History of the Acai Berry

The legend of the acai berry begins deep inside the luscious tropical rain forests of the northern region of Brazil. The fruit, called the “crying fruit” by the local native people has been growing and giving them energy for a very long time. As legend goes, long ago there was a tribal chief who instituted a new law amongst his people regarding the lack of food and the effects of starvation on their growing population. The law stated that in order to have enough food for the tribe all of the newborn children were to be killed, so as not to cause the others to go hungry. At this time the tribal chief’s own daughter became pregnant with a child, and showing no favoritism the chief had his grandchild murdered as well. Carrying a heavy heart full of grief, the daughter of the chief stayed in her dwelling for many days. Then one day, she raised her head at the sound of what she thought to be a baby crying in the distance. Deciding to leave her dwelling to search for the upset child, she emerged to find a palm tree filled with fruit growing forth from the ground, which she then laid upon and passed away from total desperation. When the tribal chief found his daughter who had perished, and the tree full of fruit that would feed the tribe, he decided to revoke the law. For his daughter, it is said that he named the tree after her by reversing the letters of her name, Iaca.

Growing abundantly throughout the Amazon, the acai palm tree has provided food for hundreds of years to the people of Brazil. Brazilians are known for their very active and healthy lifestyles, so the acai palm provides them with a fruit that helps to energize them and keep them fit. Resembling a grape, this round, dark fruit grew in popularity in the early 1970’s and 80’s among many athletes, like surfers and soccer players. The acai berries can be blended into smoothies, dried and put into granola bars, or just eaten plain, which made this versatile fruit easy to consume for those that are on the go. Over the years researchers began discovering that this little berry had a big nutritional impact to the body by providing vitamins, proteins, antioxidants, and minerals. Because of its large quantities of antioxidants, the acai berry has recently been named one of the top “superfoods”.

The Acai tree is also found in Panama and Trinidad where the famed fruit grows in fat bunches like bananas, and each tree can grow up to eight bunches. Since it is surrounded by very little pulp, it does require large amounts of the berries to be harvested for products like juice. Because of the acai berry benefits to health and weight loss, many manufactures are using just the extract from the fruit to make diet pills and vitamin supplements. Used every day by many, this fruit has encouraged some in the United States, mostly in Florida, to begin their own production of the acai trees. The effects of these trees however, will not be readily seen in the market anytime soon since it takes the tree about 10 to 12 years to actually produce its first bunch of fruit.

Amazingly, the acai berry’s popularity is not only helping keep countless people healthy and in shape, but it is also a positive force for saving the rainforest. Until recently, the demand from the fruit was limited to the regions it was native to. However, now that the rest of the world has discovered its powerful benefits, the local farmers must work day and night to meet the demand. More and more rainforest is being designated for acai production, and the local economy is booming. When you buy an acai product from a company who works closely with the local farmers , you can feel good that you are doing your part to save this endangered land.

From its introduction into the general population, the acai berry has made itself known mostly in the health food industry, but as more research is being done, the fruit is making its way into pharmaceutical science companies. Although it can be harvested on a regular basis, the popularity of the fruit has caused many producers to restrict the amount that they put into the products. This is why 100% pure acai juice will be a bit more expensive than the normal juices you will find in your grocery store. However, when you try the real thing you will be sure to notice a significant difference.

Acai Berry Research

There has been a lot of information tossed around about the acai berry, some of it true and some of it false. Some of the information has not been scientifically tested. This article will give you an in depth look at some of the actual acai berry research that has been done here in the United States and elsewhere around the world. You will find factual accounts on how the scientific studies were done and what their findings were.

The berry is dark purple when ripe and is the size of a small grape. It has a large seed that is surrounded by a thin layer of edible pulp. Acai Berries cannot be eaten as they are from the Acai Palms. They must be harvested and properly processed before they can be eaten.

The Brazilian people have used acai berries for years to treat skin conditions and digestive disorders. Some of the more recent claims made mostly by Internet marketers and retail merchant is that products made from the acai berry can help lower cholesterol, help with weight loss and give more energy.

With a lifespan of just under 24 hours after being picked, it is a logistical problem to research the acai berry entirety from the time of harvest. There have been some successful studies however that has corroborated many of the nutritional make-up claims that were publicized. One of the first laboratories outside of Brazil to study the purported benefits of the fruit was the University of Florida.

