After my family and I all had covid, we kept picking up colds and infections. This is highly unlike my family’s normal flow and has proven to be a challenging time. In addition, my mind struggled to focus, and my nerves were exhausted. I felt drawn to take herbs and foods rich in vitamin C. As I took substantial amounts of vitamin C rich herbs and foods, a great peace came over my nervous and immune systems, which led me to research and really learn how vitamin C works.  

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, which means the body does not make it on its own. It can store in our system for only a brief time. We have heard vitamin C is good for us. Let’s understand why!  

1. Tissue/Collagen Building: vitamin C is a reducing agent, to help the body oxidize iron from Fe 2+ to Fe 3+, which is necessary for collagen production. Collagen is important for our connective tissues. When mariners get sick with scurvy, it would cause gum disease, anemia, skin issues, and more, due to lack of collagen production. Vitamin C helps prevent this! 1 

2. Fat metabolism/Energy: Vitamin C is a cofactor in making L-Carnitine, a substance required for the transportation of fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane to be used for energy. Lack of vitamin C can cause fatigue (due to lack of fats being used for energy production), as well as inability to lose weight. 2 3 

3. Hormone/Neurotransmitter Production: Vitamin C is essential as a cofactor in catecholamine synthesis which helps the body convert dopamine to norepinephrine. These hormones help the body adjust to stressful situations. Dopamine helps your body regulate movement, emotion, memory, and reward mechanisms in the brain. It is converted to norepinephrine and then to epinephrine, which helps the body increase blood flow to the muscles, heart, and lungs as a “fight or flight” mechanism. 4 

4. Immune Protecting: vitamin C accumulates in phagocytic cells which help the body kill infection. It is also needed for apoptosis, to stop cell division. This helps old immune bodies to leave an infection site once they are used up. Vitamin C also helps enhance motility in immune bodies and increase B and T immune cells to fight infection. 5 

5. Antioxidant: When the body has more oxidative stress than it can handle, this can cause cellular damage to our body. Vitamin C is an electron donor, so it helps to stabilize and protect cells and get rid of free radical damage. 6 

We can get vitamin C from herbs and food. Rosehips, pine needles, schisandra berries, hawthorn berries, acerola cherries, lemons, limes, oranges, kiwis, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, parsley, kale, Brussel sprouts, and even potatoes can be great sources of vitamin C for us to consume. Dr. Christopher created a formula originally called formula for colds and infections, later changed to Cold Season and now Winter Season Formula that is also rich in vitamin C to boost the immune system.  

2. Oludare, G., Okpagu, O., Obafemi, A., & Okoka, E. (2022). Effects of vitamin C and L-carnitine on lipid profile and oxidative stress parameters in the brain of fasted and refed rats. Retrieved 5 January 2022, from https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajbr/article/view/150269 

3. Is Vitamin C the Missing Link for Weight Loss?. (2022). Retrieved 5 January 2022, from https://alkalineforlife.com/blogs/news/vitamin-c-and-fat-metabolism 

4.  May, J. M., Qu, Z. C., Nazarewicz, R., & Dikalov, S. (2013). Ascorbic acid efficiently enhances neuronal synthesis of norepinephrine from dopamine. Brain research bulletin, 90, 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2012.09.009 

5.  Carr, A. C., & Maggini, S. (2017). Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients, 9(11), 1211. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9111211 

6. Eryılmaz Pehlivan, F. (2022). Vitamin C: An Antioxidant Agent. Retrieved 3 January 2022, from https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/56013