The History And Origins Of The Acai Berry

The following video is a brief presentation by one acai berry manufacturer on where they obtain the acai berry from and how it is processed for their purposes.

The Amazon Rainforest–Home Of The Acai Berry

The Amazon rainforest represents 54 percent of the remaining rainforests on our Earth today. This region, known as the “lungs of the world”, produces 20 percent of our planet’s oxygen supply.

Embracing nine South American countries, the Amazon region covers some 2.5 million square miles.

More than half of the world’s estimated ten million species of plants, animals and insects live in the Amazon tropical rainforest. 80 percent of the world’s plants known to have cancer fighting properties, are located only in the Amazon rainforest, making it a global medicine chest. The number of edible fruits found in the rainforest is estimated to be in the range of 2800 – 3,200. Of the recognized edible fruits and vegetables native to the Amazon, natives of the region consume more than 1,500, but of all the recognized plants only 200 are cultivated commercially for use today.

An estimated number of 2.7 million acres of the rainforest is lost each year due to logging and development.

The Indigenous People of the Amazon

The Amazon region is not only known for it’s vast inventory of plant and animal life, but also for the largely hidden and lost cultures of the jungle. In the 1500’s, it was speculated that an estimated 6 to 9 million Brazilian Amazon natives lived in the Amazon jungles. By the early 1900’s, the number of aboriginal peoples within the Amazon region had fallen to one million. Today, the remaining number of Brazilian Amazon natives is believed to be approximately 250,000. Amongst the Brazilian Amazon natives are 215 ethnic groups, with 170 different language dialects.

Today, in 2010, the Brazilian Government believes there are still fifty or more original indigenous Amazon tribes living deep within the Amazon rainforest who’ve never had any form of contact with the outside world.

With each tribe, generations of diverse religious beliefs have developed, along with medical systems based on the use of plants and animals readily available to them. Among these plants is the Acai Palm.

The Acai Palm

The açai palm is a palm tree which stands approximately 80 feet or 25 meters tall, and is commonly found in the flood plains of the Amazon River region. The açai palm is known for two varieties of fruits, a white berry and a dark purple berry. The white açai berry is lesser known, and lesser used as it possesses nowhere near the nutritional and health properties of the purple açai berry. The açai palm produces two crops of berries each year, with the 600 to 700 berries hanging from stiff stems immediately below the palm leaves at the top of the tree. To this day, the berries are harvested in their traditional manner, by hand, and by persons skilled in the art of climbing the long narrow smooth trunk of the açai palm tree.

The Acai Berry

The açai berry has a long history as being used as a cure for various ailments by the native people of the Amazon jungle. While never perceived by the indigenous people’s as being a “cure-all”, the açai berry was recognized for possessing healing properties which exceeded the native people’s scientific understanding of the human body.

Today, as in past generations, the açai berry is used in Brazil and the Amazon region for its natural healing and overall health improving properties. Brazilians and natives of the Amazon region claim the Acai berry:

boosts energy levels;

minimizes inflammation processes in the body;

improves circulation;

aids in digestive processes;

enhances visual acuity;

normalizes cholesterol levels;

improves mental clarity;

improves sound sleep;

assists in the fight against prostate enlargement;

acts as a detoxifier;

increases metabolism;

acts an immune system booster;

enhances sexual performance;

prevents cancer;

slows down the aging process;

lessens the symptoms of diabetes;

assists in the management of weight.

It was during the 1930’s and 1940’s that French and Portuguese Scientists noticed and conducted minor research into the Acai Berry. During the late 1990’s American scientists and researchers began to take a much deeper look at what now has been dubbed a “superfruit”.

“One reason,” says Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, “so little is known about açai berries is that they’re perishable and are traditionally used immediately after picking…researchers in many parts of the world have had little to no opportunity to study them.”

Dr. A.G. Schauss, PhD, FACN, has stated, “This açai is unlike any fruit, vegetable or nut that has been seen before, because you cannot just explain its profound antioxidant activity by what we understand today.”

Dr. Schauss, PhD, FACN, continues to say, “The açai fruit has a very broad nutritional value to humans. It has remarkable high antioxidant activity. Based on new data on the antioxidant levels of American foods that was just published by the US government, our data shows that açai has significantly greater antioxidant activity on a gram-to-gram comparative basis than any other of the fruits or vegetables consumed by Americans.”

“The açai is one of the most unique fruits on the face of the earth…the açai has a [ORAC] score a little over 1,000. So we are talking something with 10 to 12 times more antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory capability than anything else we have ever found.” – Dr. Roger Rinn, PhD.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone, M.D., FACN has stated, “Studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world…nature’s perfect energy food.”

“I’ve had patients complain about arthritis pain who haven’t had results with any other products—specifically medications. These individuals had been battling with such issues for years. Once they started using açai, they each experienced relief in their joints and less pain in their bodies.” – Dr. Katherine Crafton, D.C.

“I have a lot of elderly patients, and most complain of fatigue. After trying [açai], they typically report experiencing a surge in energy, better digestion and more restful sleep. It’s amazing to see how they respond to it. I believe this gives the body important nutrients which we all need.” – Dr. Felix Carrillo, M.D. Internist

The açai berry is yielding incredible energy boosts in people as metabolic rates rise to healthier fat burning levels. People who consume the açai berry report experiencing a loss of appetite and most importantly a loss of cravings for various food–important factors in weight loss and weight management. Still, many people today do not understand what in this incredible purple fruit is making such a dramatic difference in their life.

Sit back, if you would, and begin to imagine what went through the mind of Christopher Columbus, hundreds of years ago, when his sailing ships arrived at the ”New World” to discover strange fruits, and plants previously unknown to the civilized world. If you can successfully picture this imagery, then you’re able to grasp the awe that has fallen upon the scientific community today as it delves into the richness of the açai berry.

As of 2006, scientists still had 50 to 75 percent of the compounds in the Acai berry to discover and identify.

The Amazon rainforest is much more than a simple stand of trees. It’s a medical and nutritional hope—our next potential medical or nutritional breakthrough just waiting to be discovered, a hope that’s disappearing at a rate of 2.7 million acres a year.

James C. Tanner of http://www.jamesctanner.com and of http://www.horse-colic.net is a writer, and speaker recognized by 84 publishers. His own experience with the açai berry has been described by some as nothing short of the miraculous, and by others, typical of the dramatic results people are gaining in their lives as a result of the açai berry.

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