Vitamin C Archives | Dr. Vikram Chauhan's Blog

WHY IS VITAMIN C NECESSARY FOR HUMANS?

ABSTRACT

Vitamin C is one of the most important nutrients for the human body as it plays a vital role in formation and maintenance of the skin, bones and blood vessels. Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant which prevents the body from damage of the free radicals. This amazing nutrient is found naturally in certain fruits and vegetables however nowadays various supplements for vitamin c are also available in the market. In this article we have discussed the major roles of vitamin c, results of its deficiency and its management through natural sources and few herbal supplements offered by Planet Ayurveda.

INTRODUCTION

There are some essential nutrients and some non essential. Vitamin C falls in the category of the essential nutrients which means the human body cannot produce it and you need to take it from food sources. Fruits like strawberries, oranges, kiwi and vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, spinach and kale contain this vitamin in abundance. Medically recommended amount of vitamin C for a male is 90 mg and for a female is 75 mg.

Let’s learn about the reasons which make vitamin C a vital nutrient that we need to take.

Vitamin C is a natural and potent antioxidant which strengthens the immune system of the body. Being antioxidant it safeguards the body against damage caused by free radicals. Sticking up of free radicals at certain points in the body causes oxidative stress in the body which is the cause of many chronic diseases. Hence eventually vitamin C prevents or reduces the risk of several chronic diseases.
Certain studies have concluded that vitamin c helps in relaxing the blood vessels and normalizes the blood pressure. It helps to manage the high blood pressure which is the cause for various cardiovascular diseases.
Vitamin C helps in maintaining the cardiovascular health as it possesses various cardioprotective properties like antioxidant, helps in relaxing and widening the blood vessels, reduction in formation and deposition of plaque in case of atherosclerosis and also improves the production of nitric oxide. All these factors help in preventing high blood pressure and heart diseases.
Vitamin C helps in the treatment or prevention of iron deficiency anemia. This amazing vitamin enhances the absorption of the iron in the body. Vitamin c also plays a role to convert the poor absorbing plant-based source of iron into that which can be absorbed easily.
Vitamin C plays a very important role in boosting the immunity as it works amazingly to control various actions in the immune system. It enhances the white blood cells production and further protects these cells from the damage caused by free radicals and other harmful molecules.
It helps in production of collagen in the body and is also present in muscles, skin and other body tissues. Low vitamin c results in delayed or slow healing of wounds due to decreased production of collagen.
Risk of eye diseases like cataract and age related macular degeneration can be lowered or prevented by taking a good amount of vitamin C in your diet or if there is deficiency one should opt for organic supplements.

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signs and symptoms

There are certain signs and symptoms which appear if you are deficient of vitamin C or Scurvy (condition resulting from vitamin C deficiency).

Some of the major ones are

Low level of vitamin c results in bumpy and rough skin as there occurs building up of keratin protein within the pores also due to decreased production of collagen which is a protein found in skin, joints, hair, blood vessels and bones.
Due to deficiency of vitamin C there can occur improper growth of hair into coiled or bent shapes. This usually occurs due to protein defects which create an abnormal structure of the hair resulting in corkscrew-shaped hair. It is also a characteristic sign of vitamin C deficiency.
One more characteristic of vitamin C deficiency is spoon shaped nails which break easily due to increased thinning and brittleness.
Due to poor production of collagen there occurs easy bruising as a result of weak blood vessels.
Wound healing is very slow in vitamin deficient people due to low collagen production. This is usually seen in the form of non healing chronic leg ulcers.
Joints are swollen and painful causing difficulty in walking or limping due to low collagen in connective tissues of the bones.
Bones are weak and there can occur slow growth and development of bones in children. Low vitamin C can result in increased bone loss rate.
Vitamin C is very important for healthy gums and teeth and its deficiency leads to swollen, red and bleeding gums. As gums require a good amount of vitamin c, hence its shortage makes them weak and inflamed along with the weak blood vessels leading to easy bleeding from gums.
As vitamin C plays a big role in immunity, hence low amounts of this vitamin result in decreased immunity and risk of various serious diseases is raised.
Iron deficiency anemia is caused as low vitamin c results in decreased absorption of iron in the body. This eventually leads to iron deficiency anemia, causing complaints like fatigue, paleness, difficulty in breathing while physical activity, dryness of hair and skin.

