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, pronounced AH-sigh-EE, is a palm tree that is widely distributed in the northern area of South America. Its berries are used to make medicine.
People use acai for osteoarthritis, high cholesterol, erectile dysfunction (ED), weight loss and obesity, “detoxification,” and for improving general health. Acai gained popularity in North America after being promoted by Dr. Nicholas Perricone as a "Superfood for Age-Defying Beauty" on the Oprah Winfrey show.
As a food, the acai berry is eaten raw and as a juice. The juice is also used commercially as a beverage and in ice cream, jelly, and liqueurs.
In manufacturing, acai berry is used as a natural purple food colorant.
How does it work?
Acai contains chemicals that are antioxidants. Antioxidants are thought to protect body cells from the damaging effects of chemical reactions with oxygen (oxidation). According to some research, acai has more antioxidant content than cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, or blueberry.
SLIDESHOW
Vitamin D Deficiency: How Much Vitamin D Is Enough? See SlideshowInsufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...
- Arthritis.
- High cholesterol.
- Improving general health.
- Other conditions.
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).
There is not enough information to know if acai is safe. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, it's best to stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Drinking raw acai juice has been linked to outbreaks of a disease called American trypanosomiasis or Chagas Disease.
QUESTION
Next to red peppers, you can get the most vitamin C from ________________. See AnswerThe appropriate dose of acai depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time, there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for acai. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
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Holderness, J., Schepetkin, I. A., Freedman, B., Kirpotina, L. N., Quinn, M. T., Hedges, J. F., and Jutila, M. A. Polysaccharides isolated from Acai fruit induce innate immune responses. PLoS.One. 2011;6(2):e17301. View abstract.
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Lubrano, C., Robin, J. R., and Khaiat, A. Fatty acid, sterol and tocopherol composition of oil form the fruit mesocarp of six palm species in French Guiana. Oleagineux 1994;49:59-65.
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Mertens-Talcott, S. U., Rios, J., Jilma-Stohlawetz, P., Pacheco-Palencia, L. A., Meibohm, B., Talcott, S. T., and Derendorf, H. Pharmacokinetics of anthocyanins and antioxidant effects after the consumption of anthocyanin-rich acai juice and pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in human healthy volunteers. J.Agric.Food Chem. 9-10-2008;56(17):7796-7802. View abstract.
Noratto, G. D., Angel-Morales, G., Talcott, S. T., and Mertens-Talcott, S. U. Polyphenolics from acai ( Euterpe oleracea Mart.) and red muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia ) protect human umbilical vascular Endothelial cells (HUVEC) from glucose- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and target microRNA-126. J Agric.Food Chem. 7-27-2011;59(14):7999-8012. View abstract.
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Rodrigues, R. B., Lichtenthaler, R., Zimmermann, B. F., Papagiannopoulos, M., Fabricius, H., Marx, F., Maia, J. G., and Almeida, O. Total oxidant scavenging capacity of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (acai) seeds and identification of their polyphenolic compounds. J.Agric.Food Chem. 6-14-2006;54(12):4162-4167. View abstract.
Sangronis, E., Teixeira, P., Otero, M., Guerra, M., and Hidalgo, G. [Manaca, sweet potato and yam: possible substitutes of wheat in foods for two ethnic population in Venezuelan Amazon]. Arch Latinoam.Nutr 2006;56(1):77-82. View abstract.
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Stoner, G. D., Wang, L. S., Seguin, C., Rocha, C., Stoner, K., Chiu, S., and Kinghorn, A. D. Multiple berry types prevent N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-induced esophageal cancer in rats. Pharm.Res 2010;27(6):1138-1145. View abstract.
Cordova-Fraga T, de Araujo DB, Sanchez TA, et al. Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) as an alternative oral contrast agent in MRI of the gastrointestinal system: preliminary results. Magn Reson Imaging 2004;22:389-93. View abstract.
Del Pozo-Insfran D, Brenes CH, Talcott ST. Phytochemical composition and pigment stability of Acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.). J Agric Food Chem 2004;52:1539-45. View abstract.
Nóbrega AA, Garcia MH, Tatto E, et al. Oral transmission of Chagas disease by consumption of açaí palm fruit, Brazil. Emerg Infect Dis 2009;15(4):653-5. View abstract.
Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, et al. Antioxidant capacity and other bioactivities of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart. (acai). J Agric Food Chem 2006;54:8604-10. View abstract.
Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, et al. Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart. (acai). J Agric Food Chem 2006;54:8598-603. View abstract.
Udani JK, Singh BB, Singh VJ, Barrett ML. Effects of acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) berry preparation on metabolic parameters in a healthy overweight population: a pilot study. Nutr J 2011;10:45. View abstract.