by Brandon Schultz

Created on: May 11, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2008

Say this ten times fast: more camu camu for you! Aside from the entertainment value of tongue-twisters, reciting this mantra may lead to striking health benefits in your life; that is, of course, if you actually follow the mantra.

Camu camu, Myrciaria dubia, is a tree native to the Amazon Rainforests of Peru and Brazil that produces a deep red or purple fruit resembling a berry. This fruit is not yet popular in the United States or Europe but it has been harvested to the canoes South America for traditional health reasons for centuries and is starting to become available worldwide, particularly in Asia.

The most proven, beneficial property of camu camu is the amount of Vitamin C it contains: between 30 and 60 times that of an orange! Researchers at the Department of Chemistry of the State University of Maring in Brazil published the extraordinarily high Vitamin C content of camu camu as far back as 2000. Because of its extremely high potency of Vitamin C and the relative difficulty of obtaining this fruit fresh, many health stores now carry supplemental camu camu capsules or powder ground from the fruit's pulp.

If surplus Vitamin C does not compel you to start ordering camu camu, try this: antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, beta carotene, calcium, and iron! The tiny camu camu fruits contain these and several other properties that are well-known to boost both short-term and long-term health.

Aside from its impressive physical health benefits, camu camu fruit may be of great value to your mental health, too! Respected nutritionist and researcher, Gary Null, Ph.D., studied 19 plants known to have chemical compounds with antidepressant qualities. Second on the list of antidepressant compound potency wasyou guessed it: camu camu! Other private research has investigated the use of camu camu against Herpes and Attention Deficit Disorder, but no official results have been published in these areas.

With all of its astounding physical and mental health benefits, it seems surprising that camu camu has not yet become a hot-ticket item world-wide. Perhaps it is because the fruit is tiny and lacking the strong aroma of the many fruits we already know and love, or perhaps it is because it is very acidic and tastes best when diluted or blended with other ingredients. Regardless, the Japanese have already begun importing the camu camu fruit in large quantities to reap its health benefits and it should not be long before the fresh fruit is more plentifully available in the United States and Europe; in the mean time, it is certainly not a bad idea to investigate the powder and capsule forms already available. As always, consult a doctor before adding any supplements to your daily regimen, and camu camu should not be consumed during pregnancy.

Lastly, feel good about eating this fruit: while there is some concern that camu camu will become an endangered species if it continues to be harvested from the wild, efforts are already underway to begin the commercial growth of this tree in the Amazon River Basin. The responsible, green world-citizen in you can feel safe eating the fruit of this remarkable fruit!

Learn more about this author, Brandon Schultz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.