Follow up questions on Gou Qi Zi juice-GoChi

[Guest guest]

Dear colleagues,

 

About two weeks ago, I wrote to you asking for your feedback  concerning Gou

Qi Zi juice sold as GoChi by Freelife.  I had a number of questions and doubts

about the product, and as I expressed, the concept of multi-level marketing I

find abhorrent.  I took your questions as well as my own, and presented them to

the Freelife's chief products officer.  Below are my questions and the answers

I received:

 

Q.It would be wise to have research done not by an employee of Freelife.  It

gives the impression of being jaded.

 

A. Like all peer-reviewed journals, the Journal of Alternative and Complementary

Medicine blinds their expert judges, so they had no idea that the study was

performed by the eminent Dr. Amagase and Dr. Nance. Regardless of who designs or

conducts a study, the fairness and honesty are guaranteed by randomizing,

double-blinding and placebo control. In our second and third studies, Dr.

Amagase was a corresponding author and did not conduct the study. We have other

unreleased studies that have been conducted around the world by members of our

independent Scientific Advisory Board.

 

 

Q.  To be really considered seriously  by the scientific community, studies

should certainly be for longer than two weeks and they should be conducted by

objective third parties who do not have a vested interest in their validation.

 

A. We respectfully disagree. For years, our customers had been telling us that

they were getting remarkable results from our product within two weeks or less.

Frankly, we didn’t believe them because there was nothing in the history of

Traditional to support this. But, then again, goji’s history

in TCM has been in the form of dried berries, and our product is the first ever

to be made from fresh berries, and therefore delivers far more of the goji

berry’s bioactive polysaccharides. And so, we decided to see if our customers

were really experiencing these reported benefits or if they were simply

experiencing a placebo effect. We designed and conducted a 14 day randomized,

double-blind, placebo controlled study and found that our customers were not

crazy after all. The peer review judges at the medical journal that accepted and

published our study had no problem with its 14 day duration, or that it was

conducted on FreeLife

employees.  Our second and third studies were conducted for 30 days each, and

on larger populations who had no knowledge of FreeLife or our products. Other

ongoing and planned studies are at 60 and 90 day duration.

 

Q. These studies are very important to me and I would like to know when they

will be published and authenticated.

 

A.   They are undergoing the peer review process at two separate journals,

which can take several month. We can’t disclose the names of the journals

because they have prohibited us from doing so, but we hope that both studies

will be accepted and published by the end of 2008.

 

 

Q.  It would be helpful to conduct studies comparing the efficacy of juice from

fresh Gou Qi ZI berries as opposed to reconstituted juice from dried berries.

 

A.  There’s nothing wrong with using the dried gou qi zi, as has been done in

China for thousands of years. But, as with any other fruit, we believe that

fresh is better than dried. I always use the example of grapes vs. raisins. When

we know that the reason that red grapes are healthy because of the red pigment

anthocyanin, how could one expect to get the same benefit from raisins or from

raisin juice?

 

 

Q.  Can you tell me precisely where the Gou Qi Zi berry that Freelife uses

comes from? 

 

 

A. From the Yellow River floodplains of Ningxia Hui province in north central

China. There are also some great berries grown in Xinjiang Uygur province in the

west, but our problem with using them is that we wouldn’t be able to get the

fresh berries transported to our juicing plant in Gansu province quickly enough

to prevent spoilage.

 

Q.  Why is the product called Himalayan Goji when it comes from Ningxia Hui

province in north central China, and Xinjiang Uygur in the Northwest.  These

are nowhere near the Himalayas?

 

A.  The Himalayan people were the originators of a comprehensive wellness-based

system of medicine, which predates TCM. They taught their system to the visiting

Chinese silk traders and scholars, who ultimately refined it. Several Lycium

species were used by the Himalayans, and according to legend, the Chinese

visitors took samples home with them and planted them in their own valleys in

northern and northwestern China. The name “Himalayan Goji Juice†was meant

only to honor the discoverers of the berry, but it was precisely because of

confusion that we named our new product “GoChiâ€.

 

 

Q.   I am confused about an apparent contradiction.  From what you represented

to me, and from what the brochure " The pursuit of perfection " states, the

berries used are freshly picked,  cold pressed  and packed in aseptic

containers  before they are shipped overseas (not reconstituted!)  Yet, in

the first study by Amagase and Nance it  states on page 404 under Materials

and Methods: " ...This test material is a liquid dietary supplement containing

reconstituted juice from fresh whole L. Barbarum fruit with 10% excipients by

volume. "   So which is it?

