It started in the rainforests of the Brazilian Amazon and has slowly migrated to the shelves of local health food stores, leading some to claim it as “purple gold.” Oprah Winfrey featured it on her show and health specialists endorse it. The acai fruit finds its way into a number of juices, smoothies, and nutrition bars which means it is catching on in the U.S. Is acai worth all the hype, some ask.

According to old Amazonian tribes, the acai berry cures a number of ailments, provides energy, and increases the libido Recent scientific studies agree, indicating that the acai berry is one of the most nutritional foods in the world The acai fruit starts as the fruit of Amazonian palm trees. The berry, which features a subtle chocolate taste, is filled with antioxidants, amino and fatty acids, and is a natural energy source Researchers find that this combination creates a “superfood” that helps prevent high cholesterol, heart disease, and cancer Recent studies show that the Acai fruit can help destroy some cancer cells in the body, making it a leading ingredient in many alternative medicine diets

Even though the acai fruit is a staple in the Amazonian diet, it is new to the U.S.. The U.S. phenomenon is credited to Southern California brothers who discovered the fruit on a surfing trip and returned to the U.S. to co-found the company Sambazon, which features the acai berry in a number of its products

Because the acai fruit spoils too quickly to be distributed widely in its natural form, it’s mostly found as a main ingredient in other food products, like protein bars and juices A higher concentration of antioxidants is found in pulp form rather than acai juice products and is now showing up in some health food stores as an unsweetened pulp form.

To a society focusing more on sustainable development, the acai fruit is even more of a draw. Thousands of harvesters can harvest the acai fruit without destroying the Amazon rainforests. New concerns arise, however, as the popularity of Acai juice products increases, requiring more of the acai fruit to be harvested

As Acai juice products are distributed in food chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, the acai fruit’s popularity will only increase. Research already provides evidence that the acai fruit is worth the hype; now it’s time for Americans to fully embrace it

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