(Euterpe oleracea) Family: Arecaceae
Also known as: Assai Palm, Pina Palm, Euterpe Palm or Cabbage Palm in some regions – but don’t confuse it with the Sabal Palmetto – called by that same name – which grows profusely throughout the Southeastern U.S. and parts of the Caribbean.
Origin: Eastern Amazonia, particularly in Brazil
As discussed in The Medicinal Jungle, Volume I.
The subject part of this palm is its fruit (berries). But, let’s sort of back into their medicinal uses by first, briefly, mentioning their edible applications.
Approximately the size of a Grape, they’ve an earthy, slightly tart taste, with hints of dark chocolate and Blackberry. They’re particularly popular in South America, where they’re known for their unique flavor, often consumed raw, drunk in a juiced form, or incorporated into various food products such as ice cream or jelly.
They’re rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins and contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid similar to Olive oil, which is a good source of anthocyanins – which are highly regarded for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Medically, they are favorably linked to reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and even neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, some studies suggest that they may even improve vision and eye health.
But, wait just one more moment, please! Get this, before delving into the substance and intent of this jaunt into The Medicinal Jungle. The Acai Berry is a good example of why we must all take great care in who we choose to believe, about what, from whom this information is attributed and how the information comes.
That’s emphasized here in that, nearly twenty years ago, there were several commercial entities (Read: Hucksters!) who made outlandish claims regarding expansive and rather spectacular, curative values of this plant’s berries.
According to them – keeping well in mind the miraculous cure-alls sold from “medicine wagons” of the Old West – it seemed that all but eternal life was virtually guaranteed through the purchase of their particular Acai Berry product(s).
In point of fact – to employ an old carnival expression – “Close but no cigar!” However, in actuality, they were “in the neighborhood” of factual correctness!
(Those familiar with my work know that every plant about which I write is the result of extensive, secondary research learning as much as possible, complemented by yet further collaborative data gleaned from additional, reputable sources. Accordingly, through my books and this column, I’ve seriously striven – as best as I am able – to help point folks in the right direction regarding medicinal applications.)
With that clearly asserted, many are the clinically researched writings that state that the Acai Berry is, in fact, great for a wide array of physical difficulties. Some are for the treatment of aging skin, bacterial-borne diseases (such as malaria, colds, coughs, and fever), erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol, menstrual cramps, metabolic syndrome, and obesity.
Interesting range of afflictions, those!
Additionally, they are said to be a general pain reliever for body and joint aches, including arthritis, gout, muscle pains, rheumatism, and for improvement of the digestive function and treatment of diarrhea and constipation.
They are also, purportedly, most helpful for fighting diabetes, hemorrhages, kidney diseases, providing hepatoprotective activity for the liver, used for the treatment of hepatitis and jaundice, bruises, cuts, eczema, psoriasis, skin diseases, wounds, and effectively acting to generally strengthen the immune system of our bodies.
They, supposedly, can also be used to relax the body, promote sound sleep and help provide overall restfulness, as well as being said to help with osteoarthritis – a degenerative joint disease where the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of bones breaks down over time – high cholesterol and detoxification (the purging of the intestine, kidneys, and liver of harmful toxins).
Beyond these assertions, the study of historical ethnobotanical writings has divulged that a decoction of certain plant parts has been used by natives in Brazil and Peru as an anti-inflammatory, to heal kidney and liver diseases and for snake bites, as well being employed as an anti-malarial treatment or, combined with parts of the Manicaria saccifera plant, taken as a bronchitis medicine.
But with all of the preceding said, please remember, I do not direct, suggest, or encourage usage of this – or any other plants – without extensive discussions with your doctors and health providers.
(And, as regards ethnopharmaceutical plants between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the Carpenter brother and sister duo musically intoned it best in 1970, with “We’ve Only Just Begun.”)
