Camu camu

Also called Myrciaria dubia, Camu-camu, Camu camu powder, Camu camu berry.

Best grade C across 3 graded outcomes Botanical Last checked

The short answer

From 8 sources

Camu camu is best known as a concentrated vitamin C source: 70 mL of juice supplied about 1,050 mg. Human data are small. In a 30-person crossover trial, 1.5 g a day of capsules lowered liver fat vs placebo over 12 weeks, and a 20-smoker study saw oxidative and inflammatory markers fall. A meal test found lower post-meal glucose.

Every graded outcome on this page

3 rows · line = participants
  1. Grade CLiver fat in adults with overweight and high triglyceridesLiver fatn 30
  2. Grade DBlood glucose after a white-bread mealBlood sugarn 23
  3. Grade DOxidative stress and inflammation markers in smokersInflammationn 20

Key facts

Vitamin C
70 mL of 100% juice supplied about 1,050 mg of vitamin C in a 2008 trial, about half the adult upper limit of 2,000 mg a day21
Liver fat
1.5 g a day of capsules: liver fat fell 7.43% vs a rise of 8.42% on placebo over 12 weeks (30 adults with overweight)3
Smokers
Oxidative stress and inflammation markers fell over 7 days on juice but not on matched vitamin C tablets (20 men)2
Evidence base
Three small human studies; no trial longer than 12 weeks234

What it is

Camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) is an Amazonian berry with very high vitamin C and polyphenol content, sold as powder, juice or capsules.

How it works

Proposed

Proposed, not proven. Authors credit vitamin C plus polyphenols (the 2024 trial calls it a polyphenol-rich prebiotic) and report gut microbiota changes; the 2008 smoker study suggests constituents beyond vitamin C, since tablets with the same vitamin C did not change markers.23

Forms, side by side

2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Camu camu forms compared

2 forms
Camu camu forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 formsJuice (100% or clarified)Capsules (polyphenol-rich powder)
Absorption in people70 mL of 100% juice delivered about 1,050 mg vitamin C.2No absorption data; the 2024 trial tracked liver fat and gut microbes.3
GI toleranceNo problems reported over 7 days in smokers or in single meal tests.24Used for 12 weeks in the 2024 crossover trial.3
Studied forOxidative stress, post-meal glucoseLiver fat
  1. Camu camu juice (100% or clarified)
    Absorption in people
    70 mL of 100% juice delivered about 1,050 mg vitamin C.2
    GI tolerance
    No problems reported over 7 days in smokers or in single meal tests.24
    Studied for
    Oxidative stress, post-meal glucose
  2. Camu camu capsules (polyphenol-rich powder)
    Absorption in people
    No absorption data; the 2024 trial tracked liver fat and gut microbes.3
    GI tolerance
    Used for 12 weeks in the 2024 crossover trial.3
    Studied for
    Liver fat
Every cell holds data from a cited page; citation numbers link to the page that holds them.Scroll the table for every column

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

3 graded outcomes, largest study first

All 3 graded outcomes found an improvement. The largest, a 2024 crossover trial of 30 people on liver fat in adults with overweight and high triglycerides, found an improvement.

1. Liver fat in adults with overweight and high triglycerides: improved, 30 people12. Blood glucose after a white-bread meal: improved, 23 people23. Oxidative stress and inflammation markers in smokers: improved, 20 people3

1Liver fat in adults with overweight and high triglycerides

Improved · Grade C · Crossover RCT, 30 people, 2024

Adults with overweight and hypertriglyceridemia

Dose, result and source
Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
OutcomeFoundPeopleStudyWho was studied
Liver fat in adults with overweight and high triglyceridesImproved30Grade C · Crossover RCT, 2024Adults with overweight and hypertriglyceridemia
Blood glucose after a white-bread mealImproved23Grade D · Open-label trial, 2017Healthy Brazilian adults
Oxidative stress and inflammation markers in smokersImproved20Grade D · RCT, 2008Male smokers
Each circle is one graded outcome on this page, numbered from the largest study down, and placed by how many people it studied (log scale). It shows who was studied and what was found, not advice about your dose.

