Camu Camu Considered a Taste Sensation in Japan

While people in the Americas usually consume camu camu as a sweet confection or as a nutritional supplement, Japanese consumers have been far more inventive in their uses of the vitamin-rich fruit. In Japan, camu camu is popular as:

• A refreshing drink not just after workouts but anytime someone is worn out by hot, sticky, humid weather,
• A flavoring for alcohol liqueurs, and
• A tart ingredient in a vinaigrette for fresh green salads.

If you have a blender, or you have the self-restraint to work with tiny amounts of camu camu powder in the kitchen (too much camu camu spoils a dish), you can make any of these products at home. Add a pinch (one-quarter of a teaspoon or less) of camu camu powder to sparkling water. Include camu camu powder in small amounts in the salt you use on the rim of a margarita glass. Add a tiny amount of camu camu to your salad dressing.

Japanese natural products have also investigated the usefulness of camu camu in cosmeceuticals, cosmetics made with natural ingredients that have the same effects, or sometimes better effects, than chemical ingredients. Camu camu turns out to contain a chemical that counteracts the enzyme elastase, which breaks down muscle fibers underneath the skin to cause it to sag. The effects of the camu camu anti-enzyme are visible in the face as soon as two hours after consuming the fruit, even in small amounts. In North America and Europe, a camu camu supplement for maintaining firm skin on the face has been developed by Futureceuticals, the makers of Dermaval.

Camu camu also fights the effects of ultraviolet radiation on the skin with its antioxidant power. Laboratory testing has found that it contains six times the antioxidant power of acai berry, and also more than bilberry, cocoa, and mangosteen extracts. Cosmeceuticals made with this "cranberry of the Amazon" will fight age spots and wrinkles in people who have spent too much time in the sun.

READ The Health Benefits of Cranberries

With all of these benefits, are there any potential downsides to camu camu products? There are, but they aren't the fault of the plant itself:

• Efforts to grow camu camu in plantations are in their very early stages. The plant is endangered due to over  harvesting.
• Some unscrupulous exporters spike camu camu powder with pure vitamin C. This increases vitamin content, of course, but it reduces the concentration of the compounds that counteract the skin-aging enzyme elastase and protect the skin against the effects of UV radiation--and if all you want is vitamin C, why not just take a vitamin C capsule.
• The people of the Amazon who gather the fruit from their canoes are often treated unfairly. It's important to their well being to buy products from companies that observe Fair Trade Practices, and usually you will get a higher quality product, too.