigerated juices sold in natural food stores have been pasteurized, some more than others. Pasteurization reduces the prana in a food. That's why most health-conscious people prefer fresh squeezed juices. But all juices which sit in unrefrigerated jars or bottles have been treated with extra intense heat for maximum shelf life. And there is no life at all in a heat sterilized juice. The true lesson from the ancient Himalayas is simple: Stick very close to fresh foods in nature and you will be treating yourself to the very best for your health.
Satyame Vijayate (Truth Triumphs)
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Uses of such terms as "Tibetan goji berry," “Himalayan goji juice" and "goji berries from the Mongolian Himalayas" (usually conveyed on the label with a dramatic backdrop of snow-covered mountain peaks) for products manufactured and sold in the West are inaccurate at best, as the goji berries used for these products do not grow in Tibet or the Himalayas, and the Himalayan Mountains do not extend into Mongolia. 