Every graded row

3 rows
Grade CLiver fat in adults with overweight and high triglyceridesLiver fatLess liver fat vs placeboCrossover RCT
n 30 · 2024

Improved Liver fat fell 7.43% on camu camu and rose 8.42% on placebo, a 15.85% difference; AST and ALT liver enzymes fell and gut microbiota composition shifted.

Design
Crossover RCT, n = 30, 2024
Population
Adults with overweight and hypertriglyceridemia
Form
Camu camu capsules vs placebo
Dose
1.5 g a day
Duration
12 weeks per arm
Source
Reference 3 · PubMed 39168095 (opens PubMed)
Grade DBlood glucose after a white-bread mealBlood sugarLower post-meal glucoseOpen-label trial
n 23 · 2017

Improved Serum glucose after the meal was significantly lower with camu camu juice than with water.

Design
Open-label trial, n = 23, 2017
Population
Healthy Brazilian adults
Form
Clarified camu camu juice vs water with 50 g white bread (one of six fruit juices tested)
Dose
300 mL juice with the meal
Duration
Single test meals, 1 week apart
Source
Reference 4 · PubMed 28888441 (opens PubMed)
Grade DOxidative stress and inflammation markers in smokersInflammationLower oxidative and inflammatory markersRCT
n 20 · 2008

Improved Urinary 8-OHdG, total reactive oxygen species, hs-CRP, IL-6 and IL-8 fell on juice; none changed on vitamin C tablets.

Design
RCT, n = 20, 2008
Population
Male smokers
Form
100% camu camu juice vs vitamin C tablets with the same vitamin C
Dose
70 mL juice a day (about 1,050 mg vitamin C)
Duration
7 days
Source
Reference 2 · PubMed 18922386 (opens PubMed)

Cancer immunotherapy research (not graded)

2 notes

Case reports and mouse work only; no controlled human trial has reported results.

Melanoma case reports (2023)
Two people with metastatic melanoma that had progressed on nivolumab had complete or near-complete responses after camu camu was added, lasting over a year. Two case reports cannot show that camu camu caused the response.7
Castalagin in mice (2022)
In mice, castalagin, an ellagitannin identified as the active compound in camu camu, shifted gut bacteria and restored anti-PD-1 activity in immunotherapy-resistant models. The authors call for clinical trials.8

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

More than vitamin C?

In smokers, juice lowered markers while tablets with the same vitamin C did not, hinting that other constituents matter; the study had only 10 men per group.2

How we got this: Group comparison in the 2008 trial

One liver trial

The liver fat result rests on a single 30-person crossover trial and has not been replicated.3

How we got this: Count of controlled human trials found

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from a single 300 mL serving of juice with a meal and 70 mL of juice a day for 7 days to 1.5 g of capsules a day for 12 weeks.234

When trials measured an effect

3 outcomes
How long trials ran before effects were measured
OutcomeMeasured atBasis
Oxidative and inflammatory markers in smokers7 days (end of study)20-man study: markers measured after 7 days of 70 mL juice a day2
Liver fat12 weeks (end of each crossover arm)30-person crossover trial: liver fat measured after 12 weeks on 1.5 g capsules vs placebo3
Post-meal blood glucoseSame meal23-person meal test: glucose after white bread was lower when the juice was drunk with the meal4
When each outcome was assessed in the cited trials. It is not a promise of when anyone will notice a change.

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Camu camu and your picks, and between your picks.

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Camu camu.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Not medical advice, and no dosing advice. An empty result means no row we cite names that pair, by name or through a drug class we can link the medicine to, not that a combination is safe. Where our sources name only a group of medicines we cannot match, the cabinet says so. Ask your pharmacist before you combine supplements and medicines.

Who should be careful

4 groups
High vitamin C intake
The adult upper limit for vitamin C is 2,000 mg a day, set to avoid diarrhea and other gut effects; 70 mL of camu camu juice supplied about 1,050 mg, so juice plus other vitamin C products can approach it.12
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
No camu camu trial enrolled pregnant or breastfeeding women, and LactMed has no camu camu entry. For its main nutrient, LactMed says vitamin C is a normal part of milk and that doses up to 1,000 mg a day raise milk levels but not to a level of concern for the infant.2345
Long-term use
No trial lasted longer than 12 weeks, so longer-term safety of camu camu itself is unstudied.234
Kidney stones and liver
LiverTox rates vitamin C an unlikely cause of liver injury (likelihood score E) but notes high doses have been linked to worse oxalate kidney stone formation and, in susceptible people, worse hemolysis. In the 12-week camu camu trial, liver enzymes fell.63
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

2 checks
Check the vitamin C line

Vitamin C per serving varies widely between powders and juices; compare it with the 2,000 mg adult upper limit.12

Match the studied form

The liver fat result used 1.5 g of capsules a day; juice was studied only for 7 days or a single meal.234

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

6 answers
Does camu camu help the liver?