Stephen Talcott and his team showed that extracts from acai berries triggered a self-destruct in up to 86 percent of the leukemia cells tested. In the study six different chemical extracts were made from acai fruit. Each extract was prepared in seven concentrations of which four were shown to kill a significant number of leukemia cells after 24 hours from the time applied. Talcott, although encouraged does caution that the study was only a cell-culture model and that hopes should not be raised. However he does state that compounds that show good activity on cancer cells in a model system can most likely have beneficial effects in humans.

At the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany a study was done of the antioxidant capacities of eleven commercial and non-commercial samples of the acai berry with the oxidant scavenging capacity in a modified and automated version against three reactive oxygen species. It was found that the antioxidant capacities of all purple acai was excellent against peroxyl radicals and good against peroxynitrite, but poor against hydroxyl radicals compared to European fruit and vegetable juices recently analyzed.

The fruit pulp from the white acai had very low antioxidant capacities against all three reactive oxygen species. It was found that the purple acai fruit phenolic compounds had two major anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside. This makes the overall antioxidant capacities of the fruit estimated to be approximately 10%. It is thought that other compounds that have not yet been identified are responsible for a large part of the antioxidant capacities of the fruit.

At the Department of Pharmacology and Psychobiology in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil a study was done to see if hydro-alcoholic extract taken from the acai stone induces a vasodilator effect in the rat mesenteric vascular bed precontracted with nor epinephrine and if it does to explain the underlying mechanism. The formation of NO was induced in cultured endothelial cells of the acai stone extract, but was reduced by N(G)-nitro-l-arginine (l-NA, 100 microM). The study showed that the vasodilator effect of acai stone extract is dependent on the activation of NO-cGMP pathway. Endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor release may also be involved. In the end the study showed that the vasodilator effect showed a possibility to use the acai stone extract as a medicinal plant in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

The Natural and Medicinal Products Research in Puyallup, Washington did a study from a standardized freeze-dried acai fruit powder for all analyses and tests. In the study it was found that anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and other flavonoids were the major phytochemicals. Cyandin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside were found to be the two predominant anthocyanins. There were also three other minor anthocyanins found. The major proanthocyanidins found were Polymers. The other flavonoids found were homoorientin, orientin, isovitexin, scoparin, and taxifolin deoxyhexose. There were also several unknown flavonoids detected.

Resveratrol was found in a very low concentration. Fatty acids, amino acids, sterols, minerals, and other nutrients were analyzed and quantified. The two dominant fatty acids found were Oleic acid and palmitic acid. There were nineteen amino acids found. Three sterols were identified in this study, B-sitosterol, campesterol, and sigmasterol.

Some other results of lab studies done found that the acai berry has about the same amount of protein as an egg, that 100 grams of acai berry is equal to14 grams of fiber, 100 grams is also equal to1000 IU of Vitamin A and has a low glycemic index. The acai berry is high in carbohydrates and contains 8 grams of protein per 100 grams. Acai Berry juice has 20 to 30 times more anthocyanins per volume than found in Red Wine. There were sixteen identified antioxidants and phyto-nutrients found in acai berries and seventy compounds that have yet to be identified. The acai berry’s Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is identified as having the highest scalable antioxidant value of any known berry.

So here are the real facts on the acai berry’s health benefits. The fatty acids and phytosterols found in the acai berry help with the breakdown of bad cholesterol and promote good cholesterol. Keeping cholesterol low is an absolute necessity for maintaining a healthy heart and fighting heart disease. Acai berries contain Omega Fatty acids that our bodies do not produce but need for healthy growth and development of the brain.

The high levels of antioxidants and anthocyanins found in acai berries are the same organic chemical compounds that help fight off disease and toxins in the body and also help boost the immune system. The antioxidants absorb oxidants that allow the oxidation process to happen and free radicals would cause toxicity to the skin. This aids in the treatment of skin problems. The acai berry’s high fiber and fatty acids content protect stomach the lining to assure maximum absorption of nutrients. This allows the excess to be expelled in a safe and consistent manner, which aids the digestive process and can help with weight loss.

As you can see because of the components found in the acai berry, it can have many health benefits. People who integrate it into their daily regimen often report a significant boost in their health, and overall well being.