by Elizabeth Kelly

Created on: May 12, 2008   Last Updated: October 25, 2008

Deep in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest lies a hidden treasure. Growing wild in the nutrient and oxygen-rich soil, watered by the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers, the camu camu berry thrives in the moist South American humidity. The exotic fruit has waited, mostly unused, for centuries to be discovered.

While its acidic taste prevented native peoples from making use of its life-giving benefits, it has now emerged from its lush hiding place to be revealed as one of the most nutrient-packed fruits the earth has to offer.

The flesh of the camu camu (Myrciaria Dubia) is an antioxidant powerhouse. The ruby, grape-sized fruit is bursting with Vitamin C, containing far more than any other plant in the world. Its riches don't end there, though. The range of minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals in the berry almost seem custom made to aid in the absorption of its massive amounts of C: riboflavin, calcium, potassium, iron and multiple amino acids are all inside.

In a joint study between Albany University and the IIAP (Research Institute of the Peruvian Amazon), camu camu was found to be even more powerful than Vitamin C itself at inhibiting the free radical DPPH. Free radicals are, of course, the agents that attack and destroy cells. When enough cells are damaged, the organism (that would be you) ages.

Just how much Vitamin C are we talking about? Oregon University measured 2 grams of C per 100 grams of fruit. To translate those numbers for you, that's 30 times the amount found in an orange. Just one small berry has 8 times the amount you'd find in a lemon.

It's a well-known fact that your supermarket produce loses some of its nutritional impact once it sits on the shelf. The Department of Chemistry at the State University of Brazil experimented with the camu camu berry and its potency after being picked. The conclusion reached was that, while the fruit lost some vitamins when stored over time, the amount of Vitamin C in camu camu still far exceeded that found in fruits commonly used as sources for it.

Camu Camu is typically harvested directly into freezer boats at the height of their ripeness, then flash-frozen to preserve their unique nutritive impact. Though the Amazon forests secreted away this gem of a fruit, the Japanese have recently begun using its jewel-like pink juice to flavor ice creams, and make use of its powder in all sorts of nutritional supplements.

Knowing the Japanese tendency to discover health products decades and centuries ahead of the US, could camu camu be the next green tea? One thing is for sure: it has far more power than simple green tea. This hidden Amazon treasure is ready to be discovered, and its riches mined by health-conscious people around the world.

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