One 30-person crossover trial found 1.5 g a day of capsules lowered liver fat by 7.43% while it rose 8.42% on placebo over 12 weeks, with lower liver enzymes. It has not been replicated.3

Does camu camu lower blood sugar?

In a meal test with 23 healthy adults, clarified camu camu juice lowered the glucose rise after white bread compared with water. No longer-term glucose trial was found.4

Is camu camu safe?

No problems were reported in the short trials. Its main known risk is very high vitamin C: intakes above 2,000 mg a day can cause diarrhea and gut upset.123

Does camu camu interact with medicines?

No interactions specific to camu camu are documented, and no trial measured drug levels with it. LiverTox and LactMed cover only its vitamin C. People with a history of kidney stones should note that LiverTox links high vitamin C doses to worse oxalate stone formation; 70 mL of juice supplied about 1,050 mg.652

Is camu camu better than vitamin C tablets?

In 20 smokers, juice lowered oxidative and inflammatory markers over 7 days while tablets with the same vitamin C did not. That is a small, short marker study.2

How much vitamin C is in camu camu?

A lot, and it varies. In a 2008 trial, 70 mL of 100% juice supplied about 1,050 mg, roughly half the adult upper limit of 2,000 mg a day.21

Sources

8 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

8 sources
  1. 1Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health ProfessionalsFact sheet NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2025 · ods.od.nih.gov
  2. 2Tropical fruit camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties.RCT J Cardiol, 2008 · PMID 18922386
  3. 3Camu-camu decreases hepatic steatosis and liver injury markers in overweight, hypertriglyceridemic individuals: A randomized crossover trial.Crossover RCT Cell Rep Med, 2024 · PMID 39168095
  4. 4Effect of clarified Brazilian native fruit juices on postprandial glycemia in healthy subjects.Open-label trial Food Res Int, 2017 · PMID 28888441
  5. 5Vitamin CDatabase LactMed (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024 · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. 6Vitamin CDatabase LiverTox (NCBI Bookshelf), 2021 · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. 7Two Cases of Durable and Deep Responses to Immune Checkpoint Inhibition-Refractory Metastatic Melanoma after Addition of Camu Camu Prebiotic.Observational Curr Oncol, 2023 · PMID 37754485
  8. 8A Natural Polyphenol Exerts Antitumor Activity and Circumvents Anti-PD-1 Resistance through Effects on the Gut Microbiota.Animal study Cancer Discov, 2022 · PMID 35031549

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

2 entries
Dated changes to this page
DateChangeWho and why
who should avoid, research notes, FAQ, questions, time to effect, relatedSplit the pregnancy note out and cited LactMed's vitamin C entry (no camu camu entry exists); added a kidney-stone and liver note from LiverTox's vitamin C entry (likelihood score E; high doses linked to oxalate stones), research notes on two 2023 melanoma case reports and a 2022 mouse study of castalagin, an interaction FAQ, time-to-effect rows, page questions and metabolic and immune goal links. Interaction check: no LiverTox, LactMed, NCCIH or MedlinePlus camu camu entry and no human interaction study; the interaction list stays empty. PubMed search found no human trial newer than the 2024 crossover trial (a 2022 HIV pilot is a protocol without results).Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z audit against docs/supplements/AUDIT-STANDARD.md
allInitial editorial evidence review. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title, year, journal) and each cited abstract read; numbers taken from the abstracts. The 2024 trial abstract discloses an industry partnership chair (Diana Food); the 2008 and 2017 abstracts name no industry funder. The vitamin C upper limit comes from the NIH ODS fact sheet. Where to buy: we didn’t list a product; none of the stores we checked sells camu camu.Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page

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