Acai -- the Amazon’s wonder berry

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Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE), is the unassuming fruit of a jungle palm that has gone from Amazonian staple to global wonder-berry: a much-hyped ingredient in smoothies, sorbets, nutrition bars and countless trendy treats from L.A. to London to Tokyo, reports Patrick J. McDonnell from Belem, Brazil.

Acai’s cachet derives not only from the berry’s antioxidant traits and supposed Viagra-like powers of vitality, but also from its green pedigree: It has been acclaimed as a renewable resource that provides a sustainable livelihood for tens of thousands of subsistence harvesters without damaging the expanses of the Amazon. Because of acai, the jungle is more valuable standing than felled.

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