What Is Acai?

If you are asking yourself "What is Acai?", then you are in the right place! This page is a primer to get you started in your understanding of what makes the Acai berry so important and timely. As this website grows over time, you will have the opportunity to fully grasp the meaning of the numerous health benefits available to you and your loved ones.

The Acai berry (pronounced "ah-sigh-EE") is a small purple berry that has been proclaimed as a powerful "superfood" in modern society's quest for anti-aging health.

The taste of the Acai berry has been described in different ways during the most recent years. The most common description of the taste is that it is like a cross between berries and chocolate.

To gain a truer sense of what Acai actually tastes like, though, you would have to go to South America in order to be able to consume it as the natives do. The Acai berry is usually mixed with other ingredients in products available outside of South America (such as juice blends) in order to round out the taste and to make it more palatable.

There is a ring of truth to these statements involving the general health benefits of Acai. What's more impressive, though, is the shocking testimonials from everyday people involving the health benefits gained from certain Acai-based products that contain the most potent and well-preserved form of the berry.

In all reality, the scientific community has only recently just begun to understand the full power and potency that the Acai berry naturally possesses...



A Summary Of Acai History

Acai's natural habitat is spread throughout the vast wilds of South America's Amazon rainforest region, which is also home to many other exotic fruits and plant life. No other location on Earth has the combined environmental factors that the Amazon possesses, which are vitally important to the natural development of the potent Acai berry.

Natives of the Amazon region have been consuming the pulp of the Acai berry for centuries. The earliest encounters with the Acai berry by foreigners outside of South America were by British and Portuguese explorers in the mid to late 1700's, and by a noted American entomologist (a studier of insects), naturalist, and explorer by the name of William Henry Edwards in the mid 1800's.

What ultimately set the stage for the Acai berry to explode in popularity was Carlos Gracie, who was the founder of Brazilian jujitsu (a form of martial arts) in the early 20th century. As the accomplishments of Gracie's students became well-known throughout Brazil, along with their stunning physique, word spread that consuming Acai juice was an important part of their regimen.

The Gracie-style of jujitsu went on to dominate many martial arts contests throughout the years, eventually becoming iconic due to it's exposure in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) series of mixed martial arts sporting events during the 1990's.

Pictured above is Royce Gracie, UFC Hall of Famer and nephew of Carlos Gracie.

Only in the last 20 years or so has the Acai berry really become a household name in Brazil. Acai-based products have made their way outside of South America to be marketed on a global scale since the year 2000.

Recent Media Coverage of The Acai Berry

Demand for the Acai berry and Acai-based products have dramatically increased during recent years. Fueling the growing demand for Acai have been major media outlets, nutritionists, and health care practitioners from around the world.

Largely responsible for this growing excitement have been the major media sources: newspapers, news channels, talk shows, and prominent celebrities.

Acai has also become popular with major sports teams and sports stars, to include the Boston Red Sox, Houston Rockets, world champion surfer Kelly Slater, and professional race car driver Tomas Scheckter.

The quotations shown below are from well-known publications that have proclaimed the health benefits of the Acai berry:

"Wheatgrass, protein shakes-so 2002. At juicebars and health stores around the country, the hip new taste is acai. Acai... packed with anthocyanins, the same antioxidants that give red wine its health benefits."

- The Wall Street Journal, April 18, 2003

"Acai is the fruit of an Amazonian palm tree with the nutritional content that makes other fruits blush with inadequacy."

- The London Times, September 20, 2003

"Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, acai is thought to be one of the most nutritional fruits of the Amazon basin."

- The New York Times, August 4, 2004

"For those put off by juiced wheatgrass and bored with low-carb bars, there is acai. Acai... the purplish fruit of the palmberry plant, purportedly contains more antioxidants than red wine and has a beguiling berry-like flavor with intense chocolate overtones."

- The Washington Post, August 11, 2004

"...twice the antioxidants of blueberries and a taste like blackberries crossed with chocolate."

- Time magazine, February 14, 2005

"The latest look-better, live-longer superfood? It's the acai fruit. It's what Denise Richards swears by; what Kelly Slater downs before surfing competition. It's acai, a multipurpose megabooster berry that Hollywood has been hooked on."

- People Magazine, January 30, 2006

Dr. Nicholas Perricone, MD, author of The Perricone Promise, has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show numerous times in recent years. The Acai berry is his #1 choice as a superfood, due to the fact that the berry is "packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids."

Rounding out Acai's superstar media coverage has been national television shows such as NBC-TV's The Today Show. They reported that "The Anomabi Indians have believed for centuries that acai holds unique power... and is believed to help women after birth and to give anyone who drinks it a burst of energy."

A world-wide awareness of the power and potency of the Acai berry has only just begun to happen. This phenomenal expansion of human health is poised to take place in the coming years, probably sooner rather than later. All that needs to happen is a change in the hearts and minds of people around the world and a desire for greater health and prosperity.


If the tip of the iceberg has been compelling so far, imagine what it will be like when the inner workings of the Acai berry and how it interacts with the human body are fully understood and clear for all to see!

A full disclosure of this kind would greatly influence how human health is perceived by the average person. You and your loved ones, everybody for that matter, would have an eye-opening experience that would cement an awareness of just how powerful the human body is when it is provided with the most potent and healthful fuel for it's long-term well-being.

As that well-known saying goes...

"Knowledge is power."

- Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

This Acai berry FAQs (frequently asked questions) page touches upon a good cross-section of information that is commonly inquired upon by a wide range of individuals. It is also a good place for you to do a quick touch-up on some of the Acai berry information that you may have already come across and are needing some clarification on.


Click here to go to "Acai Berry FAQs - Common Questions and Misconceptions Answered"