Never heard of camu camu berries? Read on to know why camu camu berry is known as a super fruit..
These days, people are becoming more health conscious. Lot of attention is focused on super foods. Foods rich in nutritious elements and foods which can protect people from chronic diseases or can help reverse diseases are the most sought-after items today. Camu camu berry is one such super food. Like other super fruits, it comes from the rainforest biome.
Camu Camu Fruit
The nutrient dense camu berries or camu camu berries come mainly from Peru and have the highest vitamin C (ascorbic acid) content among all the known fruits.
The scientific name of the berry is Myrciaria dubia and it is a red/purple cherry-like fruit, obtained from the bushy riverside trees of the Amazon rainforest vegetation in Peru and Brazil. The round camu camu, a cousin sister of jaboticaba and guavaberry or rumberry, looks like a cranberry.
Health Benefits of Camu Camu Fruit
► The berries are rich in Vitamin C, bioflavanoids, and amino acids and are used to produce dietary supplements. The supplements are available in the form of capsules or powder. This purplish-red berry turns light beige in color when dried and powdered for storage.
Camu camu powder is an excellent natural source of beta-carotene, calcium, iron, niacin, phosphorus, protein, riboflavin, thiamin and the amino acids valine, leucine and serine.
► The antioxidant, vitamin-C prevents free radical damage to DNA of cells and this mainly helps prevent cancer and heart disease. The berries help to boost immune system. Amount of vitamin C in these berries can be as high as 2 g per 100 g of the fruit, which means that camu fruit provides 50 times more vitamin-C than an orange (on an ounce-for-ounce basis).
► The berries work great for atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in the arteries. Thus, they reduce the risk of heart diseases. Vitamin-C along with the mineral content of the berry, helps relax blood vessels in the body. This makes the vessels more flexible and helps maintain overall blood pressure.
► The drink made from these berries is also available in market. It provides emotional stability and mood enhancement. It is recommended for anti-aging effect and cardiovascular health. It also improves the health of your skin, nails and hair.
► It protects your brain from neurodegenerative disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Wonderful nutrients in berry can assure optimal brain performance for the rest of your life.
► The berries prevent liver diseases and they also enhance liver function. Liver can then detoxify the harmful chemicals to which you're exposed, more efficiently.
► The berries can protect you from cataracts and glaucoma, debilitating diseases of the eyes.
► The anti viral properties of these berries help kill viruses and thus, protect you from colds and flu.
► Its anti-arthritic properties help reduce inflammation, which in turn helps relieve the pain of arthritis.
► The antidepressant properties of these berries can reverse even a serious depression.
► The berry promotes fertility, as it boosts the chances of conception. Camu berries exhibit an anti-inflammatory effect. This helps get rid of migraine headache.
► These berries being anti-mutagenic, help prevent the genetic mutation involved in the creation of cancer tumors.
► As the berries have an appealing aroma and color, they are often used as an ingredient in ice creams, candies or similar dishes.
As seen, wonderful medicinal properties and amazing nutritive properties of camu camu berries make them invaluable for metabolic processes. Besides, the berries are 100 percent natural and their medicinal use is based on powerful high-density nutrition which has absolutely no negative side effects.
They certainly don't carry the dangers of prescription drugs and they are less expensive than most prescription drugs. They do not cause any health hazards. You can easily incorporate these berries in your diet or you may opt for the dietary supplement that contains camu camu berry powder.