More on acai fruit extract
Name: Euterpe oleraea
Family: Arecaceae
Origin: Amazon Rainforest
Form: water/alcohol extract
Parts: berry
Euterpe is a genus of tall slender attractive palm trees named after a muse of the same name in Greek mythology. The Acai palm is one of this genus growing in the Amazon rainforest. It is fast growing and cultivated for both its fruits and superior hearts of palm. The fruit is a small, round, black-purple drupe, similar in appearance and size to a grape, and is produced in branches of 700 to 900 fruits. The seed makes up about 80% of the fruit and is ground for livestock food or as a component of organic soil for plants. The pulp is used as food and has a rich, berry-cocoa flavor. A substantial part of the traditional diet of the indigenous tribes in the Amazon basin is made up of Acai fruit. In fact, the Acai palm is described as the most important plant species of its region because its fruit makes up such a major component of the indigenous diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight) and is so economically valuable to the region. Apart from the use of its berries as food, the Acai palm has other commercial uses. For instance, the leaves are made into hats, mats, baskets, brooms and roof thatch for homes, whereas the trunk wood, resistant to pests, is used for building construction. Acai also has a history of use in Latin America as traditional medicine, primarily for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments using extracts derived from both fruits and roots.