The acai plant grows in Central and South America for it thrives in a dark, swampy environment. Indigenous to the Brazilian rain forest, the acai tree is a genus of 25 – 30 species of palms that are native to the tropics of this area. The acai tree is tall and slender, growing to as much as 30 meters in height. Its palm branches reach a span of 3 meters in length. Each panicle produces between 700 and 900 berries. Its beauty and grander is almost as impressive as the nutritional profile of its fruit.
Dark berries grow in clusters amid the thick, luscious palms of the acai tree and they are loaded with nutrients. The berries of the acai tree are small, no bigger than blueberries, but the size of their nutritional value far exceeds its size. The berries have a thick pulp and a single seed. They ripen quickly on the branches so as soon as they are harvested, they have to be freeze dried in order to keep them from spoiling.
The acai plant has been around for more than 2 millennia. We know that the native people of the rain forests have used the fruit from the acai plant for over 2000 years as both a dietary and medicinal staple.
The fruit from the acai tree has been a staple for the people in the rain forests for a long time, but only recently have we in the rest of the world come to enjoy it as well. It has recently been crowned with the title of being the world's number one "super food". This is because of its amazing nutritional profile. Acai berries have a high concentration of protein, omega, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. These ingredients are all in this one little fruit and the quantity of these ingredients surpasses that of any other natural food. The most impressive fact about acai berries is that a single serving yields 33 times more antioxidants than even red grapes and blueberries, the most antioxidant-rich food after acai berries.
It is no surprise that the acai tree grows in the rainforest for the Amazon rainforest is home to more than half of the earth's species of plants and animals. Producing approximately 20% of the earth's oxygen, the rainforest is the perfect climate to nurture the acai plant.
The Amazon rain forest has been referred to as nature's medicine chest because most of the pharmaceuticals that we now use are made from the contents of plants found in the rainforest. The environmental factors of the rain forest, with ample moisture and sunlight, produce many nutrient-rich plants, the acai plant being one of its prizes.