There are various natural sources of vitamin c through which you can gain a good amount of vitamin c. Foods which are rich in this vital nutrient are citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, Indian gooseberry, other sources like peppers, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, potatoes, guava, blackcurrants, thyme, parsley, mustard spinach, kale, kiwi, lychees, tomatoes, winter squash, cabbage, spinach, turnip green and papaya.

In the case of severe forms of vitamin c deficiency, only food sources are not enough to combat the ailment and some supplement is also required. There are various vitamin c supplements present in the market but not all of them are right to be used and can result in various health ailments if the wrong one is taken. Hence you must choose the correct vitamin C supplement.

There is an amazing vitamin c supplement offered by Planet Ayurveda- a renowned herbal pharmaceutical company. All the products produced here are purely organic, herbal and vegetarian which ensures its safety and effectiveness. Several quality check procedures are carried out to check each and every ingredient’s authenticity. Planet Ayurveda offers “Amalaki rasayana” to combat Vitamin C deficiency.

Amalaki1

Amalaki rasayan

Amalaki rasayan is formulated from standardized extract of the amla (Emblica officinalis) which is the richest source of vitamin C in nature. These herbal capsules help in fulfilling the deficiency of vitamin naturally without causing any harm to the body even if taken for a long term as it does not contain any type of chemicals, additives, preservatives, dye, colors, fillers, binder or yeast.

Dosage– Take 1 capsule twice daily after meals with plain water

Contact my assistant to provide you the costing / ordering and delivery information at – costing.planetayurveda@gmail.com or call at +91-172-5214030 Or Check Website – www.PlanetAyurveda.com

CONCLUSION

Vitamin C is a very important nutrient for the body as it is involved in various vital phenomena of the human body. Its deficiency can result in various complaints and serious complications. Hence keep your vitamin c levels in check.

Top 10 Health Benefits of Amla-Amla Capsules By Planet Ayurveda

Mother Nature has gifted mankind with tremendous medicinal plants to create a disease free and healthy life. Description of abundant medicinal plants are presented in Indian system of medicine. Amla or Indian gooseberry is one of the most widely used plant. It is enormously used as a tonic to restore the lost body’s energy and vigor.

Overview

Amla is just a small berry but it is the richest source of Vitamin C which is equal to 30 oranges!
The little fruit “Amla” is stuffed with innumerable health benefits that can ever be imagined. The word “Amla” means sour which is its predominant taste.
Amla is a small medium sized deciduous tree found throughout India. It grows about 8-18 m height with thin, light grey bark, leaves are simple, light green, sub-sessile and looks like pinnate leaves, its flowers are greenish yellow and fruits are fleshy and pale yellow.

Ancient Name

Botanical Name: Phyllanthus emblica
English Name: Indian gooseberry
Family: Euphorbiaceae

Sanskrit Synonyms

Amalki—having sour taste
Dhatri—takes care of a patient like a mother

As per Charak, it is one of those ingredients that can be taken on daily basis. Charak has classified Amla among the group of herbs that are useful in fever, useful to induce purgation, useful in skin diseases, that are useful in cough and cold and anti-aging group of herbs.

Qualities:

According to Charak Sutrasthan 27—

Amla contains all tastes except salt.
It is dry, sweet and astringent in taste
Balances Kapha and Pitta
It is coolant and heavy in nature.
It undergoes sweet taste after digestion.
It has cold potency
It balances all the three doshas—Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Some interesting facts about Amla—

In Vedic period, it was added to bathing water.
It has sour taste and usually sour taste increases Pitta but Amla balances Pitta in the body.
Charak has mentioned Amla as the best among anti-aging herbs.

