The açaí palm, Euterpe oleracea, is a species of palm tree (Arecaceae) cultivated for its fruit (açaí berries, or simply açaí), hearts of palm (a vegetable), leaves, and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit has expanded rapidly in the 21st century, and the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily.

The species is native to eastern Amazonia, especially in Brazil, mainly in swamps and floodplains. Açaí palms are tall, slender trees growing to more than 25 m (82 ft) tall, with pinnate leaves up to 3 m (9.8 ft) long. The fruit is small, round, and black-purple in color. The fruit became a staple food in floodplain areas around the 18th century, but its consumption in urban areas and promotion as a health food only began in the mid 1990s along with the popularization of other Amazonian fruits outside the region.

The fruit, commonly known as açaí or açaí berry, is a small, round, black-purple drupe about 25 mm (1 in) in circumference, similar in appearance to a grape, but smaller and with less pulp and produced in branched panicles of 500 to 900 fruits. The exocarp of the ripe fruits is a deep purple color, or green, depending on the kind of açaí and its maturity. The mesocarp is pulpy and thin, with a consistent thickness of 1 mm (0.04 in) or less. It surrounds the voluminous and hard endocarp, which contains a single large seed about 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) in diameter. The seed makes up about 60-80% of the fruit. The palm bears fruit year round but the berry cannot be harvested during the rainy season.

Common Names: acai, acai berry, açaí

Latin Names: Euterpe oleracea, Euterpe badiocarpa

Background

• The acai palm tree, native to tropical Central and South America, produces a deep purple fruit. The acai fruit has long been an important food source for indigenous peoples of the Amazon region.
• Acai products have become popular in the United States, where they have been promoted for weight-loss and anti-aging purposes.
• The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against companies that marketed acai weight-loss products in allegedly deceptive ways.
• Acai fruit pulp has been used experimentally as an oral contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the digestive tract.

How Much Do We Know?

• Very little research has been done in people on the health effects of acai products.

What Have We Learned?

• There’s no definitive scientific evidence based on studies in people to support the use of acai for any health-related purpose.
• No independent studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals that substantiate claims that acai alone promotes rapid weight loss. Researchers who investigated the safety profile of an acai-fortified juice in rats observed that there were no body weight changes in animals given the juice compared with animals that didn’t receive it.
• A preliminary study suggested that eating acai fruit pulp might reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels in overweight people.
• Laboratory studies have focused on acai’s potential antioxidant properties, and a juice blend with acai as the main ingredient has been shown to have an antioxidant effect in people. (Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells against certain types of damage.)

What Do We Know About Safety?

• Acai pulp appears to be safe when consumed in the amounts commonly used in foods; however, drinking unprocessed acai juice has been linked to an illness called American trypanosomiasis (also known as Chagas disease).
• Consuming acai might affect MRI test results. If you use acai products and are scheduled for an MRI, check with your health care provider.
• Little is known about whether it’s safe to use acai during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Keep in Mind

• Take charge of your health-talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.