What are the Benefits of Camu Camu?

If you have not heard of camu camu, let me tell you, it is one powerful little fruit!  In Peru, this fruit has been celebrated for thousands of years for it’s healing and medicinal properties. You might see it pop up in fancy smoothie and juice shops as an “add-in”… but it’s so much more than just a recent health fad! Once you learn about camu camu you will see that this fruit is meant for longevity- it’s here to stay!

A quick background on camu camu, it is a tart berry that is similar in size and color to the cherry. It is native to the Amazon rainforest and grows from a shrub in swampy areas. It’s scientific name is Myrciaria dubia.

Let’s go over seven of the MAIN benefits of taking camu camu every day!

Benefits of Camu Camu

1. Camu camu gets you all the daily Vitamin C you need in one serving!

This is perhaps the number one reason why people love camu camu- it gets you all the Vitamin C you need in one serving! In fact, one serving of our raw and organic camu camu gets you 1200% of your daily vitamin C needs. This scientific analysis is a great breakdown of camu camu.

Vitamin C matters for building collagen, boosting the immune system, repairing the body’s tissues, helping with absorption of iron, and more!

For a complete article on what Vitamin C can do for the body, see our article here!

2. Powerful source of antioxidants

Antioxidants are important to keep our body healthy and strong. They help us clear out free radicals which can be damaging to our cells.

The antioxidant makeup of camu camu can be highly beneficial for the body. One study that I found particularly interesting was done on 20 male smokers. It was a one week study that was performed and those who drank 0.3 cups of camu camu juice (this contained 1050 mg of vitamin C) every day had significantly lowered inflammatory markers and oxidative stress like C-reactive protein (CRP).

3. Helps fight free radicals

Why do free radicals building up in the body matter? Eventually it can lead to diseases like cancer.

Camu camu has within it a combination of antioxidants that actually combat reactive molecules. They aren’t kidding when they say food is medicine. Food is powerful!

It is the specific antioxidant compounds like flavonoids, anthocyanins and ellagic acid that are going to go to bat for you in your system to help “clean it up.” That, plus the Vitamin C will be a tough match for free radicals!

4. Excellent Source of Minerals, Amino Acids & Phytochemicals

The nutritional profile of camu camu is quite impressive. What’s amazing is that you get so much bang for your buck and there is no sugar and such a little bit goes a long way!

Three things that are great for the body that you’ll get from camu camu are:

Amino acids, which are organic compounds that form the building blocks of proteins in the body. Amino acids are involved in so many bodily functions, like healing and repair and growth and development. They also play a role in energy levels and digestion.

Minerals, which help keep our bones, heart, muscles and even our brain working at an optimal level.

And finally, phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are found in plant foods. Most phytochemicals act as antioxidants and help with free radical damage as well.

Not bad for a little berry!

5. Can reduce inflammatory markers

If you have chronic inflammation, it is likely that it will eventually lead to disease. That’s why it’s so important to load up on foods that help with inflammation and general well-being overall.

There is an inflammation-triggering enzyme called aldose reductase. It causes all kinds of problems. The fruit pulp of camu camu contains ellagic acid, which is a specific antioxidant that can help inhibit aldose reductase.

Vitamin C in general is really great for helping the bodies tissues and we even see benefits in the seeds of camu camu, which contain powerful anti-inflammatory compounds that can suppress inflammation. SourcAnti-inflammatory effects of seeds of the tropical fruit camu-camu

6. Can improve gut bacteria

In this day and age, we are very away that gut health is super important. We want a lush forest of good bacteria growing within us.

When bad bacteria starts to overpopulate, we have a problem.

When we can’t absorb proper nutrients, we have a problem.

The Vitamin C in camu camu helps us absorb more nutrients, like iron. And in a test tube study, we found out that the seeds and peel of this sour berry can reduce bacterial growth of the bacterias Streptococcus mutans and Escherichia coli. Both of which are potentially harmful to the body. Antimicrobial constituents of peel and seeds of camu-camu
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7. Can help reduce blood pressure

So many Americans (and people all over the world) are dealing with high blood pressure. This is a problem because it can lead to damaged blood vessels and ultimately lead to blood clots forming in the arteries.

There were two studies (here and here), one test tube study and one human study which showed that camu camu may help reduce blood pressure by promoting dilation of blood vessels.

For more information on camu camu, check out this analysis here.

 

What to look for in a camu camu

Ultimately, to get the best results, you want high quality and fresh camu camu.

Look for organic, gluten-free (no fillers), raw, and straight from Peru! Camu camu from anywhere else is not going to be the same quality. One of our bags of camu camu powder lasts a long time and there are many ways you can use it. Enjoy!