History of the Acai Berry
The acai berry has it roots in Brazilian and Amazonian tradition and folklore for thousands of years. It was not until as recently as the 90’s, when the greater western world was introduced to it. The acai berry was not a fruit whose benefits were not known prior to that. It was found that it had very profound medicinal properties. Amazonian tribes first used the acai berry as a cure for variety of illnesses.
It is a widely researched and accepted fact that native tribal people used about 3,000 known rainforest fruits for medicinal purposes. The Amazon supply a fifth of the world’s fresh water, and has the highest biodiversity. One third of the world’s known plant and animal species are native to the Amazon. The acai berry is one such fruit originating from this rich treasure chest of a region.
The Shuar tribes are one of the native Amazonian tribes that have for centuries used and promoted the use of acai berry for medicinal purposes. Shuar medicine men/women are called uwishins, which literally means a healer that works with medicinal plants and a person who knows everything about the secrets of the rainforests. Uwishins are considered to be walking reference books for finding about medicinal plants and their cures. This requires a lot of keen observation and a strict regime of learning. Many Uwishins have learned through experimenting the plants by themselves. They can be regarded as the local medicine plants researchers, whose sole purpose is to find cures for ailments.
The acai berry was discovered to have natural antioxidant properties, as well as being a natural cholesterol controller. It reduces the levels of LDL cholesterol (which is the good cholesterol) in our blood and increases the levels of HDL (which is the good cholesterol). The western world has learnt much later what the native Amazonian tribes people knew for centuries. They found out that it strengthened the immune system, fight diseases and infections, protect and enhance cardiac health and control prostate enlargement. It was a great energy food for the Amazonian tribesmen and women.
The acai berry is a palm fruit and as such, the most widely used form that it was traditionally consumed in was the form of thick, pulpy wine, rich in minerals. The acai berry was also discovered to be useful in fighting schistosomosis, which is a common infection affecting more than 10 million Brazilians. The acaí berry is used to concoct an effective antibiotic that helps to fight against ‘Staphylococcus aureus,’ an infection contracted mainly in hospitals. The acai berry has also been so useful but only known to the traditional tribes men and woman of the Amazon, a lost secret until more than a decade and half ago.
Acaí berries hang from their branches in bunches resembling grapes. Traditionally the acai berries were picked by hand. Tribesmen usually climbed up the trees and cut the branches from the top of the palm tree rich in acai berries. Now that the acai berry has been discovered – and is a widely sought after crop by the population of Brazil, it is mass-produced. It is highly perishable and has only a 24-hour time span during which it’s pulp retains its most medicinal properties.