Camu Camu: What you need to know about the most potent food source of vitamin C on the planet

Vitamin C is known for its potent antioxidant activity, its ability to boost collagen production and keep skin youthful, and most of all, for its role in supporting a strong immune system. When it comes to vitamin C-rich foods, citrus fruits are no doubt some of the first that come to mind — but there is an Amazonian berry out there that’s even more powerful. Known as “camu camu,” it is grown deep in the Amazon rain forest and contains more vitamin C than any other fruit, along with a host of other beneficial plant compounds. Camu camu is destined to be the next big thing in superfoods — it’s so potent that some are even calling it a “power fruit.”

Recent research has even shown that an extract made from camu camu can help fight obesity and metabolic disease. As Derek Henry, founder of Healing The Body, explains, camu camu is a nutritional force to be reckoned with.  This little berry is home to the most concentrated and potent vitamin C on the planet.

The power of camu camu

Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidant nutrients you can get, and ensuring you get enough every day is integral to good health. Henry states that camu camu is one of the easiest foods you can add to your diet to get maximum nutritional benefits.

Henry contends, “[I]n a 100 gram serving, camu camu has been shown to have up to 7.5 grams of vitamin C, an unprecedented 7.5 percent of it’s weight! For comparison purposes, it provides 60 times more vitamin C than an orange on an ounce by ounce basis.”

He adds, “Since vitamin C is considered one of the most powerful antioxidants, and camu camu is considered one of the most powerful whole food sources of vitamin C, you can imagine the free radical scavenging effects of this incredible powerfruit, and how that can positively affect your health!”

A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine confirms the value of camu camu. The researchers state that camu camu is a “well-researched and innovative natural product, has the potential to contribute, possibly substantially,” to the management of diseases and conditions linked to inflammation and oxidative stress.

In spring 2018, researchers also found that supplementing with camu camu extract could help reduce the harmful effects of a high-fat, high-sugar diet. As Science Daily reports, the team discovered that camu camu berries “improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and reduced the concentration of blood endotoxins and metabolic inflammation.”

Other benefits of camu camu include: supporting collagen production and healthy skin, promoting healthy organs, supporting a strong immune system, boosting mood and cognition, and relief from fatigue and stress.

Depending on where you are located, the most readily available form of camu camu may be a simple supplement. But as Henry explains further, however, not all camu camu supplements are created equally.

“As usual, the source of your camu camu is of utmost importance. When you take a pure, potent, and fresh source of camu, you’ll likely know it immediately. That and the synergistic blend of nutrients and high vitamin C (antioxidant) content will put some serious pep in your step, as the nutrients flood your body. This can’t be accomplished from taking ascorbic acid alone (the primary ingredient in most vitamin C products), and the effects will not be near as prevalent,” Henry explains.

You can learn more about camu camu and other healing foods at SuperFoods.news.

Sources for this article include:

REAL.video

ScienceDaily.com