What Are the Benefits of Acerola?

Also called Barbados cherry or malpighia punicifolia, acerola is a type of fruit native to the Yucatan peninsula that is now cultivated throughout Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and parts of California and Texas. In herbal medicine, acerola supplements are sometimes used to treat and prevent illnesses.

Function

• Acerola contains high levels of Vitamin C, which is a building block for the collagen found in many parts of your body.

Uses

• Acerola is used to treat a number of conditions, including scurvy, common cold, tooth decay and depression. Some alternative medicine practitioners use acerola to prevent cancer and heart disease as well.

Significance

• Because Vitamin C is known to prevent scurvy, acerola is a scientifically proven treatment for the condition, but for its other uses, there is not enough information to confirm the effectiveness of acerola, reports RxList.com.

Safety

• Acerola is generally considered safe and possesses a risk only for minor side effects like nausea, stomach cramps, drowsiness, insomnia and diarrhea. The fruit does, however, pose a risk for excessive bleeding when taken with the blood-thinning medication Warfarin.

Considerations

• If you are pregnant or nursing, avoid taking acerola because its effects on fetal development are unknown. If you have a history of kidney stones, kidney disease or gout, it may not be safe for you to take acerola, warns RxList.com.