Acerola

Acerola – a source of health

The Acerola (Malpighia glabra, Malpighia emarginata or Malpighia punicifolia) belongs to the Malpighiaceae family and is originally native to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.

Today the evergreen shrubs or small trees are cultivated throughout Central America and in many South American countries—especially Brazil—as well as in Jamaica, the southern United States, India, Africa and Australia.

The indigenous peoples of the Maya culture greatly valued the small cherry as a source of health and its small medicinal fruits. These were intentionally consumed even then, for example to strengthen the body's defences. The Spanish conquerors, however, coined the name Acerola, as they thought the exotic little fruits resembled the sweet cherries of their homeland in appearance. In German-speaking countries they are therefore referred to as Acerola cherries or Barbados cherries.

Although both are stone fruits, the Acerola is not related to our sweet cherry. In addition, acerola cherries are not sweet but rather quite tart.

In countries where acerola grows, the fresh fruits are used to make juices, jams and various remedies such as fruit extracts. However, in all these preparations a high sugar content is usually used because of the acidity.

Acerola in traditional medicine

Barbados cherries are frequently used in traditional Latin American medicine to prevent and treat illnesses, as they are attributed with astringent, anti-inflammatory, stimulating and diuretic properties. In Brazil they are used to strengthen the cardiovascular system, to treat diarrhoea and dysentery, and to promote wound healing. Fresh fruits are also used for fever, anaemia, diabetes and liver diseases such as hepatitis. They are considered an ideal remedy when the body is weakened— for example by illness.

Scientific interest in the tropical cherry only began to grow in the mid-20th century, when South American researchers discovered the fruits in the jungle and subjected them to various analyses. For the first time it was explained scientifically why they possess such significant medicinal potential: they are a very good source of vitamin C. As a result, it is primarily used as a source of natural vitamin C.

We do not wish to claim medicinal effects here, as we only offer Acerola as a dietary supplement. It is also questionable how many of these effects remain when an extract is used instead of the whole fruit. However, it has been scientifically proven that natural vitamin C from Acerola is more effective than synthetic vitamin C, which is often used in cheap supplements. The same applies, incidentally, to expensive supplements that contain cheap ingredients such as synthetic ascorbic acid, unfortunately widespread on the market...

The third-largest source of vitamin C worldwide

The acerola cherry is truly a superfood. Worldwide only two fruits are known to contain more vitamin C than the small tropical cherry: the Australian bush plum and camu-camu from the Amazon region.

Since the acerola cherry consists of 93 per cent water and contains only small amounts of protein, fat or carbohydrates, one might almost believe that it offers hardly any other nutrients.

Analyses have shown that 100 g of these fruits have a vitamin C content ranging from 700 up to an incredible 5,000 mg. By contrast, oranges or lemons, which are often referred to as vitamin C bombs, contain only about 50 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.