The ‘superfruit’ acerola is a tropical berry also known as a Barbados or West Indian cherry. It is found in Southern Texan, Central and South America and the Caribbean with Brazil the largest producer and exporter.
Acerola can be found in a variety of food forms including juices, jams, ices, sweets and wine. Also available in powder and capsule supplemental form.
It has one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C, around 50-100 times greater than an orange or lemon and is highly absorbable for humans. It also contains provitamin A, vitamin B1 and B2, niacin, albumin, iron, phosphorus and calcium making it a real superfruit!
Along with these vitamins and minerals, it is packed full of a variety of plant nutrients giving it great antioxidant ability. This makes it an excellent protective agent against a variety of diseases caused by oxidative damage including diabetes, cardiovascular issues (eg. high blood pressure, atherosclerosis) and inflammatory conditions.
Studies have found acerola to have tumour-specific cytotoxic ability, suggesting it has potential use in cancer chemotherapy and prevention.
As well as its own anti-oxidant ability, acerola has been shown to increase the antioxidant ability of other substances including alfalfa and soy agains the oxidation of cholesterol.
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