“Incaliving’s Sacha Inchi Oil (8.5 oz) is an amazing [superfood] that really seems to deliver the health benefits my husband and I need,” Nancy R. a retired elementary teacher wrote. Sacha inchi oil, derived from Perú’s indigenously grown sacha inchi seed or as the Incas referred to it, “The Seed of Life”, has many potential health benefits and thanks to being all-natural and a plant-based food, it can be safely used for both internal and external use maximizing the potential health benefits of these rich omegas (Follegatti-Romero et al, 1).

For great results, consume daily raw and uncooked oil of about 1-2 tablespoons, but monitor to fit individual needs. The raw oil can be enjoyed on salads, in smoothies or a tablespoon between meals to help suppress hunger. Additionally, because sacha inchi is such a versatile oil, cooking or frying with sacha inchi is a great healthy alternative to other oils (Rodríguez et al, 2), and the sacha inchi oil maintains its health properties up to nearly 500° F (250°C) and showed similar qualities to frying with avocado oil (Herazo et al, 3). Please visit our recipes for more ways to incorporate this superfood into your diet.

First, to make Incaliving’s organically grown and all-natural Sacha Inchi Oil, our team of specialists trained in organic and sustainable farming harvest the sacha inchi tree. This tree is native to South America and Perú, which is just one reason some scientists believe Perú may produce some of the best seeds (Westreicher, 4).

Because of the ideal altitudes (1,900-2,900ft.) and nutrient rich soil in places like Lamas, Perú, and our other farms near the Amazon Jungle, this tree thrives with pods of seeds containing some of the world’s best and richest omegas available (Ramos-Escudero et al, 5). It is only now that researchers are helping to confirm what the Incas seemingly knew for more than 3000 years, that sacha inchi may help to impact health by simply consuming daily some of the highest concentrations of plant Omega 3s available (Kim et al, 6).

Once some of the best “Seeds of Life” — how the Incas referred to it — have been harvested, the sacha inchi seeds are 100% cold pressed and taken through a special decanting process, which allows impurities to rise to the top so the pre-filtering can remove the particulates (Różańska et al, 7). After a second filtering, the remaining impurities are removed so the oil can be bottled without preservatives, which allows the oil to retain the rich concentration and high quality Omegas this raw extra virgin sacha inchi oil offers and provides.

Immediately following the bottling at the source in Perú, the oil is flown to our distribution warehouse, which means perhaps the freshest and purest sacha inchi oil on the market.

Potential Health Benefits

First, one of the benefits of consuming the raw oil is that the sacha inchi seeds could possibly help in reducing cholesterol simply by replacing bad fats (Chirinos et al, 8). Sacha Inchi is finding more and more of the science community supporting the long standing idea of the seed’s positive effects on cholesterol (Garmendia et al, 9). In fact, sacha inchi may help lower the LDL (Alayon et al, 10) as well potentially increase the HDL because after four months of an experiment between sacha inchi and sunflower, it was the Inca Peanut impacting and raising the HDL the most (Gonzales et al, 11).

And the impact on heart health (Fleming et al, 12) isn’t stopping at cholesterol as sacha inchi oil may possibly help with high blood pressure (Gonzalez et al, 13) thanks to the high amount of potassium in sacha inchi (Kim et al, 14). Consuming oil rich in potassium has long been connected to potentially helping in hypertension and lowering blood pressure (Bakhai et al, 15).

Additionally, sacha inchi contains an incredible balance of the fatty acids Omegas 3, 6 and 9 (Kim et al, 16), which when coming from a renewable plant source (Fleming et al, 17) like the sacha inchi tree, could be just as effective as fish oil according to more and more research (Maurer et al, 18).

So with approximately 6,700mg of pure Omega 3s, sacha inchi oil maybe considered an essential part of diets due to the numerous potential health benefits for the skin alone (Fanali et al, 19), which may include helping in improving the appearance, while also reducing wrinkles, sun spots and blemishes (Soimee et al, 20). Also, the omega 3s from the sacha inchi seed may have soothing anti-inflammatory properties that could help prevent psoriasis and eczema (Raveendran, 21), especially when the oil is applied to the effective areas.

