The Secret of Eternal Youth
What is the secret of eternal youth? Using creams both day and night? Various jars, ointments, brews and concoctions made with secret ingredients? Or turning into vampires? What some people wouldn’t give to know the secret of eternal youth, right?
It appears that ancient indigenous tribes in the Amazon did in fact find this secret key. It allowed these people to live for more than 100 years and to set themselves apart from the rest with their young appearance, their vitality, and the glow of their skin.
These tribes knew the importance of camu camu, scientific name Myrciaria Dubia, the fruit of a shrub bearing the same name. The plant generally reaches heights between three and five meters and grows wild on the shores of some rivers in the Amazon rainforest.
We find it in the greatest concentration in the Peruvian Amazon, along the Uyacali and Amazon Rivers, but also in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Its ripening process takes place in the rainy season.
Its small, pleasant-smelling flowers alone seem to indicate to us that camu camu is a special fruit. This fruit is a superfood because it contains higher concentrations of vitamin C and antioxidants than any other plant or fruit.
To put this in perspective, camu camu contains 16 times more natural vitamin C than the pulp of an orange and 60 times more than a lemon. It is precisely this vitamin that aids in the production of collagen, an extremely important protein for good skin health and the guaranteed source of firm facial skin.
In addition, the antioxidants in the camu camu help to reduce the negative effects of free radicals on our bodies.
Why are antioxidants important?
Antioxidants , present in fruits and vegetables, help protect our body’s cells and postpone the aging process.
As we get older, the cells in our bodies also go along with us on life’s journey, and inevitably wear down. One of the consequences of this is loose, wrinkly, or spotted skin.
However, it is possible to combat the progress of time through the practice of a few good daily habits. Our diet, stress levels, tobacco and alcohol use, and the sun are some of the factors that have an impact on the health of our cells and which can contribute to an acceleration of the natural aging process.
By including in their diet the camu camu, a small fruit with a color resembling that of a cherry but a yellow flesh and a certain acidic flavor, the ancient indigenous tribes in the Amazon were contributing to the neutralization of free radicals. Free radicals are the cause of cellular oxidization, so by eating camu camu, the Amazonian tribes were slowing the signs of aging brought about by the degeneration of our cells.
The glowing face, healthy gums, and much younger-looking skin seen in these ancient Amazonian tribes were directly related to their consumption of camu camu.
Benefits of camu camu for your body
This fruit has multiple benefits: it acts as an antioxidant and antidepressant, helps to clean out the body and prevent stress, strengthens the immune system, revitalizes the nervous system, combats migraines, promotes a healthy heart, aids in the absorption of nutrients, and has anti-inflammatory effects.
The camu camu allows children, pregnant or lactating women, and the elderly to maintain adequate vitamin C levels.
Consuming it raw offers all of these benefits for our body, but due to the increased demand for it today, it is more often found in processed form and packaged as capsules as a source of vitamin C or as a multivitamin product.
The secret of eternal youth at our fingertips
Ultimately, whether we use camu camu or not, each of us has access to one of the keys to remaining young, because youth is a state of mind .
Feeling good about oneself, accepting oneself, valuing the truly important things in life like health and being with people who love us, or seeing life through the eyes of a child, being surprised and enjoying every minute of every day are some ways to make our lives more positive.
Remember: b eing happy with less is more.
Main image courtesy of Elena Dijour