Historical and Traditional Uses of Acai Berries

            Acai (Ah-Sci-Ee) berries which can be dark purple or more rarely green (and known as white acai), grow on a palm tree native to coastal regions of South America including most abundantly in the Amazon Rainforest in the Brazilian state of Pará, where it flourishes in swamps and on floodplains (Del Pozo-Insfran et al., 2004). The rounded Euterpe oleracea hangs down from the top of the tree in long clusters and has reportedly been consumed by the rural indigenous natives since pre-Columbian times. (Strudwick et al., 1988).

           Due to its abundance, acai berries are a cheap source of nutrition for the low-income indigenous people who consume it fresh twice daily, comprising up to 1/3 of their total diet (Padoch, 2008; Sergio, 1999).  The pulp of the berry is separated from its large seed and mashed into various food preparations such as an acai pulp concoction with farinha (manioc flour) and sugar called “vinho de assahy” or can be prepared as a non-alcoholic liqueur, juice or ice cream (Gallori et al., 2004).

          Besides being a food staple, Euterpe oleracea was also reportedly used for medicinal purposes by the rural people through the extraction of its dark green oil as an anti-diarrheal or against scrofula (Plotkin et al., 1984). While not scientifically supported, other alleged traditional uses include using the boiled roots to make tea to fight against fever, jaundice and anemia, while the roots themselves were used to treat malaria, hepatitis, diabetes, menstrual cramping and other diseases. Even the acai’s skin was boiled and the concocted liquid was used to wash skin ulcers (Healthnotes, 2008).