 

 

A.The berries are freshly picked in Ningxia Hui, and are then shipped to our

modern processing facility in nearby Gansu province. There, they are

cold-pressed, after which about 50% of the water is removed by cold (36 –

38ËšF), vacuum-assisted rotary thin-film evaporation. That gives us a

concentrated puree (of a consistency somewhat like thin tomato paste). We do

this because the harvesting season is only 3 months long (July – September),

and we must purchase and prepare enough goji puree to last the rest of the year

(with accommodations for anticipated growth). Removing the water makes it easier

to store the puree under refrigerated conditions in aseptically sterilized

totes. From a microbiological standpoint, removing the water also reduces water

activity, meaning that the puree is far less likely to harbor bacteria and other

microbes. Once we are ready for final processing, the puree is air-freighted to

our bottling plant in the U.S., where it is

reconstituted (meaning that the exact amount of water that was removed in Gansu

is now replenished), and then it is blended with a small (<10%) of grape and

pomegranate juice to ensure a uniform color (our berries are picked for their

polysaccharide content, not their color) and some natural goji berry flavor

(because once again, our berries have the highest LBP content and not always the

sweetest taste – the natural goji berry flavor ensures that every bottle will

taste the same). Lastly, the product is aseptically sterilized by a 4-second

heat treatment (actually a shvitz with live steam) that only coagulates

microbial proteins and does not harm the delicate LBP content. We proved this

during our process design and validation phase, and we test every batch to

ensure that our product is pristine and fully potent.

 

 

Q.  Would it not  be indicated to publish a research study comparing the

potency of fresh Gou Qi Zi juice as opposed to reconstituted juice (assuming

that Freelife Go Chi  juice is indeed fresh!).

 

A.  This is a very interesting idea, and if we had an unlimited research

budget, I would love to do a study comparing our product with those of our

competitors, all of whom are using dried berries. Unfortunately, there is a

limit to the size of Ray and Kevin’s wallet, but I can tell you this. We have

analyzed every competing product that we have found on the market, including

Goji 100, Goji Gold, Goji Splash and the rest, and we have not found one that

has even one-third of our LBP content. And we truly believe, as do most

researchers, that the power of goji lies in these amazing glycopeptides known as

Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (why Chinese researchers named them

polysaccharides is a mystery to me, especially when it’s the amino acids on

the glycopeptide surface – and their strong resemblance to microbial antigens

– that initiates and promotes immune response). We also believe that there is

significant LBP degradation in dried berries. Is

it enough to render them ineffective? No. The long history of use of gou qi zi

in TCM is testimony to its effectiveness, but we are seeing with our product is

quite remarkable. In China, people take gou qi zi over a lifetime to achieve

moderate improvement in disease resistance and health. But we’re seeing

dramatic short-term improvement, and perhaps that’s the biggest difference in

using fresh berries – more polysaccharide power.

 

 

Q.  Would you be able to share with me the comparative analysis of the other

Goji juice products?

 

A.   Sorry, but that information is highly confidential. Our philosophy is

that we would rather promote our product based on its clinically demonstrated

benefit rather than by slamming our competitors.

 

 

Q. Can you explain in detail how the 90 day money back guarantee works.  I

understand that if not satisfied than when 90 days worth of bottles are

returned, the amount paid for them will be refunded in full, correct?

   Well, first of all, I understand that this is based upon drinking 4 oz per

day, but how many bottles does that mean?  Also,  what if two or three family

members have been drinking the Go Chi juice, and none of them are satisfied, if

all three return their bottles  will they receive the same refund?

 

A.  FreeLife's no risk guarantee is just that:  If you are dissatisfied with

our product  for any reason,  return it within 90 days and receive a 100%

refund, even if the bottle is empty!   If you join FreeLife and you decide it

is not for you even after 90 days, just let Freelife know that you wish to

cancel. Freelife will “refund your money less a 10% handling fee for all

resalable product and sales aids you purchased within one year of your decision

to cancelâ€. 

 

 

Q.   What are the production costs that are involved, and why such an

enormous price per bottle.   Please show me how what is charged is not a

reflection of a price which is inflated to benefit those higher up in the

Multi-level marketing chain? 

