In the last decade, surfers from California discovered a delicious superfood from the Amazon that, fresh from the tree, provides over 30 times the amount of anti-oxidant anthocyanins as red wine; 21 protein-balanced amino acids (nearly 8% by dry weight); trace minerals including as much calcium per dry weight as milk; dietary fiber; and beneficial omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids superior to those of olive oil, all in one delicious, natural form. This is just the beginning of this food’s nutritional benefits. And, it’s virtually impossible to over-do this food!

This food is Açai (ah-SAH’-ee) fruit, the berry of a palm found in the Brazilian rainforests – a tree Brazilians call "The Tree of Life." It’s a traditional staple food of the native Brazilian’s, eaten daily by them for centuries. According to Oprah Winfrey on her website, “This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world.” She described it as the world's number one “superfood for age-defying beauty.”

But even more than that, Açai is known for promoting overall health. People have found it to support their immune systems, fight infection, protect the heart, and control prostate enlargement. It is also a natural energy booster and promotes gastrointestinal health. It’s an almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals, vital to proper muscle contraction and regeneration.

Before I started to use Açai I had chronic ankle and foot pain for years from injuries from a fall. A friend told me about relief she and others had experienced from aches and pains, so I decided to try drinking a tablespoon of Açai powder a day mixed with juice. I was surprised to find that within a week most of the pain was gone, and my energy was better.

The ability of a substance to clean free radicals out of the body is rated by “oxygen radical absorbance capacity”(ORAC). Açai has a higher ORAC rating than any other food on the planet due to the many phytonutrients incuding anthocyanins that it contains. Açai also contains many valuable Phytosterols. Sterols are compounds of plant cell membranes that provide numerous benefits to the human body.

The essential fatty acids in Açai are also vitally important. Oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 acid, and linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 acid, help lower LDL cholesterol, and maintain healthy HDL levels. They also increase the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, E, D, and K, which are essential to good health. Research has even suggested that oleic acid may help guard against cancer and hypertension.

A study by Stephen Talcott, an assistant teacher with University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed extracts from Açai berries triggered self-destruction in up to 86 % of leukemia cells. “Açai berries are considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants,” Talcott said.

“This research was an important step toward learning what people may gain from using dietary supplements, beverages or other products prepared with the berries.” He cautioned that the research, funded by University of Florida sources, was not planned to show whether compounds found in acai berries could prevent leukemia in people. “This was just a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone fake expectation,” Talcott said. “We are optimistic by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model organism are probably to have favorable effects in our bodies.”

Not All Açai products are created equal.
Other research in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that although Açai berry has the highest antioxidant content of any food, transport, storage and commercial processing methods may strip the fruit of much of its nutrition. Studies have shown that careless methods like spray-drying, delays in processing the fruit, or shipping blocks of frozen Açai to other countries for freeze drying can lower the ORAC scores from over 1000 to 150 or less.

The freeze dried Açai powder we sell is produced by one of the principal Agro-Technology firms in Brazil, frozen fresh, freeze dried, dated, and shipped to us in vacuum-sealed packages.

Ø  This product is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. Any information presented here, while accurate to the extent of our ability to evaluate it, is for informational purposes only and must not be used as a replacement for medical advice from your personal physician.