Camu Berries: Are They the Key to Good Health?

When it comes to nutrition, the super fruits are rising superstars. The goji berry, acai berry, pomegranate, and other nutrition packed super fruits have taken center stage in the produce and juice world. The latest super fruit to arrive on the scene is the camu berry.

Camu berries are derived from the camu-camu fruit which is picked from bushes grown in the Amazonian rain forest of Peru. What makes this fruit so distinctive in a world already packed with nutritional fruit superstars? For one, it appears to have the highest content of Vitamin C of any fruit known. To put it in perspective, up to fifty times more vitamin C than an orange.

Not only are camu berries a rich source of vitamin C, they also have a variety of other phytochemicals that are thought to prevent disease. Some of the conditions this vitamin C rich fruit is thought to benefit include cancer, depression, asthma, heart disease, cataracts Alzheimer’s disease, and glaucoma. It’s also thought to have anti-viral properties which may make it effective in preventing those annoying wintertime colds. The purported antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties make this fruit a natural for disease prevention.

One area where camu berries have shown considerable effectiveness is in treating various mood disorders including depression and attention deficit disorder in children. The nationally known nutritionist Gary Null discusses some of the effects of camu berries on the treatment of depression in his books. So effective has the powder of this berry proven to be in treating some patients that they have been able to discontinue prescription antidepressants. Its effects on brain function may also extend to preventing Alzheimer’s and protecting the normal brain from the effects of aging.

Because of the anti-inflammatory properties of camu berries, these berries appear to have the potential to reduce the inflammation associated with arthritis, reduce plaque formation in the coronary arteries, and reduce the incidence of DNA mutations that might lead to cancer. Could this little berry with its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties and its high levels of vitamin C may be a cheap insurance policy against a variety of diseases?

When considering the importance of camu berries to health, it’s important to keep in mind that there has been no formal medical research conducted on this fruit or its derivatives as of yet. Most of the beneficial health claims derive from its extremely high vitamin C content. One might conclude from this that if vitamin C does play a role in the prevention of colds and flu, camu berries would have anti-viral properties. Coca-cola has already capitalized upon the camu berry by incorporating it into a drink marketed under the Minute Maid label called Camu, Camu and Vitamin which is being marketed in Japan.

Should you jump on the bandwagon and add this berry to your diet for health purposes? If you enjoy it for its taste and want to supplement with vitamin C naturally, camu berries are an excellent choice. Hold off on using it for purposes of preventing and treating disease until more research supports its claims but keep your eye on this super fruit. It might just surprise you.