Camu camu is an Amazonian shrub that's native to regions such as Brazil and Peru, and grows berries that look a lot like grapes. Like other superfruits, such as golden berries, the camu camu fruit tastes sour when it's eaten raw, but it's more tolerable when it's dried and ground into a powder. Many people buy the extracted camu camu powder to mix into smoothies and yogurt, or take camu camu in supplement-form instead.

As far as camu camu's nutritional benefits go, its "superpower" seems to come from the high amounts of antioxidants and vitamin C in the fruit. A half-cup of camu camu berries can contain up to 6,000 mg of vitamin C, which is a significant amount. (For perspective, a one-cup serving of raw oranges contains 120 mg of vitamin C.) We know that vitamin C is an important nutrient that does way more than just combat colds — it also helps your body protect its cells and make collagen. On top of that, camu camu is also high in flavonoids, which are dietary compounds that have an antioxidant effect and are associated with lots of positive health benefits. Studies on mice suggest that consuming camu camu could be one way to decrease inflammation.

Just 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of camu camu could provide 682 mg of vitamin C, which is 760% of the RDI for this nutrient. The Tolerable Upper Limit (TUL) for vitamin C is 2,000 mg per day. Amounts lower than this are considered safe for most people