Acai

Euterpe oleracea
The berries contain many beneficial compounds, such as powerful
antioxidants, fiber, monounsaturated fats, calcium, fiber, vitamin A, and
anthocyanins, compounds such as resveratrol and cyaniding and ferulic
acid, which not only give fruits and vegetables their distinct color, but also
team up with flavonoids to defend the body against harmful free radicals. In
fact, acai berries contain 10 to 30 times more anthocyanin power than red
wine. Clinically proven to be beneficial for health. To treat anemia, the roots
are ground, mixed with water and taken orally.

In the Amazon, the acai palm heart is widely consumed as a vegetable, the fruit is prepared into a popular fruit drink and used as a natural ink or dye, and the wood is used in house construction (palm thatched roofs). Ethnobotanists have recorded no less than 22 different uses for all parts of the tree. In the Brazilian Amazon, the Indian tribes of the forest use all parts of the tree. They fell the tree and eat the palm heart, turn the fruit into a juice drink, and use the mature palm fronds for thatch for their house roofs. They then urinate on the rest of the felled tree to attract a species Rhynchophorus palm beetle to lay it's eggs inside the felled tree. Several weeks later, they return to harvest 3-4 pounds of beetle grub larvae which are an important source of protein (62%) and fat (4.5%) in their diet. The fruit juice is also very popular throughout the local communities and indigenous tribes of the Amazon; resulting in acai trees commonly planted in gardens, around villages, and in back yards. The fruit and palm hearts are also taken into river cities and towns where they are sold as cash crops by river- and forest-dwelling families.

In Brazilian herbal medicine, the oil of the fruit is used to treat diarrhea; an infusion of the root is used for jaundice and to build the blood; an infusion of the grated fruit rind is used as a topical wash for skin ulcers; and, the fruit seeds are crushed and prepared in an infusion for fevers. In the Peruvian Amazon, an infusion of the toasted crushed seeds is used for fever, and a decoction of the root is used for malaria, diabetes, hepatitis and jaundice, hair loss, hemorrhages, liver and kidney diseases, menstrual pain, and muscle pain. In Colombia, where the trees grow along the Pacific coast line, it is called naidi and the fruit is turned into a common and popular drink.

By far, the main use of acai by the local inhabitants of the Amazon is for the preparation of a thick, dark purple juice obtained by macerating the ripe fruits. In some areas, individual consumption of up to 2 liters daily has been recorded. It is often referred to as "poor-man's juice." It is so popular, there is usually a small special establishment called an acailandia in most Amazon river towns and villages that prepare the acai juice and sell it in small plastic bags. Although a basic part of the diet of the poor, acai liquid has become popular throughout all socioeconomic levels. It has a metallic nutty flavor with a creamy texture and oily appearance. To prepare the liquid the ripe fruits are soaked in water to soften the thin outer shell. The fruits are then squeezed and the large seeds strained out to produce a dense purple liquid with a distinctive flavor. In the Amazon, the liquid is often combined with a starchy root vegetable called manioc (which has been dried and ground into a flour) and is eaten as a purple porridge. It is mixed with sugar or sugar cane to sweeten and drunk as a beverage, as well as used to flavor ice cream, liquor and other desserts.

Acai is a staple food for many economically disadvantaged inhabitants of the lower Amazon region area. The acai-manioc porridge is quite poor in nutrition but is very filling with a large amount of starch and sugar. In Belem, a major port and gateway into the Brazilian Amazon, an enormous acai fruit market called Feira do Acai houses 70 to 120 vendors selling over 200,000 kg of acai fruit daily during the dry season. The fruit juice is widely consumed as a staple, however, no medicinal properties have been associated with it.

This information is gathered directly from:
https://rain-tree.com/acai.htm