Camu-Camu is a tropical fruit native to the Amazon rainforests. And like many fruits coming out of the famed Brazilian/Peruvian rainforests, camu-camu has many health benefits. Counted among the emerging super fruits, camu-camu is a deep red or purple fruit that resembles the all-important and healthful berries of the Amazon.
Camu-Camu or myrciaria dubia as it is scientifically known, is a bush tree that grows wild along the river banks of the Amazon. Camu-Camu is harvested for its health benefits for local consumption in South America, as well as for export to Japan, a chief importer of camu-camu.
Although camu-camu is not a popular fruit in the US or Europe, it is slowly gaining popularity due to the newfound interest in tropical super fruits and alternative medicines. Camu-Camu benefit's the health as it contains nutrients such as calcium, Vitamin C, niacin, phosphorous, leucine, serine, iron, flavanols, riboflavin, valene, thiamin and amino acids.
In fact, one of the health benefits of camu-camu is that it contains a large dose of Vitamin C, more than 50 times the Vitamin C found in oranges. Vitamin C has many health benefits to the body.
Other health benefits of camu-camu is that:
- camu-camu is an anti-depressant
- camu-camu is antiseptic
- camu-camu is good source of beta-carotene
- camu-camu improves circulation
- camu-camu lowers blood pressure
- camu-camu is a powerful antioxidant
- camu-camu is effective at treating colds
- camu-camu promotes mood balance and immune system
- camu-camu strengthens the immune system
- camu-camu supports health red and white blood cell formation
Camu-Camu and Cancer
The high Vitamin C content of camu-camu makes it powerful at preventing cancer. The US Department of Agriculture and the National Cancer Institute state that high Vitamin C consumption helps to prevent cancer associated with the colon, stomach, mouth, lung, esophagus and throat. So, eating camu-camu will lower your risk of developing different kinds of cancers.
The health benefits of camu-camu are great and wide ranging. Camu-camu is not popular in the Us, but because of its many health benefits, camu-camu is sold as a powdered supplement in drug stores. However, if you look around Latin and Asian supermarkets, you are bound to find camu-camu on the market stands and reap the rewards of its many health benefits. Please note that camu-camu should not be consumed during pregnancy and that you should talk to your doctor before supplementing your daily diet.
