ORAC Value List – Top 100 Highest Antioxidant Food Products

(ORAC list below)

The ORAC value of the following products, spices, herbs, foods, and berries, is very high, so they are worth considering for your overall health and well-being.

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, developed the ‘USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods’ from which some of this data is sourced.

ORAC units measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. Higher ORAC value units have the potential for better health.

(Consult your doctor for medical advice.)

It is widely believed that foods high in antioxidants help lower the risks of cancer, degeneration, and disease.

The following list includes foods and spices/herbs with high ORAC values. You might consider obtaining and consuming more of them in your regular diet.

Highest ORAC Value Product In The World?

I suggest that you read the notes below and consider the list of foods with high ORAC values—they are potentially good choices for augmenting your health. But first…

Dragon’s Blood & Astaxanthin

UPDATE: Several years ago, my initial research on ORAC value/score/antioxidants focused on commonly available high ORAC value foods and spices/herbs, with supplements not considered. However, after a comprehensive re-examination, I can now present two of the world’s highest ORAC value products in supplement form, with nearly identical scores.

For those interested, I encourage you to research Dragon’s Blood (no, not from an actual dragon, but it comes from a tree that bleeds a sap that looks like blood) and Astaxanthin (preferably sourced from the AstaReal brand by Fuji Health Science/USA&Japan). AstaReal produces natural astaxanthin, not synthetic like most others.

Research: AstaReal is the world’s most studied brand of astaxanthin. The company is known for producing high-quality, natural astaxanthin, which is supported by over 160 studies, including 80 human clinical trials specifically on AstaReal’s Astaxanthin. The FDA has affirmed it GRAS (generally recognized as safe).

According to ORAC value, Dragon’s Blood has the highest ORAC value at 2,897,110 (μ mol TE/100g), followed closely by Astaxanthin at 2,822,200 (μ mol TE/100g). That’s up to 6,000 times the antioxidant power of vitamin C!

My preference? Astaxanthin in 12mg daily supplement form, sourced by a trusted, reputable USA company, which sources the underlying ingredient from AstaReal by Fuji Health Science (highly renowned). I researched, and other sources without AstaReal may be inferior (do your due diligence).

If purchasing through my links, I may earn commission (no extra cost).
Affiliate Disclosure

Acai Berry Fruit/Powder – High ORAC Score

Known for their high antioxidant content, the Acai Berry ORAC value is among the highest berries (102,700 µmol TE/100g.) It surpasses other antioxidant-rich fruits like blueberries (6,552). They are commonly available in freeze-dried form and mixed into smoothies, yogurt, etc. I do recommend considering Navitas Organics:

ORAC Score ( A Few Notes About It )

Note: The ORAC values in this list are normalized to 100 grams of weight (~ 3.5 ounces) because that is how the original database of information was presented. The intent is to ‘normalize’ the various items to compare ‘raw value,’ NOT ‘amount per serving.’

Note: This ORAC list does not factor or attempt to suggest the quantities that a person would normally eat in one serving (for example – who is going to eat 3.5 ounces of cloves in one serving??). I simply intend to point out which ‘foods’ are literally the highest in ORAC value (that I could find information about).

Note: The ORAC value of a given food will vary due to growing conditions, processing conditions, specific variety and others.

Note: Data sourced from the US Department of Agriculture during 2010. The USDA recommends an ORAC unit ingestion of about 3,000 to 5,000 units daily.

Note: ORAC values listed here are in units of µmol TE/100g (micromol Trolox Equivalent per 100 grams). Trolox equivalency is used as a benchmark for antioxidant capacity.

Note: The list I’ve put together here is not all-inclusive

Note: Source: USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL)

Update: Sometime in 2012, the USDA removed its ORAC listings. The original was titled, “USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2 – Prepared by Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – May 2010.”

ORAC Value List

I put together this list when I was able to read the aforementioned report. It is not all-inclusive, and there are likely other food products that could be inserted into my data. However, it does provide some insight for those who are interested.

Within the realm of spices and herbs, Ground Cloves are very high in antioxidants on the ORAC value scale: 314,000 µmol TE/100g (see explanation below). They are used in baked sweets, meats, ham, sweet potatoes, baked beans, BBQ and tomato sauces, pumpkin pie, and gingerbread…

ORAC Value Top 20 list

[ Read: STUDY FINDS 2 Tbsp Cocoa a Day Helps Keeps Memory Loss Away ]

[ Read: Mayan Cacao Powder: A Super Food ]

ORAC value of Cacao powder is 95,500 μ mol TE/100g.

