Acerola Cherry: Benefits, Uses, Recipes, Forms, and Precautions

Acerola Cherry: Benefits, Uses, Recipes, Forms, and Precautions

 

Introduction

Acerola cherry is a Central and South American plant. It is a bright red tropical fruit that is sweet to sour and used to make jams, jellies, juices, ice cream, sauces, wine, syrups, and popsicles. As a natural treatment, many individuals eat the fruit raw. It is beneficial for a variety of ailments, including atherosclerosis, cavities, depression, and diabetes. Most of these statements are unsubstantiated by scientific evidence.

Acerola cherries are antioxidant-rich, include vitamins C and A, and contain anthocyanins. People have used Acerola cherries to cure coughs, colds, fever, dysentery, diarrhea, and liver diseases for many years.

Benefits of Acerola Cherry

Helps Support the Immune System

The cherry offers one of the highest levels of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a proven immunity booster. Vitamin C is a component of collagen, which aids in body healing. Adding acerola cherry to your diet will boost your immunity.

Improves Metabolism

Vitamin B helps your body maintain and regulate metabolism. Maintaining your metabolic processes and regulating your hormonal balance helps you stay energetic throughout your day.

Promotes a Healthy Heart

Acerola cherry is a rich source of potassium. Potassium is a vasodilator, which dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow. Dilated blood vessels help relieve strain on the cardiovascular system as it reduces blood pressure.

They can Help in Cancer Prevention.

The acerola fruit contains a diverse mix of antioxidants that neutralize free radical’s effects on the body. Free radicals are byproducts of cellular metabolism. These free radicals damage healthy cells, causing them to mutate and becoming cancerous and unhealthy.

Anti-aging Properties

Antioxidants present in acerola cherries neutralize the damage done by free radicals. Free radicals cause aging-related damage to cells, muscles to weaken, and loss of hair. By cleaning the toxins released by free radicals, acerola cherries help slow down aging.

Carotenoids are also present in the fruit and help maintain your eyes and boost your skin’s health.

Helps Maintain Your Digestive System

Acerola does not have as much fiber as other fruits, but the content is enough to help boost your digestive health. Fiber relieves constipation, bloating, diarrhea, cramping, and more issues like gastric ulcers.

Can Help Promote Cognitive Function

Many cherries have anthocyanins and phytonutrients, and acerola cherries are no exception. Anthocyanins and phytonutrients promote brain health by reducing brain cell damage caused by inflammation and oxidative stress.

Helps Protect Skin and Hair

Acerola has natural astringent, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties. These benefit the skin along with the effects of antioxidants present in the cherry. The antioxidants help control bacterial and microbe spread, reducing breakouts and blemishes.

A high vitamin C content also boosts the body’s ability to build collagen and heal wounds.

Support Oral Health

Acerola cherry can kill microbes. Many companies add acerola cherry extract to mouthwash which helps prevent infections, fight tooth decay, and protect your gums.

Supports Good Vision

Vitamin C is an important component of good eye care. Vitamin A, which is also present in acerola cherries, also helps maintain eye health. The cherries also protect your eyes from cataracts and hemorrhages.

Forms

Extract

Acerola cherry extract is high in Vitamin C, and people believe it can help alleviate many health problems.

There are other Vitamins, antioxidants, antimicrobe and antifungal properties present in the extract. These also provide health benefits.

Powder

Acerola cherries are freeze-dried to make acerola powder. It has the same properties as the fruit. It is packaged and sold in this form for longevity. The powder is sometimes called Vitamin C. You can mix the powder with water, fruit, or vegetable juices.

Juice

The acerola cherry is juiced to make acerola juice. The cherries are mostly juice, about 80% of the cherry. Acerola cherries are easy to juice because of this.

You can drink the juice as it is or include it in smoothies, soups, dressing, and jams.

Creams

Creams are topical and applied to the skin for collagen production and enhanced elasticity.

Uses

You can eat acerola cherries raw, cooked, or you can consume them in supplement form.

Fresh fruits are hard to find, so you are more likely to buy them in powder or capsule form. The capsules are a good form as the fruits do not keep well. They spoil quickly after being picked unless frozen.

Recipes

There are many ways to prepare acerola cherries for consumption.

The easiest recipe to prepare is to blend the fruit then sieve the pulp.

Only the juice remains. Since the fruit is often sour, you can mix it with another juice like orange, mango, berry, apple, or any other drink you choose.

Acerola Yoghurt Citrus Fruit Platter

Ingredients:

  • a few spoonsful of coconut yogurt,
  • 1-2 spoonsful of natural peanut butter
  • orange, sliced
  • sunflower seeds
  • black sesame seeds
  • blood orange, sliced
  • grapefruit, sliced
  • organic freeze-dried acerola powder
  • almonds, raw, roughly chopped
  • mint or spearmint to garnish (optional

Cut the fruits into a platter, starting with the orange and blood orange slices.

Layer the sliced grapefruit over the orange slices, then the roughly chopped almonds on the grapefruit.

Pour the yogurt and peanut butter over the fruits. You can then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients, including the freeze-dried acerola powder, over the platter.

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Precautions

Some people report adverse reactions to acerola cherries. These reactions include stomach aches, sleeplessness, diarrhea, and insomnia.

Ingesting a lot of cherries may aggravate your gout, as the fruit will boost acid levels.

Where to buy

Mountain Rose Herbs has many products in its listing of acerola powders and extracts. Unfortunately, fresh fruits are hard to find as they are hard to ship due to regulations.

Conclusion

Acerola is similar to other tropical cherries and berries. They are rich in vitamins, antioxidants, calcium, and fiber.

The small fruit promotes health and reduces inflammation and free radical damage. In addition, taking acerola cherries protects the heart and brain while supporting skin and eye health.