How a Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine “Goji” Enters the Global Market and Its Benefits for Local Community Development
摘要
More and more regional agricultural products are entering into global markets. This movement has brought benefits to both the consumers and suppliers. As an new “superfood,” goji (the fruit of Lycium spp.) is a typical example of such globalized crops. In this chapter, we discuss how does goji become a global consumable and benefit to community development. The traditional uses of goji in China were traced, many of which have been proven by phytochemical and pharmacological studies. Based on this scientific evidence, goji has been adopted in many national/regional/international drug standards gradually, laying a foundation for its global prevalence. The upgraded cultivation technologies and supply chains allow for the fulfillment of increasing demands. This new trading has brought a large amount of revenue to stakeholders; meanwhile, its cultivation in the salty and arid regions has brought ecological improvement to local environment. As a result, the globalization of goji facilitates the local community development.