What is sacha inchi?

Sacha inchi is the seed of an Amazon vine, Plukenetia volubilis. It is eaten as a roasted snack, pressed into oil, or milled into protein powder. People mainly take it for its plant omega-3 fat.

It is often called Inca peanut or mountain peanut. It is not a true peanut and is not in the peanut family. The seeds grow inside star-shaped pods on a climbing vine.

Raw seeds are not food. They cause stomach cramps and vomiting, so they are always roasted first.

Here is the honest verdict on the evidence. Human trials are few, small and short. Long use as a traditional food is not proof that it treats any illness, and it is not proof that high supplement doses are safe.

How does sacha inchi work?

Sacha inchi oil is one of the richest plant sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, the plant form of omega-3 fat).

Your body can turn ALA into the longer omega-3 fats found in fish. In most people that conversion is small. So sacha inchi is not a like-for-like swap for fish oil.

In a small human trial, the oil shifted blood fats a little over several months. The changes were modest and the group was tiny.

In lab and animal work, the oil appears to lower some inflammation signals and to slow fat build-up in the liver. Whether any of this happens in people has not been shown.

The protein left after pressing is high in cysteine and tryptophan. It is a useful protein source, but no treatment effect has been proven for it.

What forms does sacha inchi come in?

Roasted seeds are the most common form. They are sold plain, salted, or coated in chocolate.

Cold-pressed oil is the main supplement form. It comes in bottles for kitchen use and in softgel capsules.

Protein powder is made from the seed cake left after pressing. It is used in shakes and baked goods.

Sacha inchi also turns up in snack bars, spreads and skin oils. In parts of Peru the leaves have been brewed as a tea, but this form is rare elsewhere.

The oil has a low smoke point. It is sold for drizzling and dressings rather than frying.

Where it comes from:

Peoples of the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon grew sacha inchi for food long before the Inca empire. Seed and pod shapes appear on Moche and Chimu pottery.

Traditional use centred on the roasted seed as a staple fat and protein. Cooks also pressed the oil for the table.

Some groups rubbed the oil on dry skin, hair and sore muscles. Written records of healing use are sparse and short on detail.

The crop drew outside interest from the 1980s, once lab work showed how much omega-3 the oil held. It is now farmed in Peru and nearby countries for export as a food and supplement.

What does sacha inchi help with?

• adding plant omega-3 (ALA) to the diet: This is the clearest reason to use it. Sacha inchi oil is genuinely high in ALA, and ALA is a fat your body needs. Keep in mind that your body turns only a small share of ALA into the omega-3 fats found in fish.
• high blood fats such as triglycerides and cholesterol: Evidence here is weak. One small Peruvian trial found modest changes in blood fats after several months of daily oil. The trial was tiny and short, so it cannot tell you what the oil will do for you.
• plant protein for vegan and vegetarian diets: This is a food use, not a medical one. The pressed seed powder is about 60 percent protein and holds all the amino acids people need. No health claim beyond ordinary nutrition is proven.
• dry skin, when the oil is used on the skin: Tradition in the Amazon used the oil on skin and hair. Like other plant oils, it can soften skin and slow water loss. Human studies on sacha inchi oil for skin conditions are very limited.
• general heart health interest: Diets higher in ALA are linked with better heart outcomes in population studies. Those studies cannot prove that sacha inchi itself helps the heart. No trial has tested sacha inchi for heart attacks or strokes.

Which foods are rich in sacha inchi?

1. roasted sacha inchi seeds
2. cold-pressed sacha inchi oil
3. sacha inchi protein powder
4. snack bars and spreads made with sacha inchi

Practical Tips:

Sacha inchi is itself a food, so there is no need to seek it in other foods.

If you want plant omega-3 (ALA) from cheaper sources, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts and rapeseed oil all supply it.

Oily fish such as salmon and sardines give the longer omega-3 fats directly, which plants do not.

What are the side effects of sacha inchi?

• nausea, especially in the first days of taking the oil
• vomiting, mainly at higher oil doses
• greasy or oily burps and aftertaste
• loose stools or diarrhoea
• stomach cramps or fullness
• severe cramping and vomiting if raw seeds are eaten
• allergic reactions such as rash, itching or swelling (rare)

Good to know:

Stomach upset is the common problem, and it is dose-related. In the small Peruvian trial, nausea was frequent early on and often faded with time.

Roasted seeds and small food amounts of oil are usually well tolerated.

Serious reactions are rare. True allergy to sacha inchi has been reported, so stop at once if you get hives, swelling or trouble breathing.

How much sacha inchi should you take?

• Recommended daily: Labels on sacha inchi oil usually carry about 10 to 15 mL a day, which is one teaspoon to one tablespoon. Capsules are often 500 to 1000 mg each. Snack packs of roasted seeds are commonly 25 to 30 g. These are the amounts products carry, not advice for you. Higher doses of oil cause nausea in many people, and no benefit has been shown for going higher.
• Best time of day: Timing does not appear to matter. People usually take the oil with a meal, or pour it over food. If the oil makes you feel sick, spreading it across two meals may help.
• With or without food: Take it with food. The oil is better tolerated with a meal, and fat-soluble nutrients absorb better that way. Taking the oil on an empty stomach makes nausea more likely.
• Time to effect: As a food, there is no effect to wait for; it is simply fat and protein. The small trial that looked at blood fats measured changes after four months. It may also do nothing for you. Modest results in a tiny study do not promise a result in any one person.
• How long to take it: There is no set length of use. The small blood-fat trial ran for about four months. As a food, roasted seeds and oil are eaten day to day with no fixed stopping point. If you are taking capsules for a health reason, ask your doctor how long to continue and when to recheck it.