Acai juice

[Phil]

Group,

Many times we see people make fun of "wonder cures" as they are so prevelent.  And, being a doctor, I see medications or supplements come and go all the time.  But, some of them may indeed work and have treatment value.  This brings me to the commonly ascribed conspiracy theory that drug companies try to suppress cures if they come from common plants or are cheap.  I sincerely doubt that this happens on a large scale basis.  If you remember back to the 70's, it was commonly felt that "Laetril" (from apricot pits) could cure cancer and that the AMA was suppressing its success.  The drug proved to be worthless and even dangerous.  What one has to understand is that, if something really works, there is always a company willing to market it and make money.  It doesn't matter if the medication only costs three dollars.  A competitive drug company may go to great lengths to market how its expensive therapy is "better" than the cheap one, but don't be surprised if that same company works feverishly to develope an alternative treatment from the cheaper drug.  Both can make money.  Think about aspirin and its usage with cardiac diseases.  Dirt cheap.  Bayer and St. Joseph spend millions to market it and make money.  And, so it goes with any medicine or drug.  If it works, someone will market it.  It's the matter of deciphering which do NOT work that becomes relevent to all of us.  So, regarding benefit from Acai, who knows?  But, if it indeed has medical benefit, it will survive and be marketed on larger scales.

Phil

[PalmGuyWC]

The Florida and California orange juice producers push the fact that OJ is loaded with vitiman C. I've read that tomato juice oz. for oz. has much more V. C. than orange juice...and you can grow tomatos almost anywhere. It's all about promotion. It makes me sick when I see the billions drug companys are spending on advertising. Guess who pays for all those advertisements?

Dick

[palmmermaid]

(PalmGuyWC @ Nov. 29 2007,13:33)

QUOTE

The Florida and California orange juice producers push the fact that OJ is loaded with vitiman C. I've read that tomato juice oz. for oz. has much more V. C. than orange juice...and you can grow tomatos almost anywhere. It's all about promotion. It makes me sick when I see the billions drug companys are spending on advertising. Guess who pays for all those advertisements?

Dick

So true!

And red and yellow peppers have several times more vitamin C than any citrus.

[PalmGuyWC]

Humm....Kitty, I didn't know that. I love peppers if they are not the hot kind, and they are good to eat raw, in strips, and mix with almost anything. We are getting way off topic, so maybe we should start a thread about all the eatable palm products. I have read that after the "grasses," such as rice, wheat, barley, etc., that palms are the most important economic food crop on earth, and of course there are many other uses for them too.

I've also heard that if another kind of "grass" grown in certain counties in California were to be eliminated, the economies would totally collapse.

Dick

[Gileno Machado]

Toast and Açaí marmalade, anyone? Hmmmm, very nutritive for breakfast ( I mean tea, UK folks) !!

[amazondk]

Phil,

I agree with your points on cures and drugs.  And, I am sure you are much better equiped to judge this than I am.  Here in Amazonia a lot of plants and plant products are used by the local population for medicinal applications. Since we have such a rich ecosystem and human beings have been around here for more than likely 10,000 years there is a great knowledge base still in use by the people, especially in the country.  Açai has been an important part of the diet here for a long time and whether it is any miracle juice or not, it is extremely rich in nutrients.  If you drink a glass of fresh açai mid morning you could really skip lunch and not notice any hunger.  What is amazing is how some people can take something like açai and make so much money off of it as Jeff stated.  I guess I will never find such a key to wealth.  But, at least I have a good time and get great açai to drink.

dk

[Tomsky]

My daughter used to work for a startup company, Zola, which made acai drinks. I used to get them for free from her. I saved a lot because they were pretty expensive in the supermarket.

Jack