However, some of the potential benefits for the skin aren’t just due to the rich omegas. Sacha inchi oil also has high antioxidants gamma-tocopherol and phenolic compounds, and they may help protect the body from aging faster since antioxidants help to fight harmful free radicals (Cisneros et al, 22). Additional, more research is demonstrating how gamma- and delta- tocopherols, as well as other antioxidants including vitamin A and E (Powers et al, 23), which are all found in sacha inchi, may help combat diabetes (Hanssen et al, 24) but more studies are needed.

The omega 3s found naturally in sacha inchi (Ramos-Escudero et al, 25) work to potentially help reduce the inflammation of the joints, muscle soreness from exercising and aides in the fight of possible chronic diseases linked to inflammation, like arthritis (Nasciemento et al, 26), so it’s perfect for pre and post workout routines.

Also, once again, the Omega-3 fatty acids found in the seeds could potentially help to reduce inflammation within the brain and alleviate headaches and may help with depression (Kohler et al, 27). Sacha inchi could possibly help ease inflammation within the brain, which can cause emotional issues like depression and memory loss (Cisneros et al, 28).

It may seem counterintuitive since sacha inchi seeds are known to be high in calories, but these little seeds may also help in the fight against weight gain too (Sathe et al, 29). Fiber (linked to gastrointestinal health) represents approximately 75% of the carbohydrate in sacha inchi nuts (So et al, 30) and more research is supporting the idea that a fiber-rich whole food sources of carbohydrate are superior to refined carbohydrates for diet (Giacco et al, 31).

Last but certainly not least, Sacha inchi seeds are high in a compound called tryptophan, which may help in feeling good because it is a precursor to the hormone serotonin (Sadok et al, 32). Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and these seeds are believed to help calm the nerves, boost the mood and deal with anxiety, depression and stress (Fanali et al, 33). The tryptophan in these healthy seeds may also help with a restful night sleep, which is so important for everyone (Hornyak et al, 34).

Why buy from Incaliving?

Incaliving is committed to helping the world through providing some of the best all-natural and organic products, but in addition to that mission, we also take pride in the initiatives we participate in through various means. For instance, something that our competitors rarely can afford to participate in is sustainable farming. This is essential in wanting to continually produce the finest and purest sacha inchi seeds for our oil while also preserving the land of Lamas and the other farms in the Amazon, which will help benefit future generations of superfood consumers and earth conscious people.

In addition to our commitment to sustainability, we also take pride in our initiative to have our workforce (90%) be mostly women. The empowerment of women, especially in Peru, gives them a chance to leave poverty and provide them more opportunities to feed their families and grow/start their own businesses. You too can take pride in knowing that your purchase has helped support this initiative.

Lastly, 10 percent of all online profits are donated to Love Your Neighbor Asia, a nonprofit here in the United States but with a grass roots effort in Thailand helping in the fight against sex trafficking. We encourage you to visit their web page https://www.loveyourneighbor.asia or their Facebook page Love Your Neighbor Asia for more information about this amazing foundation, this wonderful cause, or if you would like to donate.

Research:

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0896844609001119?via%3Dihub
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32890859/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30728574/
4. https://agraria.pe/noticias/solo-se-utiliza-20-de-las-reservas-de-agua-en-forma-efectiv-2013
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31741514/
6. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10942912.2019.1640247
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31426327/
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23870885/
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22241259/
10. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jfbc.12703
11. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691513008612
12. https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/5/6/863S/4558149
13. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691513008612?via%3Dihub
14. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10942912.2019.1640247
15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30160541/
16. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10942912.2019.1640247
17. http://advances.nutrition.org/content/5/6/863S.abstract
18. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814612003585
19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22053706/
20. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31441999/
21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31563186/
22. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf500936j
23. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32516163/
24. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123756886101173?via%3Dihub
25. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31686682/
26. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3789487/
27. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27640518/
28. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf500936j
29. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11130-012-0301-5
30. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/107/6/965/4994271
31. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23462537/
32. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28590049/
33. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22053706/
34. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/21/5/501/2725976