Sacha Inchi

The Sacha Inchi is a well-known plant in Peru; the name of the fruit is named after the Quechua language, the translation into Spanish is mountain peanuts or wild peanut. The origin of this seed is derived from the Peruvian Amazon; the appearance of the sacha inchi began many years ago, when aboriginal tribes of the amazons used it in a medicinal and traditional way.

The small star shaped fruits, green when unripe and dark brown when ripe, are normally left to dry on the vine before being harvested. Inside the fruit are small dark brown oval-shaped seeds.

This fruit has a high vitamin supply, minerals, nutrients and omega 3; all these in a small seed; for health, consuming this is ideal, since having such high levels of vitamins and protein helps to keep the immune system working effectively; the omega 3 present in this is of great help for our brain and its development.

Among some of the benefits that is known to this plant, is to improve the memory capacity is widely used by many who suffer from poor memory and have need of retentive for information; For diseases such as cancer, sacha inchi is also mentioned, recent research shows that consuming a constant dose of this plant’s seed helps to prevent the progression of the disease.

You can get this seed in different presentations such as whole sacha Inchi seeds as a snack, the sacha inchi powder, sacha inchi capsules and the sacha inchi oil. When you try Sacha Inchi, your life will benefit from the enormous amount of high-quality nutrients.

Origin of Sacha inchi

The origins of this seed are believed to have started in an area called San Martín in the Peruvian Amazon; to get to the town you have to cross a series of rural roads, if you cannot access the rural roads you can delve into the rivers, you can also reach the towns where the sacha inchi trees are located in this way.

It is known that the first ones that gave use to this plant were the aboriginal natives of the locality where the trees where the seeds of the sacha inchi come from are found; the tribes had fervent beliefs that this has powers which saved people and made them healthier, terming the plant as an alternative for long life.

The uses of the sacha inchi became known the same time as many other plants, when the settlers arrived in the region of Peru. After being announced, this plant was attributed a series of very good health benefits. Currently this seed is extracted a series of nutrients and minerals that are used to help improve health.

Properties and Benefits of Sacha Inchi

The benefits that this plant provides are very high, for that reason the consumption in its country of origin and in neighboring countries are very high. Among the many properties that are attributed to this fruit is that of life longevity and those that you will read below.

The main attribution given to the sacha inchi is to promote the proper functioning of the nervous system in important areas, such as the brain, this is because high content of Omega 3.

It is also attributed the reduction of cholesterol levels in the blood, thus preventing heart attacks. Another of these benefits is to control high blood pressure. As this fruit has so many nutritional and medicinal qualities, it is used to keep the immune system strong.

Having so many antioxidants, it is also used as a method for the prevention of some types of cancer. Another of the most frequent uses that is given to the sacha inchi is that of assistance when it comes to wanting to lose weight.

The fatty acids plus the sum of the vitamins, work in a joint way so that it is is an ideal assistant for the disappearance of the spots on the skin.

For depression is a great ally, this is because it is known that one of the factors that promotes depression is the malfunction of the central nervous system that is located in the brain; as the seed helps the better functioning of the nervous system, it reduces the existing depression problems and eliminates the risks of suffering from it.

If you suffer from diabetes, consuming a small dose of sacha inchi steadily is good because it helps regulate blood sugar levels. This food also  has such a high amount of antioxidants that it is used to delay aging.

The sources of vitamin E from the seed are good for the maintenance of the skin and hair. If you have a brittle hair, with little shine and abundant fall, this seed and its oil, are good to benefit you. If your skin is rough and dry, spraying some oil on your skin is quite good, this will help you to moisturize it, give it more shine and have a more beautiful and healthy appearance.

Nutritional Value

Sacha inchi seeds are among the best plant sources of omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 essential fatty acids, with approximately 45% omega-3 fatty acids and 35% omega-6 fatty acids. The seeds contain approximately 90-93% unsaturated fatty acids and only 6% saturated fatty acids. Rich in protein (about 60% by weight), sacha inchi is rich in essential and non-essential amino acids. It is also a good source of iodine, calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and E.

Uses of Sacha Inchi

For the healthy and medicinal benefits that this plant has to help maintain good health, eliminate future illnesses and mitigate some ailments that are currently present; this superfood is very important.

• Among the benefits of this food is its anti-inflammatory properties, which make it widely used for arthritis, rheumatism and osteoporosis problems.
• Being a stimulant of the nervous system and encourage a good functioning that also helps your metabolism to function well; the set of the aforementioned helps us to feel more vitalized and with more energy.
• To counteract insomnia, stress and exhaustion, taking sacha inchi is phenomenal, this will make your problems and illnesses that are related to the aforementioned ones disappear.
• It is not only used medicinally and aesthetically, it can also be added to the food preparations we make at home; we can use sacha inchi oil to flavor salads or other preparations and the seed as such can be added in small pieces for fruit smoothies, salads, among others.
• To integrate into your beauty routines is also good, use the oil to remove spots on the skin, attenuate them and even disappear, is one of the many possibilities that gives you the sacha inchi.
• If you want to disappear the dryness in some area of ​​your body, you can spread a little sacha inchi oil and the dryness will disappear almost immediately.
• The sacha inchi powder is used to make a sacha inchi  in tea, which can help to reduce inflammation of the joints, so the pain of diseases such as arthritis diminish.
• Taking sacha inchi tea, gives better quality of life to diabetes patients, keeps the sugar levels stable so that it does not affect the rhythm of the person suffering from it.

Side effects of Sacha inchi

This seed has a large number of health benefits, since it is made up of a series of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, healthy fatty acids, among many others; even so everything has to have a counter and the ones of these seeds are those that we will mention next:

• It is known that there are people who do not have favorable reactions at the time of eating the fruit or smearing it, the use of this fruit in them causes allergy.
• You cannot use sacha inchi oil when you go out in the sunlight, you can end up with spots on the skin.
• Long-term use of sacha inchi oil in the face area can cause your skin to produce excess fat, so use the oil for a maximum of 30min and no more than 2 times a week.

Recipes

Toasted sacha inchi seeds salad: Take lettuce, tomato, onion, feta cheese, sacha inchi oil, toasted sacha inchi seeds, salt and pepper to taste; chop all the ingredients that are in whole, integrate the seeds, cheese, sacha inchi oil, salt and pepper to taste; serve and enjoy.

Sacha inchi smoothie: You only need the milk of your choice, sacha inchi powder, sugar, a little vanilla and a touch of cinnamon powder; join all the ingredients in a processor, when they are well integrated, serve your smoothie and ready with a little ice and enjoy a rich smoothie.