What Health Benefits Is Camu Camu Good For?

Camu camu is rich in vitamin C (ascorbic acid or ascorbate), minerals, and several other nutrients. Camu camu is good for collagen, immunity, neurotransmitters, energy, and antioxidant status.

Camu camu is a shrub that grows in the Amazonian floodplains in Brazil and Peru. Its berries are red and have a sour taste. They're rich in vitamin C (ascorbic acid or ascorbate), minerals, and several other nutrients. The berries are tart in taste and perishable, so they're rarely eaten raw. Camu camu must be specially processed and powdered to retain its nutrients.

Camu camu supplements, juices, and pills are widely available and have a variety of nutritional and health benefits.

Camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) is a South American shrub that grows in swampy and flooded areas. These shrubs bear red, cherry-like berries. The berries have shiny skin and one to four seeds. The pulp is very acidic, and the berries are seldom eaten in their natural state. Camu camu is processed and used as juice, puree, and powder. These forms are also used as food additives.

Camu camu is packed with vitamin C. A 100 grams of pulp may contain 877 to 3,133 milligrams of the vitamin.

The berries of camu camu are rich in several other nutrients:

• Carbohydrates: glucose, fructose, pectin, and starch
• Minerals: calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, and zinc
• Organic acids: citric acid, isocitric acid, and malic acid
• Fatty acids: linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids
• Polyphenols: flavonoids, lignans, phenolic acids, stilbenes, and tannins
• Anthocyanins: cyanidin-3-glucoside and delphinidin-3-glucoside

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid, which means against scurvy, a disease common among people who ate no fresh fruits and produce. It was especially common among those on board ships for long voyages. Scurvy results from the inactivation of enzymes needed for synthesizing essential molecules in the body, including collagen. Collagen is the most important structural protein in the body.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant. Almost all animals can make this molecule, but humans must get it from their food. Vitamin C is water-soluble and cannot be stored in the body. You must consume it regularly.

Collagen formation

Vitamin C is a cofactor for many enzymes that make collagen. About 30% of proteins in the body are collagen. Without vitamin C, the collagen formed is weak and unstable, leading to the symptoms of scurvy:

• Bleeding gums
• Bleeding in the skin or mucous membranes
• Brittle hair
• Delayed healing of injuries and fractures
• Bruising with a slight injury

Infection resistance

Vitamin C has antiviral effects. This molecule reduces the ability of herpes simplex, influenza type A, and picornaviruses to infect cells. High doses of vitamin C given intravenously to people with Ebstein-Barr virus (EBV) reduces disease duration.

Energy production

Vitamin C is needed for carnitine production, which has a crucial role in energy generation at the cell level.

Neurotransmitter formation

Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin are molecules needed for message transmission along the nervous system. Vitamin C is needed to form them. 

Hormone synthesis

Vitamin C is necessary for the formation of adrenal hormones. These hormones control response to stress, inflammation, and fight-or-flight responses.

Antioxidant

Ascorbic acid is a potent antioxidant. It reduces the damage caused by free radicals. This action prevents or delays diseases like heart disease, cancers of the breast, lungs, colon, stomach, esophagus, and others.

Iron absorption

Plant sources of iron contain non-heme iron, which the intestines cannot absorb. Vitamin C converts it to the ferrous form, which can be absorbed.

Camu camu is rich in phenolic compounds and anthocyanins. These bioactive compounds have potent antioxidant action and can scavenge free radicals. Ripe berries have more anthocyanin, flavonol, and flavonol compounds but lesser vitamin C. Ripened fruits have higher antioxidant properties.

The antioxidant properties of camu camu go beyond those of its vitamin C content. People given camu camu juice in addition to vitamin C had better control of oxidative stress markers than those given vitamin C alone. Camu camu reduces total reactive oxygen species, urinary 8-OHdG levels, and other markers of oxidative stress.

Camu camu has significant anti-inflammatory effects. Daily consumption of camu camu for seven days reduces inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, and interleukin-8.

Reducing inflammation can benefit you in many ways. Many chronic diseases like Crohn's, celiac, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis have inflammation at their core. Other diseases with an inflammatory element are type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), Alzheimer's disease, and certain cancers. Inflammation is also a risk factor for heart disease.

Camu camu has some vasodilatory effects on the arteries. By dilation of the arteries, it can reduce blood pressure. This study was carried out on a small number of healthy, young people but is encouraging.

Disorders in sugar metabolism lead to diabetes and all its complications. Taking camu camu regularly reduces fasting blood glucose levels.

Camu camu extract and synthetic vitamin C were given to two groups of people for 15 days. Both groups had an elevation of blood ascorbic acid level. The people taking camu camu extract had a reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol blood levels.

Camu camu berries are tart in taste and are seldom consumed raw. The berries are cooled immediately after harvesting to prevent nutrient loss. The juice is concentrated, spray dried, and made available as pills, powder, and juices.

Camu camu products should not be cooked or heated. Vitamin C is destroyed by heat. You can add camu camu powder to food after cooking. Steaming and microwaving reduce cooking losses.

The Western diet is associated with several chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease. Treatment of these is associated with side effects and expense. Including health-promoting fruits and products like camu camu in your diet can help you enhance your health and avoid diseases.