The local population has used it as a key component of their diet for many years, in fact, centuries. Being a rich source of anti-oxidants, the health benefits have long been publicized. We plan to explore the roots of this fruit – and find out for ourselves if the health benefits and the hype created about the acai berry fruit is justified or not. We venture to find out if the claims are a fact, or just a figment of fiction.

The star fruit status that the acai berry fruit has garnered over the last few years, and its increased use and adoption is because its been widely marketed as the preferred fruit for those innocent set of consumers who find themselves searching for alternatives that help age less, keep you living long and electrify the immune system against diseases and threats.

Just like any anti-aging therapy or product, there was a lot of skepticism and enthusiasm when the acai berry fruit was introduced as the new elixir of life. It is very true that Acai Berry aids in the process of weight loss and in enhancing metabolism. Anyone looking to lose weight should keep this in mind that a single pill or a single acai berry would NOT work like the proverbial magic ingredient the body needs to shed those pounds away. Any acai berry supplement that claims to do so is not credible. The beneficial effects of Acai berry are slow – but sure.

The acai berry can be termed as a well rounded energy fruit that brims full of great benefits for the body. The acai berry has been found to be effective in warding off heart disease by controlling blood cholesterol levels. It’s extensive use helps in decreasing bad cholesterol levels and increases good cholesterol levels.

The acai berry helps strengthen the immune system because it is a highly rich source of natural anti-oxidants. Any health conscious person knows the importance of natural anti-oxidants. The berry also prevents blood clotting and helps the blood circulation through out the body.

Acai berry is a fibre rich fruit and is great at helping the body get rid of harmful toxins. The absence of toxins purify the system and help in increasing metabolism, which as a result, helps the process of weight loss.
The acai berry is proven to be an effective aphrodisiac. The anti-oxidants present in it help in increased blood circulation during love-making. Its properties in controlling blood sugar levels cannot be over looked.
Acai berries offer 10 times the amount of Anthocyanins – which are antioxidant flavonoids that protect many body systems – compared to a full glass of red wine.

Most people have apprehensions when it comes to the effectiveness of any new fad diet. The skepticism behind the Acai berry diet is not any different. People think that this is just the latest fad diet that does not work. With many other diet choices on the cards such as the Ice cream, Atkins, South Beach, etc, and its wildly varying results from individual to individual, However, there is an ever growing debate about the Acai Berry diet and its effectiveness. And as much to anybody’s surprise – this diet has some weight to it.

The first reason the acai berry diet is creating ripples is that the pulp from the acai berry is very healthy for the body and actually contains a lot of potent antioxidants. These antioxidants fight off toxins and purify the body by cleansing it. On top of that, the acai berry diet has other important health benefits, chief among them the fact the acai berry suppresses appetite which can be a key ingredient to weight loss.

The comparison with respect to how beneficial the wonderful acai berries are to someone who is trying to lose weight can be depicted by a simple example. Lets assume that a weight loser is working out an hour every day and exercising. Obviously the body burns calories in the process. When the same person adds acai berries to his/her dietary plans, it enhances the metabolism process. Working out for exactly the same duration will now result in more calories being burnt – just because of enhanced metabolism. The results are natural and your body feels the good change very quickly.

Besides the discussed benefits of the acai berry diet, the following reasons should be enough to convince anyone that it actually works:

a) Acai berries are proven energy boosters and dont leave you with cravings and mood crashes, which are commonly attributed to caffeine. Caffeine is helpful in boosting energy, but does so by making the brain believe that your body has more energy. In addition to being an energy booster, the acai berry is great as it improves the circulation throughout the body.

b) Acai is very rich in fibre content which causes the body to effectively dispose of body toxins. Fiber has been proven to be good for the body as a whole, which proves a helpful aide to weight loss. When the body is free of toxins, the immune system is supercharged, hence allowing for a healthier and potent life. The acai berry, just because of this reason helps speed up recovery from injuries and diseases, and is exceptionally effective in controlling cholesterol levels in the body.

So, will the acai berry be your magic bullet that does away with the need to excercise and eat healthy? Of course not! However, it definitely CAN help you succeed in your weight loss program.

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.

But the real esophageal reaction comes when downing the “cleansing” liquid — a sickly sweet elixir concocted of every vegetable you likely hated as kid — Brussels sprouts, radishes, cauliflower, lentils and more.

Two weeks ago, my husband and I embarked on the acai diet, one that has been touted across the Internet to fight a variety of ills, including extra pounds, aging and cancer.

Surfers use it as an all-natural energy drink. Celebrities rave about it. Dermatologists say it makes you look younger. But what really makes the acai (ah-sigh-ee) fruit special is the way that much of it is harvested and brought to market.

In early 2000, eco-savvy entrepreneurs Ryan Black and Ed Nichols founded a company called Sambazon after trying acai with surfers during a trip to northeastern Brazil. Sambazon, short for Saving and Managing the Brazilian Amazon, buys its organic acai from 1,500 local families. The families harvest the fruit by hand in the Varzea Flooded Forest ecoregion, part of the biodiversity-rich Amazon basin. The company is committed to preserving the ecoregion by providing a sustainable, income-generating activity for these local growers.

“Neither Oprah Winfrey nor Dr. Oz endorse or are associated with any acai berry product or on-line solicitation of such products,” said Harpo spokeman Don Halcombe. “Harpo lawyers are aggressively pursuing all of the companies that we know about or are reported to us.”

What Oz did say to television viewers is that acai “looked like a health food with nutritional benefits.”

“We were looking at foods that have deep colors,” said Oz. “These naturally colorful ones reflect antioxidant power.”

As far as those weight-loss properties, Oz said, “I’d be surprised if by itself acai could help.”