WHAT IS SACHA INCHI?



Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.), also known as the “Inca Nut (although it is not related to a nut)”, is a plant native to the Amazon of Peru which produces a unique seed very rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9.

The plant is a hermaphrodite small plant with tiny flowers that produces a small pod (3 to 5 cm in diameter), bright green when young and dark brown when mature. The pod usually has 4 lobes – each one containing a seed of 15 to 20 mm wide and 7 to 8 mm thick. The weight of said seeds usually goes from 0.8 to 1.4 grams. Sacha Inchi is originally from the Amazon Rainforest, and what used to be a wild plant, now is cultivated widely in the Region becoming a sustainable source of income to many families of the area.



The plant was originally cultivated by the Incas in the Region of Junin, in a district called Pichanaqui, one of the best areas to grow this plant due to its excellent environmental conditions (soil, humidity, sun, etc.). The plant grows at 500 meters (1,650 ft) over sea level in a mountain hillside at the end of the Andes on the jungle side, in a place protected from excessive rain, floods and high winds. The soil is particularly special, soft and muddy, very rich in mineral content and nutrients.



next