Humans are one of the only mammals that cannot produce vitamin C on their own. When  mammals are under stress—any stress—they increase production of ascorbic acid,  exponentially. The sicker we are, the more ascorbic acid we need. Ascorbic acid protects the  body, the brain, and all the body’s cells from the ravages of stress. 

Vitamin C is not a nutrient that we were made to source from food; it was, and is, a vital  molecule that our bodies were supposed to manufacture on demand. Somewhere back in  time, humans lost the ability to produce vitamin C within our bodies, and we have been  dependent on consuming enough from food ever since. However, given our modern, fast paced, toxic, stressful world, we are chronically deficient. 

What does vitamin C do? 

• It is the primary antioxidant in the body, the true King of Antioxidants; 
• It protects from stress, maintaining physiologic homeostasis; 
• It acts as a catalyst to hundreds of biochemical reactions, greasing the wheels of our biochemical machinery; 
• It decreases toxicity by counteracting and neutralizing reactions to toxins and poisons; It acts as an antibacterial and antiviral; 
• It acts as our primary histamine scavenger (allergy control); 
• It supports production of adrenal (stress) hormones; 
• It is essential to the production and maintenance of collagen (your entire body structure is  made of collagen—every cell. Without adequate vitamin C, your collagen breaks down and  doesn’t repair); 
• It improves cardiovascular strength and integrity; 
• It improves mental and neurotransmitter status. 

Who needs Vitamin C? 

Researchers have only studied rats for optimal levels of vitamin C. From this data, we can  extrapolate an average intake of 2000-4000 mg of vitamin C for the average 150 lb person.  This "optimal" dose, however, would assume a life-long intake that is adequate, which is not  the case. 

Humans can only absorb about 500 mg of vitamin C at any one time, depending on our  needs. However, we may be able to absorb this amount of vitamin C every 15 minutes. Any  unused vitamin C is simply excreted through the bowel. There is a limit to this; at a certain  level of intake, the excess vitamin C in the bowel will attract too much water and cause  loosened stools. We call this Bowel Tolerance. 

Many people can tolerate up to 10-20 grams of Vitamin C per day. (Yes, that’s grams, not  milligrams.) Your needs for Vitamin C will change over time. As you become healthier, your  tolerance for supplemental vitamin C will likely decrease; this means that a dose you  previously tolerated will cause loose stools, and you will be forced to decrease your daily  dose. Remember, there are no true “stores” of vitamin C, however; it still must be regularly  consumed.

There are a few persons who do not tolerate any level of ascorbic acid in the bowel, who  experience bowel tolerance immediately. In these persons, we need to use different forms of  delivery for vitamin C. Optimal vitamin C can then be obtained with the various liposomal  vitamin C products or even through intravenous vitamin C.

Dr. Andrew Neville

Vitamin C ...2,600mg
(as L-ascorbic acid USP, potassium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, and magnesium ascorbate)
Calcium ...175mg
(as calcium carbonate and calcium ascorbate)
Magnesium ...120mg
(as magnesium carbonate and magnesium ascorbate)
Zinc (as zinc citrate) ...15mg
Manganese ...2.5mg
(as manganese glycinate)
Copper ...1.0mg
(as copper glycinate)
Potassium ...40mg
(as potassium ascorbate)
Quercetin ...130mg
Reduced L-glutathione ...26mg