Dark Drinking Chocolate 250g

Researched to be one the highest antioxidant fruits on the planet, Loving Earth’s Maqui is a deep purple berry wild harvested in the pristine conditions of Southern Chile. The harsh climate of the Patagonian region is credited with increasing the anthocyanin level of fruits and berries grown in that area, and this is seen in the Maqui berry. Our Loving Earth Maqui Berry Powder has an ORAC score of approximately 70,000µmol per 100g.

Maqui is a native South America evergreen shrub that grows in dense thickets from 3–5 m in height and which reaches maturity between December and March. It is a dioecious plant that belongs to the family Elaeocarpaceae and produces small edible purple berries, about 6 mm in diameter, that are eaten fresh or used for juice, jams or wine-making. The plant prefers slightly acidic, moderately fertile and well-drained soils. It grows rapidly with adequate moisture and readily colonises abandoned, burned or over-exploited soils, thus protecting them from erosion. The intense red colour of the aqueous extract of its fruit is due to the presence of anthocyanin pigments causing it to be used as a natural dye. The leaves and fruits are astringent and have been used in Chilean folk medicine as anti-diarrhoeic, anti-inflammatory, anti-haemorrhagic and febrifuge.

The Mapuche Indian tribe is the only tribe in the Americas (northern and southerncontinents) that were not conquered by any European Countries. According to the Conquistadors, the Mapuche warriors ate very little solid food and drank a fermented beverage made from Maqui Berries several times a day, which may have contributed to the extraordinary strength and stamina that the warriors exhibited. The Mapuche Indians have used Maqui Berry leaves, stems, fruits and wine medicinally for thousands of years. Maqui Berries has been traditionally used by the Mapache Indians for sore throat, diarrhea, ulcers, haemorrhoids, birth-delivery, fever, tumors and other ailments.