Did you know that ascorbic acid is not really Vitamin C? It’s a laboratory creation and it contains only a small component of this essential nutrient.
It would be like baking a cake, and then taking one of the ingredients, such as baking powder, and calling it a cake. The baking powder would not have the same properties as the cake.
Whole Vitamin C, derived from plants. It’s what our bodies need. Ascorbic acid, on the other hand, is not naturally occurring. So we need to work very hard to break it down, in order to excrete it.
However, ascorbic acid does have its place. Alternative practitioners often recommend massive doses of intravenous ‘Vitamin C,’ which is actually ascorbic acid, for patients suffering from life-threatening infections that don’t respond to antibiotics. It also works as a weak chelation agent to remove heavy metals, something which should always be done under medical supervision.
However, to gain the best health benefits, many experts recommend the real deal. Here are some natural sources of Vitamin C that are among the richest on the planet.
The Camu Camu Berry
This food supplement comes from fruit that grows on the banks of the Amazon River. It contains very high amounts of natural Vitamin C, perhaps 60 times as much as an orange, pound for pound. Native peoples use it in desserts after it is highly sweetened, because it is a very tart fruit.
As a health supplement, it is dried and shipped all around the world. The Japanese are big consumers of camu camu.
This is also one of the few dietary supplements we have in our house. I take this every day, because it has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and I give it to my children to boost their immune system. It seems to have helped my teenage daughter’s acne. No one in my family has had a cold this winter either. Click on the image below for more information on this super food.
The Acerola Cherry
Packaged powders made from acerola cherry, a fruit native to the West Indies and Latin America are dried for daily consumption. The acerola has a much higher concentration of whole Vitamin C than citrus fruits. This fruit has long been used by folk and traditional medical practitioners to treat liver disease and assist in fighting infections. Acerola also contains a significant amount of Vitamin A.
Indian Gooseberry
This fruit comes from a tree that grows in India. It is very tart, and contains a lot of fiber. It can’t really be eaten in its natural state, with a lot of soaking to break it down a bit. However, it packs a powerful punch of natural Vitamin C. Scientists have studied this fruit for its anti-viral properties and its potential applications as a cancer fighter.
Garden of Life whole food Vitamin C contains a product with all three of these very healthy tropical fruits.
Flickr photo by Andreia