Chemical Constituents of Amla fruit

The fruit contains 70.5% of the moisture. The total soluble solids constitute 23.8% of the juice. The pulp contains 5.09% total sugars and 5.09% reducing sugars. The ascorbic acid content is 1094.53 mg/100 ml of juice. The tannins content is 2.73% and pectin content of the pulp is 0.59%. It is highly nutritious, beneficial herb and almost all parts possess medicinal properties, particularly fruit , which has been used in Ayurveda as a powerful Rasayana and an important ingredient in medicines used for the treatment of jaundice, inflammation, gastritis and several other ailments.
Pharmacological research papers on Amla reveals that it is having anti-tussive, adaptogenic, cardio-protective, immunomodulatory, free-radical scavenging, chemopreventive properties. These properties are effective in the treatment of various diseases like—cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, peptic ulcers, liver, anaemia and heart diseases.

Top 10 Health Benefits of Amla

Amla is beneficial for eyes and improves vision power. Fresh Amla juice or Amla capsules is a good supplement to improve near sightedness, cataract and glaucoma. It reduces intra-ocular tension and corrects the vision.
It balances Vata due to its sour taste, balances Pitta due to its sweetness and coldness and balances Kapha due to its dryness and astringent properties.
Amla is quite beneficial in diabetes and urinary tract disorders. Amla capsules with bitter gourd juice regularly helps in reducing blood sugar.
It is also useful in bleeding disorders.
It is useful in relieving burning sensation.
It is quite useful in throat diseases and improves voice. Add a teaspoon of amla powder with honey and suck this mixture twice a day to cure a chronic dry cough. It is invaluable in the treatment of tuberculosis, asthma and bronchitis.
Amla is quite beneficial for heart.
The Amla seed kernel is sweet and astringent and acts as natural aphrodisiac and useful in uterine bleeding disorders such as—menorrhagia.
Tree turmeric (Daruharidra) with Amla juice mixed with honey is useful in curing dysuria due to Pitta dosha. (Charak Chikitsa Sthana 26/53).
Administration of purified sulphur along with the juice of Amla and honey together is the remedy par excellence for the cure of all the 18 types of skin diseases.

Other uses:

Amla protects against free radical damage and provides anti-oxidant protection.
Amla fruit boiled in coconut water and the ground mixture thus obtained should be applied to the scalp to pacify Pitta imbalance. Amla oil is an excellent way to reduce heat associated with summer season. It is a good remedy to pacify Pitta conditions.
Leucorrhoea—Leucorrohea or white discharge can be relieved with powdered and dried Amla seeds. Mixture of Amla with honey and fennel should be taken.
It is the richest source of Vitamin C so it is an effective remedy for over-coming the problem of white spots on the nails.

Consumption of Amla on the basis of body type—

Amla powder for Vata imbalance—If there is Vata imbalance like gas trouble or joint diseases, then Amla powder can be consumed with sesame oil. Make a paste of Amla powder and sesame oil and swallow it with hot water.
Amla powder for Pitta imbalance—If there are digestion problems or skin related issues like—acne, then amla powder should be taken with cow’s ghee followed by a glass of hot water. Another way of taking amla powder for Pitta dosha is to take it with jaggery.
Amla powder for Kapha imbalance—For diseases like—respiratory problems, obesity, amla powder can be taken along with honey.

Is Amla incompatible with milk?

All sour foods including Amla are incompatible with milk because Amla curdles it.

Amla Capsules by Planet Ayurveda—

Amla capsules of Planet Ayurveda contain standardised extract of Amla fruit pulp. Amla capsules of Planet Ayurveda do not contain any preservatives, chemicals, colouring or flavouring agents. They are 100% natural Vitamin C supplement and are way better than synthetic Vitamin C supplements.

Capsules per container-60

Each 500 mg capsule contains—Best quality standardised herbal extract of Amla berries 10:1
Dosage: 1-2 capsules twice daily with plain water.