Now Foods, Acerola 4:1 Extract Powder

NOW Acerola Powder is derived from acerola cherries, one of nature's highest sources of vitamin C. The fruit can yield up to 3,000 mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams of fresh weight, but on the average yields around 1,500 mg. Our Acerola Powder is a 4:1 extract that yields 180 mg of Vitamin C per teaspoon and tastes great!

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Twice a month we Email you a brief abstract of several new studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D. We will mention research updates on acerola cherry when published.


Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, take a third, half, or one level teaspoon acerola extract powder a few times a week, mixed into fruit, vegetable juice or water.

Acerola Supplement Facts
Serving Size 1 Level Teaspoon (3.6 g)
Vitamin C 180 mg 300%
Acerola Powder (4:1 Extract) (Berry) 3.6 g (3,600 mg)

High Quality products formulated by a medical doctor
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Acerola cherry benefits
Acerola has been studied in the laboratory and has been found to be a powerful antioxidant and have anti-cancer potential. Acerola contains polyphenols. Acerola is sold in juice form, jams, ices, gelatins, sweets or liquors.

Acerola cherry flavor
Volatile components have been isolated from acerola fruit. One hundred fifty constituents have been identified in the aroma concentrate, from which furfural, hexadecanoic acid, 3-methyl-3-butenol, and limonene were found to be the major constituents. The amounts of esters, 3-methyl-3-butenol, and their various esters are thought to contribute to the unique flavor of the acerola fruit.

Acerola cherry Research Update
The acerola fruit: composition, productive characteristics and economic importance
Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2006 Jun;56(2):101-9. Universidade do Vale do Itajai, Rua Uruguai, Itajai, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
The acerola fruit (Malpighia emarginata Sesse y Mocino ex DC) is a wild plant grown in zones of tropical and subtropical climate. Acerola fruit origin is from South of Mexico, Central America and Septentrional area of South America. Acerola has a subglobulose drupa fruit with three seeds which account between the 19 - 25% of the total weight. The diameter and weight of the fruit varies between 1 - 4 cm and 2 - 15 g, respectively. The acerola fruit shows green color when it is developing, which changes to yellow and red tones when it is mature. Each plant produces annually 20 - 30 kg of fruits. This acerol fruit contents macro and micronutrients: proteins (0.21-0.80 g/100 g), fats (0.23-0.80 g/100 g), carbohydrates (3.6-7.80 g/100 g), mineral salts (iron 0.24, calcium 11.7, phosphorus 17.1 mg/100 g) and vitamins (thiamine 0.02, riboflavine 0.07, piridoxine 8.7 mg/100 g). Its high content in vitamin C (695 a 4827 mg/100 g) is remarkable, therefore acerola fruit has an increasing economic value by its great consume during last years. Acerola fruit also has carotenoids and bioflavonoids which provide important nutritive value and its potential use as antioxidant. Brazil has a climate and soil appropriate for the culture of acerola fruit, thus this country is the main mundial productor.

Antioxidant activity of dietary fruits, vegetables, and commercial frozen fruit pulps.
J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Apr 20;53(8):2928-35.
Fruits, vegetables, and commercial frozen pulps (FP) consumed in the Brazilian diet were analyzed for antioxidant activities using two different methods, one that determines the inhibition of copper-induced peroxidation of liposome and another based on the inhibition of the co-oxidation of linoleic acid and beta-carotene. The anthocyanin-rich samples showed the highest, concentration-dependent, antioxidant activities in both systems. In the liposome system, at both 10 and 50 microM gallic acid equivalent (GAE) addition levels, the neutral and acidic flavonoids of red cabbage, red lettuce, black bean, mulberry, Gala apple peel, jambolao, acai FP, mulberry FP, and the acidic flavonoids of acerola FP showed the highest antioxidant activities (>85% inhibition). In the beta-carotene bleaching system, the samples cited above plus red guava gave inhibition values >70%. On the other hand, some samples showed pro-oxidant activity in the liposome system coincident with a low antioxidant activity in the beta-carotene system. There was no relationship between total phenolics content, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity, suggesting that the antioxidant activity is a result of a combination of different compounds having synergic and antagonistic effects.

Structural and functional characterization of polyphenols isolated from acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) fruit.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2005 Feb;69(2):280-6.
Two anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-alpha-O-rhamnoside (C3R) and pelargonidin-3-alpha-O-rhamnoside (P3R), and quercitrin (quercetin-3-alpha-O-rhamnoside), were isolated from acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) fruit. These polyphenols were evaluated based on the functional properties associated with diabetes mellitus or its complications, that is, on the radical scavenging activity and the inhibitory effect on both alpha-glucosidase and advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation. C3R and quercitrin revealed strong radical scavenging activity. While the inhibitory profiles of isolated polyphenols except quercitrin towards alpha-glucosidase activity were low, all polyphenols strongly inhibited AGE formation.

