BT-083 · Myrtaceae

Camu camu

Myrciaria dubia

Evidence: LimitedGenerally safe

Anatolia’s rose hip and the Amazon’s camu camu are each seen as their continent’s vitamin C store.

Other names: Cacari
Part used: Fruit
Region: Amazon
Use: Food, Healing

Photo: Túllio M Franca · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In short

What is Camu camu?

Camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) is a plant of the Myrtaceae family. Traditions that use it: Amazon. Part used: fruit.

What is Camu camu used for?

Traditional use: In the Peruvian Amazon it is gathered by boat from riverside shrubs and made into juice and ice cream. Scientific evidence: limited. One of the richest known fruits in vitamin C, many times more than oranges.

Is Camu camu safe?

Safety label: generally safe. Safe as food.

Traditional use

Amazon

In the Peruvian Amazon it is gathered by boat from riverside shrubs and made into juice and ice cream.

Peru today

Exported worldwide as a powdered vitamin C source.

In nature

Where it grows: Seasonally flooded banks of Amazonian rivers in Peru, Brazil and Colombia.
Harvest season: Fruit is picked November–March as the rivers rise.
Local names: No Turkish folk name. Local names: camu camu, cacari

Mix-up risk

The vitamin C content of powders on the market varies greatly with processing.

Preparation

The fruit is juiced or dried into powder.

What science says

One of the richest known fruits in vitamin C, many times more than oranges. A small study in smokers reported reduced markers of oxidative stress.

Safety

Generally safe

Safe as food.

Culture bridge

Two continents’ vitamin C stores. Anatolia’s rose hip and the Amazon’s camu camu are people’s vitamin C sources against winter and the rainy season. Read the comparison →