Ask the Coach” is the column in which Wolfgang Unsöld answers your questions. The book of the same name was published by Riva Verlag and Available right here on Amazon.
Question: Hello, I just read your report on liposomal vitamin C ( here ). My question: ascorbic acid is produced chemically and is therefore harmful to the body. Can one also use acerola powder or camu camu with this description, or is there a natural ascorbic acid? I'm looking forward to your reply. Kind regards, Gerhard G.
WU: That's a very good question. First, it should be defined what the difference between "chemical" and "natural" is. In the context of ascorbic acid, it is crucial to note that it is primarily made from corn. Ascorbic acid is produced from corn using glucose obtained from corn using the so-called Reichstein process, which was developed in Switzerland in 1933 by the Nobel Prize winner of the same name, Tadeusz Reichstein. Two interesting asides are that this synthesis was patented and sold to pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche in 1935, and that the first commercially produced vitamin C product was Merck's Cebion.
Back to the raw material for the production of ascorbic acid, corn, this is a natural product. The first counter-argument here can certainly be the factor of genetically modified corn, but this can easily be avoided by using certified GMO-free ascorbic acid.
In addition, it is crucial that all pioneers of vitamin C have recorded their experiences and successes with ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate, which is a pH-neutral compound of ascorbic acid. Worth mentioning here is certainly Dr Frederick Klenner, who in the 1940s began using vitamin C in high doses as a therapy for numerous diseases in his practice. He is sometimes counted among the most unknown pioneering medical researchers ( Medical Mavericks) . His work was presented, among others, in Dr. Summarized by Thomas Levy's book “Curing the Incurable” ( you can order the book directly from Amazon here ). And his later motto was: "The patient should get large amounts of vitamin C in all disease states while the doctor thinks about the diagnosis".
dr Klenner's work was among other things the inspiration for Linus Pauling to start his research with ascorbic acid. Linus Pauling became the most popular early proponent of vitamin C, is one of the founders of orthomolecular medicine and the only man in history to have received two Nobel Prizes for his work. His work on vitamin C and partly revolutionary study results are based on ascorbic acid.
Ascorbic acid is therefore an isolated form of vitamin C on a natural basis.
In comparison, powdered acerola cherry or camu camu supplements are naturally compound vitamin C.
Both have their advantages. Basically, a natural combination of different micronutrients provides a synergy of nature that cannot be arbitrarily reproduced. Say "no vitamin as a dietary supplement can and will replace a vitamin-rich diet". I am convinced of that. Nonetheless, isolated micronutrients have great benefits. Three of them are that the isolated form allows a more specific and high-dose administration, which brings many benefits and has been documented with various micronutrients such as vitamin C. Also, the isolated form is a chemically pure form, and thus free from impurities, which is clearly preferable in the manufacture of a liposomal compound. Since the liposomal compound basically accelerates absorption, the goal is only to accelerate the absorption of specific substances and not their impurities.
In summary, the acerola cherry or camu camu are certainly good sources of vitamin C. However, ascorbic acid offers clear benefits as described above and is historically the form of vitamin C responsible for vitamin C's reputation.
Good luck with the optimal vitamin C source at the right time!
Image: One of the best-known sources of vitamin C is certainly citrus fruits, these too have their advantages such as a natural compound and taste, but do not allow for a pure, specific and high-dose administration at times when this is the goal.