Acai

Acai - An Antioxidant Powerhouse

Did you know that acai berries are considered one of the most potent superfoods? Indeed, açai berries, which grow on the açai tree in Central and South America, especially Brazil, including in parts of the Amazonian rain forest, pack quite a nutritional wallop.

acai fruit is loaded with a wide range of powerful antioxidants, including anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, protocatechuic acid, procyanidins, epicatechin, and polyphenols, making it one of the highest ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value foods around. The berries are also high in vitamins A, C, and E, fiber, omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids, B vitamins, a range of essential amino acids, as well as plant sterols such as B-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol.

 Açai berries are used as a general tonic to protect the body's tissues from free radical damage, as well as to help optimize blood lipid profiles, specifically; total cholesterol, as well as HDL (bad) cholesterol, by blocking its absorption inside the gut. Acai is also reputed to help improve cognitive function, including memory, focus, and concentration, as well as maintain skin health and resilience. Last but certainly not least, açai supplementation is used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's.

Açai Benefits

• Improves Cognitive Function
• Balances Cholesterol Levels
• Prevents Free Radical Damage
• Stimulates Immunity
• Supports Cardiovascular Health

Who Needs Açai?

Practitioners often recommend acai berry supplements to support brain health and sharpen cognition, as well as to help lower cholesterol, stimulate detoxification, and support weight loss. Supplementation is also frequently recommended to enhance skin health including reducing the appearance of dark spots, wrinkles, fine lines, and skin discoloration, scars, stretch marks, and crow’s feet.

Açai Supplements

Potencies

Acai supplements can be purchased in a range of potencies in concentrated extract form, primarily in the 300 to 5,000 mg range. The optimal dosing will vary according to the intended application.

Formats

Acai berry concentrate can be purchased in juice form and teas, as well as in convenient freeze-dried or dried pulp capsules and powders, and as a frozen puree.

Final Thoughts

While acai could technically be eaten in its raw fruit form, the berries themselves are hard to come by and also spoil extremely quickly, as such, for therapeutic effects, supplementation is key.

Acai pairs especially well with turmeric, and black pepper extract for enhanced absorption and antioxidant protection, as well as with most other antioxidants.