One way to supercharge your health with Vitamin C is to start consuming camu camu. This berry, indigenous to the Amazon rain forest of South America, has up to 7.5 grams of Vitamin C for each 100 grams (1/4 lb) serving. For comparison, consider an orange that weighs about 100 grams. Such an orange contains only about 0.05 grams of Vitamin C. Camu camu is 150 times more potent!

Vitamin C can fight off a wide range of diseases. This includes influenza, shingles and Lyme disease.  Some alternative medicine doctors, as for example Dr. Julian Whitaker, claim that intravenous (IV) administration of Vitamin C will kill off cancer cells, without any toxic effects on the body.

Health Benefits of Camu Camu

Although eating camu camu fruit won’t have the same effect as IV Vitamin C infusions, it will naturally boost a weakened immune system. In fact, Dr. James Duke, a world-famous botanist and creator of the USDA’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database, identifies the fruit as the most-concentrated source of Vitamin C in the world. Furthermore. Dr. Duke ranks camu camu as an effective herb for the following:

• Asthma
• Atheroscelorosis
• Cataracts
• Colds
• Gingivitis
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis
• Infertility
• Migraines
• Osteoarthritis
• Parkinson’s disease

Camu Camu as an Antioxidant

In addition to being the source of Vitamin C, camu camu is a potent antioxidant that increases the body’s resilience as we age. Here are additional ways that camu camu can benefit the body:

• Keeps the immune system strong
• Improve eyesight
• Helps maintain ligaments, tendons and collagen
• Reduces inflammation
• Protects the skin from aging
• Supports brain as well as liver function

Many scientific studies have confirmed camu camu’s powerful antioxidant properties. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Georgetown University School of Medicine published a review on camu camu in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Their review reads:

The evidence to date suggests that camu camu could be a viable option for maintaining a balanced immune response and viable antioxidant mediating anti-inflammatory processes.

In the case of camu camu, clearly many options could be explored, notably in human trials, to further evaluate its demonstrated anti-inflammatory and oxidative capability, mechanism of action and its prospective positive contribution to several disease states.

Another study conducted at Dokkyo Medical University, in Japan, and published in the Journal of Cardiology, states:

Our results suggest that camu-camu juice may have powerful anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, compared to vitamin C tablets containing equivalent vitamin C content. These effects may be due to the existence of unknown anti-oxidant substances besides vitamin C or unknown substances modulating in vivo vitamin C kinetics in camu-camu.

Camu Camu Superfood Supplement

Although fresh camu camu fruit may not be easily accessible to everyone, there are plenty of superfood companies offering supplement powders. The best way to eat the fruit is to add one teaspoon of camu camu powder to a glass of water, fruit juice or smoothie. You can also take a Vitamin C supplement made out of camu camu berry.

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