Acai Essay

Alternative Use of Acai

“Acai is a berry grown on the acai palm tree (Euterpe oleracea), which is native to tropical Central and South America and grows mainly in floodplains and swamps “(Ulbricht et al. 2012). Acai is being used as an alternative medicine for several diseases or conditions. In the United States acai is being used for weight-loss, anti- aging remedies, antioxidants, and as an oral contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the gastrointestinal tract (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012, NCCAM). Before we can use an alternative medicine treatment there needs to be research or trials done to prove the efficacy of the treatment. There are studies about acai that prove or disprove the claims of its use. The evidence or the science proves some uses of acai, but there is more research that needs to be done. There are contraindications for acai just like with all medicines and people need to be aware of this before they try any new medicines or treatments.

There have been several claims for the use of acai- the whole tree from the berry to the root. The acai berry is used to treat diarrhea, the root for jaundice, the rind is used for skin ulcers and the seeds used to treat fevers. Other claims are for treatment of diabetes, liver disorders, hair loss, hemorrhage, kidney disease, and menstrual and muscle pain (Ulbricht et al. 2012). These are some of the unconventional uses that have been used in Brazil (Ulbricht et al. 2012). There are several claims that acai can treat several conditions in the United States. One claim is that it is used with the treatment of MS. There are no studies to evaluate the safety or effectiveness of acai in the treatment of MS (Bowling, A. ...

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... through the same regulations as a medicine does. Acai has not had definitive scientific research based on human studies to support the claims for health related purposes. Alternative medicines have been used when people seek other methods of treatment due to the traditional doesn’t work, they want to be more homeopathic or they just don’t want to take any more medications. When trying alternatives to traditional medicines there is research that should be done. We have to be responsible and do the research, use other resources like a doctor or medical web sites. Money is a motivator to make false or unfounded claims about how a product works. Acai may turn out to be a product that does all the things they say it does, but more research and human trials are needed before we start taking this alternative medicine and think that it is the cure all to everything.