Past Tense

The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world containing one fifth of the world’s freshwater and bordering eight different countries. The Amazon River basin is a vast region which is home to one third of the world’s plants and animals, some of which are relatively unknown outside the area.

It is here that you will also find the acai berry. The peoples native to the Amazon basin use nearly 2,000 of the region’s native plants for medicinal purposes – and the acai berry is considered to be one of the most potent of these.

The acai berry has been used locally for millennia, but it was not until around 1990 that it began to be known outside of the area. Nowadays, nearly everyone can take advantage of the acai berry’s incredible health benefits.

Naturally rich in antioxidants, the acai berry contains ten times as many if these compounds as do grapes and twice as many as do blueberries. They also contain fibre, protein and minerals.

The acai berry has other nutritional benefits, especially high anthocyanin levels. These are the same compounds which give red wine its health benefits. Acai berries have higher levels of these compounds than does wine and of course is free of the negative health impacts imparted by the presence of alcohol.

The benefits don’t stop there! The acai berry is listed as an effective anti-aging super food in health food circles and is actually believed to decelerate the aging process. This is presumed to be a joint effect of the anthocyanins and the antioxidants found in the berry.

Acai berries have been used to create wine which has a higher nutritional value, to battle schistosomosis and in making antibiotics to fight staph infections, amongst other health and nutritional benefits. This is a berry which is very versatile and has a wealth of nutrition and other beneficial uses.

The acai berry is a little, round, black-purple drupe about 1 inch in diameter. There is a similarity between this and grapes in look and feel. Whilst the immense popularity of this fruit lies in the fact that it provides incredible health benefits the flavour is also simply superb. Perhaps the easiest way to enjoy the benefits of the acai berry is by drinking it as a juice or in smoothies.