The acerola tree, native to the West Indies, southern Texas and South America, produces a fleshy, red fruit called the acerola cherry. Some people refer to it as the Barbados cherry, Puerto Rican cherry, Antilles cherry or West Indian cherry. Whatever you may want to call it, the nutritional value of the unripe fruit of the acerola tree provides rich sources of essential vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin C
Unripe acerola cherries, one of the richest food sources of vitamin C, contain 1,500 to 4,000 mg of the vitamin per 100 g of fresh fruit, according to California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. For the sake of comparison, 100g of oranges yield only 50mg of vitamin C. Acerola cherries also provide twice as much magnesium, potassium and pantothenic acid as oranges.
The University of Maryland Medical Center advises that vitamin C, an essential nutrient, helps to maintain bones and teeth. It supports tissue growth and repair, heals wounds and helps produce collagen, a protein necessary to create skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Additionally, vitamin C's antioxidant effects boost the immune system against infection and neutralize damaging free radicals, thus slowing the aging process.
Bioflavonoids
In addition to its high concentration of vitamin C, the acerola cherry contains significant amounts of bioflavonoids, sometimes called vitamin P. According to the website Vitamins-Supplements.org, bioflavonoids help the body absorb vitamin C by protecting vitamin C against oxidation, a breakdown of the nutrient. Like vitamin C, bioflavonoids must be supplied by the diet. In addition to anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, antiviral and anti-carcinogenic properties, bioflavonoids also contain free radical-scavenging antioxidants. Antioxidant qualities enable bioflavonoids to work in conjunction with vitamin C to boost the immune system and maintain collagen to strengthen skin, connective tissue and blood vessels.
Additionally, Vitamins-Supplements.org notes that the anti-inflammatory properties of bioflavenoids help relieve pain. That makes acerola cherries useful in treating sports injuries and leg and back discomfort.
Iron
Iron helps support hemoglobin in the body, supplies oxygen to cells, synthesizes collagen, normalizes immune function and prevents anemia. According to The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at University of Florida, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference evaluated acerola cherries as providing significant amounts of iron to the body. The Institute reported, "Of the tropical fruits evaluated, acerola, coconut, and sapodilla contained the most iron." While the Institute advises that acerola cherries do not provide good sources of iron for women, it states, "All three of these fruits are good sources of iron for males, with a serving of acerola providing 15% of the RDA for males, and servings of coconut and sapodilla providing 12% of the RDA for males."
Vitamin A
Acerola cherries also contain vitamin A, a nutrient valued for vision, growth and development and immune system function, especially in the respiratory tract and mucous membranes. Evaluations conducted by the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference ranked acerola cherries as third highest in vitamin A content of the tropical fruits studied. However, although acerola contains high amounts of vitamin A for a fruit, the cherries do not rank a "good" daily recommended source of the vitamin.
References
- "Prescription for Herbal Healing"; Phyllis A. Balch; 2002
- California Rare Fruit Growers: Acerola
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Acerola
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: What's in Your Tropical Fruit?
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
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