Acai
Other Names: Açaï, Acai Berry, Açaï d'Amazonie, Acai Extract, Acai Fruit, Acai Palm, Amazon Acai, Amazon Acai Berry, Assai, Assai Palm, Baie d'Açaï, Baie de Palmier Pinot, Cabbage Palm, Chou Palmiste, Euterpe badiocarpa, Euterpe oleracea, Extrait d'Açaï, Fruit d'Açaï, Palmier d'Açaï.
Acai, a palm tree native to Central and South America, produces reddish-purple berries that are similar to blueberries and cranberries. Bearing a rich, chocolate-like flavor, acai berries have recently popped up in scads of nutritional supplements and juices.
Special Precautions of Acai
- Drinking raw acai juice has been linked to outbreaks of a disease called American trypanosomiasis or Chagas Disease.
- May interact with chemotherapy drugs.
The benefits of Acai are
In Brazil, native people use acai berries to heal skin conditions and sip acai seed tea to soothe fever. Native Brazilians have also long used boiled preparations of acai root to treat conditions ranging from menstrual pain to diabetes. It is rich in flavonoids, oleic acid and Linoleic Acid.
- Anti-oxidant : In recent years, supplement manufacturers have begun marketing acai as a top source of antioxidants (substances that help protect cells from free radical damage). Acai proponents claim that the "superfruit" offers 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and delivers a remarkable synergy of amino acids, essential fatty acids, and fiber.
- Good source of Cyanidin.
- Cancer : Researchers at the University of Florida have found that acai berries contain properties that can destroy cancer cells, specifically leukemia cells. Acai berries health benefits also include an ability to inhibit tumor progression in esophageal cancer. The studies into acai berries and cancer were conducted in laboratory conditions using cells and extracts rather than with people. Although they suggest benefits, until case-controlled studies using people are conducted, no recommendations can be made regarding the effectiveness of acai berries and cancer, according to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
- osteoarthritis
- high cholesterol
- erectile dysfunction (ED)
- weight loss and obesity
- detoxification
- improving general health
- digestive problems
- allergies : Acai berries contain anti-inflammatory properties that may prevent the typical inflammation response associated with allergic reactions.
- heart disease : Similar to red wine, research shows that acai berries are extremely high in anthocyanins, a form of plant antioxidant associated with the ability to lower cholesterol levels in the blood stream. They are also rich in plant sterols that provide cardio-protective benefits to our cells. It does this by preventing blood clots, improving overall blood circulation, and relaxing the blood vessels.
- autoimmune disorders.
- immunity booster : Acai was also found to boost immune cell function at extremely low doses