Effect of acerola cherry extract on cell proliferation and activation of ras signal pathway at the promotion stage of lung tumorigenesis in mice.
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2002 Feb;48(1):69-72.
The present study was undertaken to estimate the effect of acerola cherry extract (ACE) pretreatment on cell proliferation and the activation of Ras signal pathway at a promotion stage of lung tumorigenesis in mice treated with 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). Pretreatment with ACE (dose, 70mg/kg body weight and 700 mg/kg body weight) inhibited increases in the levels of proliferating nuclear cell antigen and ornithine decarboxylase at the promotion stage. This treatment of ACE also suppressed the activation of Ras signal pathway at the same stage. These results suggest that ACE regulates abnormal cell growth at the promotion stage of lung tumorigenesis in mice treated with NNK as a result of suppression of the initiation stage.

Anaphylactic reaction to apple juice containing acerola: cross-reactivity to latex due to prohevein.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002 Apr;109(4):715-6.

Soy and alfalfa phytoestrogen extracts become potent low-density lipoprotein antioxidants in the presence of acerola cherry extract.
J Agric Food Chem. 2001 Jan;49(1):308-14.
Postmenopausal women have an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been implicated in atherogenesis, and the presence of modified LDL (LDL(-)) in plasma appears to represent LDL oxidation in vivo. Because previous studies have demonstrated a strong antiatherogenic effect of estrogen due to its antioxidant activity and similar antioxidant activity was found for specific isoflavones derived from soy extract, the antioxidant activity of a phytoestrogen extract derived from soy and alfalfa was studied. Copper-mediated LDL oxidation was inhibited in the presence of soy and alfalfa extracts, and this effect was further enhanced in the presence of acerola cherry extract, which is rich in ascorbic acid. Male rabbit aortic endothelial cells pretreated with soy extract were resistant to the toxic effects of high levels of LDL and LDL(-), and a lesser, but significant protection, was also afforded by alfalfa extract. Cell-mediated oxidation of LDL, measured by LDL(-) formation, was inhibited in the presence of soy extract but not alfalfa extract. However, in the presence of acerola cherry extract, both soy and alfalfa extracts potently inhibited the formation of LDL(-). These findings show that acerola cherry extract can enhance the antioxidant activity of soy and alfalfa extracts in a variety of LDL oxidation systems. The protective effect of these extracts is attributed to the presence of flavonoids in soy and alfalfa extracts and ascorbic acid in acerola cherry extract, which may act synergistically as antioxidants. It is postulated that this synergistic interaction among phytoestrogens, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid is due to the "peroxidolitic" action of ascorbic acid, which facilitates the copper-dependent decomposition of LDL peroxides to nonradical products; this synergy is complemented by a mechanism in which phytoestrogens stabilize the LDL structure and suppress the propagation of radical chain reactions. The combination of these extracts markedly lowers the concentrations of phytoestrogens required to achieve significant antioxidant activity toward LDL.

[Physico-chemical characterization of acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) produced in Maringa, Parana State, Brazil]
Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1997 Mar;47(1):70-2.
The acerola Malpighia glabra L., originally from the Antillas and North of South America, known by the people as cereja-das-antilhas or cereja-do-para distinguish itself by its high content of vitamin C. The ripe and fresh acerola fruits utilized in experiments, were obtained from farmers of Maringa region, Parana State, Brazil. The fruits were hulled in steel sieve with 25 mesh and the bagasse (seeds and hull) discarded. These physico-chemical analysis were realized in the pulp: vitamin C, moisture, protein, carbohydrate, fiber, lipids and fatty acids composition. We also determined the content of ash and cadmium, calcium, lead, copper, chrome, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and zinc minerals. The average content of vitamin C was 1.79 g/100 g of pulp, it was higher than the one for other fruits, like pineapple, araca, cashew, guava, kiwi, orange, lemon, and strawberry and lower than the camu-camu sylvestral fruit of Amazonia. The contents of moisture, carbohydrate, fiber, lipids and minerals in the acerola were not significantly different when compared to other fruits.

Acerola Questions
Q. Can an acerola supplement be taken the same day as ahcc, nattokinase, lyprinol extract, serrapeptase, mangosteen, curcumin, saw palmetto herb or graviola?
   A. I have not come across any research that would preclude the use of acerola with these supplements.

Q. I take acetaminophen daily for arthritis. Could acerola cherry supplement help protect my liver?
   A. Perhaps, but I have not seen any such studies. Acetylcysteine could be an option.

Q. Is there any one making an acerola juice, drink, or acerola beverage?
   A. We are not aware of an acerola juice being sold, but perhaps if you do a thorough google search you can find a company that sells an acerola drink or beverage.