Today, practically everyone knows that blueberries, blackberries, black currants, acai, raspberries and elderberries are very good for health.
But few have heard of one of the greatest super berries of them all, maqui berry.
In the southern part of Chile, in the Mapuche native people who harvest the berry, where maqui grows profusely in the wild.
Maqui, the quick, Nutrition Science, bla-bla-bla……….
Maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis) is an intensely purple berry that grows wild throughout parts of southern Chile.
Maqui berries are very rich in anthocyanins, which are purple pigments with very high antioxidant activity. Specifically, maqui berries contain high levels of anthocyanins called delphinidins, which is also found in violas, delphiniums, and Concord grapes. But in maqui berry, these compounds are found in unusually high amounts. The delphinidins demonstrate potent anti-inflammatory activity, so they help to reduce the risk of a variety of degenerative diseases that involve inflammation. These pigments also inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells.
Wild and Free …… Maqui (hey, that rhymes! 🙂 )
There is simply so much available in the wild, cultivation is unnecessary. Along roads and highways, maqui berry bushes are easy to spot.
They grow all over hillsides, throughout fields, and on the borders of forested areas. At this point in time, maqui is not cultivated.
Mapuche Native Americans, the "Berry Warriors"
The people who harvest most of the maqui berry sold commercially are the Mapuche Native Americans, who are indigenous to Chile.
Known as fierce warriors, the Mapuche are the only native people in the Americas who were not conquered by invading colonists. In harvest season, the whole Mapuche community turns out to pick the vibrant purple berries.
Maqui, to all you blue and purple berries:
"There's a new Sheriff in Town" !!!
Maqui berries blow the other "blue and purple boys" away, as far as anthocyanins are concerned, anthocyanins are purple pigments with very high antioxidant and anti-inflammation activity.
Inflammation is part of virtually every degenerative disease, from cardiovascular disease to diabetes to arthritis. Any illness that ends with “itis” is an inflammatory disease. Maqui also demonstrates antibacterial activity, which suggests that it may aid in preventing illness due to foodborne germs.
[photo source]
[click photo below for source of page below, and more detailed info on maqui benefits]
Maqui, to all you blue and purple berries:
"You don't have enough skill…..to kill…..the 'King of the Hill' !!! "
The antioxidant compounds in maqui berry help to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the blood.
Oxidation of cholesterol is a factor in the development of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke and hardening of the arteries. Regular daily intake of maqui berries or the berry juice is a smart investment in better cardiovascular health.
Maqui, a natural "Fat Fighter"
Interestingly, intake of maqui berries or their juice causes a significant increase of insulin in the body better than any other known plant.
What does this mean? Consuming maqui berries or their juice with or after meals can help to suppress blood glucose, thereby evening out energy and preventing the formation of new fat cells. As a result, maqui may prove to be a beneficial aid in weight control.
(Below) The Magical Maqui Cheesecake, click photo below for recipe
This "New Kid" in the USA is time tested in South America
The Mapuche native people have been eating maqui berries and drinking their juice for centuries.
And other non-native people in Chile have done the same for a very long time as well.
Maqui is now available in the USA
(you can click on any of the 4 photos below to pick up a package off Amazon )
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…not that anyone cares, but this actually happened to me once when I forgot to put the lid on my blender.
They call me Mr. Smooth[ie]
As I have said a gazillion times, to take advantage of these amazing superfoods now popping up un the USA ……
……YOU GOTTA GET INTO DAILY SMOOTHIES!!!!
This superfood is perfect for my milkshake tasting daily smoothies, in that just a teaspoon to tablespoon helps give a smoothie a more fruity grape flavor, to help counter and mask the broccoli or other "not so great" tasting healthy stuff I put in my smoothies.
Remember, "Doubt is their Greatest Weapon"…..
…..as one author recently titled his book on how the Pharmaceutical Industry, Modern Medicine, and the Processed Food Industry will do ANYTHING in their power to convince us that these miracles of nature are a hoax or a scam.
Big Business is actually paying people to spread confusion on the web as these new Superfoods try to take root in the lucrative USA market to compete with their manufactured and processed foods and laboratory made medicines.
They are even coming after me and my blog now…..sigh 
much of the informative text in this article taken from an article on TheMedicineHunter.com.
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click here or photo below for
all my articles in "Eat Smart"
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2 Responses
Nice Post. This is the first time I am reading about Maqui Berry. I know much better about Acai Berries. The Berries are looking nice in pics. i will definitely try them. Thankyou for sharing.
Hi Miley Leo,
I had a spoonfull in my smoothie this morning. The brand I use is by Terrasoul, sold on Amazon. I take so many superfoods, I can’t say much about what they are doing speciifcally for me, but the science behind it is why I I take any of my superfoods, so I look at them as anothe “foot soldier” for my immune system to keep me healthy (I never been sick a day in my life beyond a bad cold, at age 55…that is a very youthful, pretending to be 42, age 55 🙂 ).
One off beat thing worth noting, is Maqui helps turn my smoothies a deep purple as opposed to that mud green color, and gives the smoothie so much more of an appealing, fruity look, and that helsp me save money on all the expensive Whole Foods frozen purple berries I use foor tht purpose of makign the smoothie a fruity color. And as teh article states, the are more healthy than all the other blue and purple berries anyway.
So Go for It!!! let me know what you think of them.
Doug at Gaia Health Blog