Will Goji Juice Interact with your Meds? Liquid Nutritionals Benefits vs. Interactions and Side Effects.
by Ask a Healer
Related Articles: Herbs and Meds Caution
This is part of a antioxidant-rich juices and juice blends. Here, you will find information on Goji Juice benefits, safety and possible drug interactions.
What is a Goji Juice?
Goji juice, also called Wolfberry, gou qu zi or fractus lycii (botanical name is lycium barbarum) is made from the Goji Berry.
The plant grows in the Himilayas as well as China so products may be described as Himilayan or Chinese Goji Juice. There is also mention
of a Tibetan Goji Berry and it's a little challenging to know what the difference is between these types.
The main interaction I noted when researching this applies to those on certain blood thinners. If you are on a blood thinner, check with your doctor before adding goji juice to your health care regimen. More information below.
Goji Juice Benefits and Cautions:
Like some of the other antioxidant juice beverages, Goji Juice is packed with nutrients including large amounts of vitamin C, a wide range of amino acids and trace minerals and more beta carotene per serving than carrots.
Goji Berry Juice is also anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Traditional nutritional uses for Goji Juice include support for the cardiovascular health support
and immune system boosting.
Because goji juice contains zeaxanthin (an ingredient seen often included in vision improvement formulas), it has also been seen as useful for supporting healthy vision.
Goji Juice and Getting Pregnant? One message board that came up in searches on goji juice interactions stated that two people known to the message poster had both gotten pregnant after drinking Goji Juice. There is no evidence anywhere else that this property is suportable, other than the fact that a healthy body is more able to become pregnant than one that is not healthy so any number of avenues to better health might have produced the same result.
Prescription Drug Interaction Alert:
If you are on blood thinners such as Warfarin or Coumadin, you should know that Goji Juice may interfere with their effectiveness.
Of course, warfarin requires a delicate balance anyway and even some foods can affect the way it works, as can some over the counter meds or vitamins. If taking warfarin, this juice is not the only thing you have to be careful of but also discuss any OTC meds you want to take as well as dietary restrictions that must be adhered to when taking warfarin. In particular, foods with Vitamin K may be forbidden by your doctor because of the natural blood clotting properties in these foods. My brother is on Coumadin and he can't have any green leafy vegetables, for one example.
Although this is an article on Goji Juice and not Warfarin, you may also want to search the Mayo Clinic website for "Warfarin Side Effects. They have good articles on the side effects of Warfarin
Wolfberry Drug Interaction Experience with my Mom
Other antioxidant juices and any known drug interactions:
Acai Juice Drug Interactions
Goji Juice / Wolfberry / Lycium barbarum Disclaimer: Nutritional juices, with phytonutrients, are considered safe for otherwise healthy individuals who are not on prescription drugs or being treated for specific conditions. Diabetics and pre-diabetics should always consider sugar content in any juice, Goji Berry Juice or other fruit juice. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are always advised to consult with their doctors on any nutritional changes they want to make and before taking anything, whether natural or prescription.....I mean, ALWAYS. Regardless of how safe a product is, there is just almost no one who will say it's safe for a pregnant or nursing woman so check with your doctor, period. Lycium barbarum is no exception to this rule.
