What is acerola fruit?
Acerola cherry is a shrub-like plant, believed to have come from the Caribbean and Mexico, and is native to tropical areas in the western hemisphere.
It is commonly called the Barbados or West Indies cherry, but acerola is not a true cherry, instead the plant produces cherry-like berries, which have been used traditionally to treat liver issues, coughs, colds, diarrhoea, and dysentery.
However, recently acerola has been considered as a very rich source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin A, as well as an antioxidant.
Both vitamins A and C are considered antioxidants, helping to combat free radical damage that may lead to certain conditions and diseases. In addition, further research shows that acerola itself is antioxidant-rich.
In a study of different vitamin-c rich fruit, acerola performed the best, particularly when grown organically and was shown to have greater vitamin C content than oranges or strawberries. In fact, it was only outperformed by rosehips!
Acerola is also a good source of:
- vitamins B1, B2, B3
- iron
- calcium
- phosphorus
All of which are essential to our health.
Acerola has a sweet and fragrant taste, which can also be eaten raw, but is most commonly found in supplement form. It is included in My Immune Hero due to its very high vitamin C content.
Vitamin C has been confirmed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as contributing to the normal function of the immune system. Hence, it was non-negotiable that it would be one of the 14 immune-supporting nutrients in our immunity supplement!