Most people have heard of the acai berry or acai juice of some sort. They may have heard it in the news, on YouTube, on Oprah, or even by reading books and magazines such as the best selling book by Dr. Nicholas Perricone. They might have seen ads on the web about products that are trying to capitalize on the benefits of the acai. There is certainly a lot of hype all around acai these days.



What people already know about acai is that it is healthy. They may not know much more but from what they heard, it is very healthy. They have heard that it can potentially cure many diseases and illnesses. People heard that it gives you energy as well as curing any aches and pains. If they have heard of the ORAC value and chart, they might have heard that acai is usually put on top of the chart by many organizations.

When people talk about the acai, they usually mean the acai berry. Yes, the acai is a berry or a fruit, not a vegetable or any other types of food. Some people think that since the acai berry is so good, it must not be natural. However, it is. The acai berry is an old fruit that is primarily found in the heart of the Brazilian Rain Forest. The are tucked away deep in the swamp areas where it is dark and dangerous for humans.

Even if they know that the acai is a berry, they might now know that the acai berries grow on tall trees that are in the palm family. The acai palm trees are large and tall with the acai berries hanging down in branches that look like ribbons. There can be about 20kg of acai berries harvested from each acai palm tree each year.

Nowadays, people are aware of the importance of antioxidants which is why many people eat blueberries and other berries. The acai berries are supposed to have much more antioxidants than other fruits and vegetables. In fact, in 2005, there was a research finding published about the acai berry that says that it was excellent against peroxyl radicals, good against peroxynitrite and poor against hydroxyl radicals.

There are many more benefits of the acai berry such as the anticancer benefits. In 2006, the University of Florida published a research finding that shows that the acai berry may be part of a solution to cure cancer. In the lab, the acai berry extract actually destroyed some cancer cells. This is a great hope for scientists trying to find the cure for cancer.

Soon the world will know more about the acai berry. However, from what we already know, adding acai berry extract, juice or powder of some sort to your diet will help you stay healthy. It is accepted even in Scientific circles now that acai contains many things that your body needs to fight diseases and illnesses. Why wouldn't you want to eat some acai every day?