 

A.   The cost of our product is far higher than any other, as we are the only

company that is using fresh berries and not dried. The logistics of transporting

and quickly processing our berries in rural northern China are daunting, and are

very costly. Also, we would ask that you consider the millions of dollars that

we are spending on clinical research and charitable works. When compared to

products such as Goji 100, we are competitively priced. We feel no reason to

compete with the low-grade goji products sold at deep discount in Wal-Mart and

other outlets. We truly believe that GoChi provides outstanding value for the

money, even at the full retail price. However, many of our Marketing Executives

receive rebates and bonuses that result in them paying little or nothing for

their product. Our compensation plan benefits everyone who chooses to pursue our

business opportunity, and it is by far the most generous pay plan in the

industry.

 

Q.  Would it not be prudent for Freelife to donate some of their profits back

to the Chinese Medical community, such as to the TCM medical schools, community

clinics, research facilities, etc.  The Chinese medical community is an

incredible potential ally, for sales referrals, and medical validation.  Yet,

 thus far, the community views GoChi with much scepticism and distrust.  As I

think I have indicated to you, if I believe in a product and receive

satisfactory answers to my question, I will promote it.  I can assure you that

the same is true industry wide,  but good will needs to be cultivated.

 Comments?

 

A.  We have donate generously from our profits to our worldwide GojiKids

foundation, and a good amount of money has been spent in the areas of Ningxia

Hui and Gansu provinces where our berries are grown and juiced. Perhaps some day

we will be able to expand our charitable efforts beyond children’s relief

efforts, but for now, this is where we are dedicating our dollars and our time.

 

Q.   It is customary for suppliers of medicinals, nutraceuticals, and other

health products to offer licensed practitioners professional discounts.  Why is

that not the policy of Freelife?

 

A.  The suppliers that you mention in the practitioner channel have a

completely different sales and marketing structure, and our plan is simply not

optimized to favor one class of customers at the expense of others. As stated

previously, we do offer many opportunities for product rebates, volume-driven

bonuses and substantial income. I’m just not the person to discuss them with

you, as it’s not my area of competence.

 

Q. I am concerned with the hyperbole that has accompanied some of the sales

people I have come in contact with.  Some of the claims and testimonials border

on health claims which contravene FDA regulations.  Please see this link to

the  letter from the

FDA. http://www.fda.gov/cder/warn/cyber/2006/CL226e.pdf How do you reconcile

this?

 

A.   I agree completely, and it bothers me tremendously that some of our

people are trying to market our product as some kind of miracle cure. This

letter was sent to a FreeLife distributor, not to FreeLife. We have a strict

policy against making illegal medical claims for our product, and we terminate

any distributor who fails to take down non-compliant websites or who distributes

non-compliant materials. This is why FreeLife has never received a warning

letter from FDA or a state Attorney-General. You will not find anything on a

FreeLife website – past, present, or future – that says anything about using

our products for the treatment or cure of any disease, and we strongly recommend

to our Marketing Executives that they speak only of the 19 clinically

demonstrated benefits of GoChi and avoid trying to promote this product as some

type of cure-all. We have no proof that it is effective against any disease or

condition, and we have no intention

of studying it in any of these areas. Why? Because, in the eyes of FDA, that

would re-classify our product as an unapproved new drug. It currently costs

about $600 million and 10 years to register a new drug in this country, and you

can’t sell drugs through Network Marketing, so can you see why we would never

go that route?  We do believe, though that GoChi is the best gou qi zi product

on the planet, and we are certain that it will be a valuable addition to the

armamentarium of any TCM practitioner. And, although I wish that I could teach

restraint to those who would have you believe that GoChi can grow new limbs, I

hope that you will forgive them and understand that their exuberance arises from

having seen remarkable changes in themselves and in those dear to them as a

result of using the product. But this is not how we promote our

product.   GoChi has been clinically demonstrated against placebo in a

published randomized, double-blind study to

significantly improve sleep, energy, mental sharpness, feelings of calm,

contentment, good health and happiness, to help relieve stress and to improve

regularity. Blood tests have shown dramatic increases in the body’s ability to

defend itself against toxic free radicals and to improve immune defenses.

Isn’t that enough?  If people’s medical conditions are improving while

taking GoChi, it’s because they are becoming more immunocompetent. The immune

system is G-d’s miracle, not the goji berry. GoChi is simply the humble

facilitator that restores balance to immunity. That is entirely consistent with

the use of gou qi zi in Traditional .

 

As many of you expressed, I too, harbor a natural scepticism towards products

that make spectacular claims.  But, in my opinion, the tough questions I

asked were answered  satisfactorily, and I will now recommend this product to

those patients who are liver yin and blood, and Kidney yin and jing

vacuitous. 

The product appears to have quality and the guarantee is reasonable.  If any of

you are interested in it feel free to write or call me.

 

 

Sincerely,