ORAC Value list 21 – 40

ORAC Value list 41 – 60

[ Read: 10 Powerful Spices! ]

ORAC Value list 61 – 80

[ Read: Turmeric SUPER SPICE – Home Remedies ]

The ORAC value of ground turmeric spice (updated) is 127,068 μ mol TE/100g.

ORAC Value list 81 – 100

ORAC Value List, Top 100

Again, this ORAC score list does not factor in or attempt to suggest the practical quantities that a person would typically consume in one serving.

Instead, it simply points out the ORAC value for each ‘food’ (at least those on which I could find information).

1	Cloves, ground	314,446
2	Sumac bran	312,400
3	Cinnamon, ground	267,536
4	Sorghum, bran, raw	240,000
5	Oregano, dried	200,129
6	Turmeric, ground	159,277
7	Acai berry, freeze-dried	102,700
8	Sorghum, bran, black	100,800
9	Sumac, grain, raw	86,800
10	Cocoa powder, unsweetened	80,933
11	Cumin seed	76,800
12	Maqui berry, powder	75,000
13	Parsley, dried	74,349
14	Sorghum, bran, red	71,000
15	Basil, dried	67,553
16	Baking chocolate, unsweetened	49,926
17	Curry powder	48,504
18	Sorghum, grain, hi-tannin	45,400
19	Chocolate, dutched powder	40,200
20	Maqui berry, juice	40,000
21	Sage	32,004
22	Mustard seed, yellow	29,257
23	Ginger, ground	28,811
24	Pepper, black	27,618
25	Thyme, fresh	27,426
26	Marjoram, fresh	27,297
27	Goji berries	25,300
28	Rice bran, crude	24,287
29	Chili powder	23,636
30	Sorghum, grain, black	21,900
31	Chocolate, dark	20,823
32	Flax hull lignans	19,600
33	Chocolate, semisweet	18,053
34	Pecans	17,940
35	Paprika	17,919
36	Chokeberry, raw	16,062
37	Tarragon, fresh	15,542
38	Ginger root, raw	14,840
39	Elderberries, raw	14,697
40	Sorghum, grain, red	14,000
41	Peppermint, fresh	13,978
42	Oregano, fresh	13,978
43	Walnuts	13,541
44	Hazelnuts	9,645
45	Cranberries, raw	9,584
46	Pears, dried	9,496
47	Savory, fresh	9,465
48	Artichokes	9,416
49	Kidney beans, red	8,459
50	Pink beans	8,320
51	Black beans	8,040
52	Pistachio nuts	7,983
53	Currants	7,960
54	Pinto beans	7,779
55	Plums	7,581
56	Chocolate, milk chocolate	7,528
57	Lentils	7,282
58	Agave, dried	7,274
59	Apples, dried	6,681
60	Garlic powder	6,665
61	Blueberries	6,552
62	Prunes	6,552
63	Sorghum, bran, white	6,400
64	Lemon balm, leaves	5,997
65	Soybeans	5,764
66	Onion powder	5,735
67	Blackberries	5,347
68	Garlic, raw	5,346
69	Cilantro leaves	5,141
70	Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon	5,034
71	Raspberries	4,882
72	Basil, fresh	4,805
73	Almonds	4,454
74	Dill weed	4,392
75	Cowpeas	4,343
76	Apples, red delicious	4,275
77	Peaches, dried	4,222
78	Raisins, white	4,188
79	Apples, granny smith	3,898
80	Dates	3,895
81	Wine, red	3,873
82	Strawberries	3,577
83	Peanut butter, smooth	3,432
84	Currants, red	3,387
85	Figs	3,383
86	Cherries	3,365
87	Gooseberries	3,277
88	Apricots, dried	3,234
89	Peanuts, all types	3,166
90	Cabbage, red	3,145
91	Broccoli	3,083
92	Apples	3,082
93	Raisins	3,037
94	Pears	2,941
95	Agave	2,938
96	Blueberry juice	2,906
97	Cardamom	2,764
98	Guava	2,550
99	Lettuce, red leaf	2,380
100	Concord grape juice	2,377