Orthomolecular Medicine Research
Scientific Approach to High-Dose Therapy
Vitamin C As An Antiviral
"It's All About Dose"
⚠️ Important Medical Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. High-dose vitamin C therapy should be discussed with qualified healthcare practitioners. Individual needs vary significantly, and treatment protocols require professional oversight.
📄 Source Information
Reprinted with permission from: Orthomolecular Medicine News Service
Publication Date: December 3, 2009
Editor: Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D.
📚 Key Research Literature
Vitamin C: The Real Story
Cancer and Vitamin C
Vitamin C in Health and Disease
📖 Additional Resources
❓ The Central Question
"Just how much vitamin C should I take?"
This is one of the most frequent questions from Orthomolecular Medicine News Service readers, and the answer may surprise you.
🐾 Learning from Nature
🧬 Human Limitation
Our bodies cannot make vitamin C (ascorbate), although most animals can.
We must get it from our food and from supplements.
Cells in many human body tissues concentrate vitamin C by 25-fold or more over blood concentration.
🦎 Animal Production
Most animals make the human body-weight equivalent of 5,000 to 10,000 milligrams per day.
It's unlikely that animals would have evolved to make this much vitamin C if they didn't need it and use it.
📊 Individual Variation
Each person's need for vitamin C differs because of differences in genetics and individual biochemistry. Our bodies undergo different stresses, and we eat different foods. Therefore, the daily need for ascorbate to maintain health for an adult varies between 2,000 - 20,000 mg/day.
👨🔬 Notable Practitioners & Their Experiences
🏆 Linus Pauling
Daily Intake: 18,000 mg of vitamin C
Achievements: Two Nobel prizes (more than any of his critics)
Lifespan: Died at age 93
Often ridiculed for his high-dose approach, but his scientific credentials speak for themselves.
👨⚕️ Dr. Abram Hoffer
Practice: Colleague of Pauling's
Experience: Took megadoses and gave them to thousands of patients over 55 years
Lifespan: Died at age 91
Extensive clinical experience with high-dose vitamin C therapy.
🦠 Antiviral Function
⚡ Increased Demand During Infection
When we are challenged with a viral infection, our need for vitamin C can rise dramatically, depending on the body's immune function, level of injury, infection, or environmental toxicity such as cigarette smoke.
📈 Historical Clinical Observations
Ascorbate at sufficiently high doses can prevent viral disease and greatly speed recovery from acute viral infection. This was originally observed by physicians in the 1940s and has been verified and re-verified over the last 60 years.
Very high doses, 30,000 - 200,000 mg, divided throughout the day, are remarkably non-toxic and have been documented by physicians as curing viral diseases including:
- • Common cold
- • Flu
- • Hepatitis
- • Viral pneumonia
- • Even polio
🎯 Dosage Determination Methods
Clinical Observation:
"Taking enough C to be symptom free, whatever that amount may be."
Bowel Tolerance:
The amount that can be absorbed from the gut without causing loose stools.
📖 Further Reading
For interested persons, Dr. Frederick R. Klenner's Clinical Guide to the Use of Vitamin C is available online at: Clinical Guide Reference
🔬 Mechanism For Ascorbate Antiviral Effect
🛡️ Antioxidant Properties
The antioxidant property of ascorbate promotes a reducing environment in the bloodstream and tissues, enhancing the body's response to oxidative stress from inflammation, thereby helping to fight microbes and viruses that propagate in stressful conditions.
🎯 Direct Viral Effects
Ascorbate has been shown to have specific antiviral effects in which it inactivates the RNA or DNA of viruses, or interferes with the assembly of the virus.
💪 Immune System Enhancement
Vitamin C is involved in enhancing several functions of the immune system:
- Enhances production of interferon (prevents viral cell infection)
- Stimulates antibody activity
- Enhances phagocyte function (removes viral particles)
- White blood cells concentrate ascorbate up to 80 times plasma levels
- Enhances B-cells, T-cells, NK cells
- Improves vaccination response
⚡ Energy Production
In megadoses, ascorbate seems to have a role in mitochondrial energy production, supporting the body's overall energy needs during illness.
📋 Summary
🎯 Key Takeaways
Vitamin C at high doses is effective in preventing viral infection and enhancing recovery.
Several mechanisms are known, including specific viral anti-replication processes and enhancement of cellular immune system components.
When taken at an appropriate dose in a timely manner, ascorbate is our best tool for curing acute viral illness.
📖 Scientific References
This article includes 25 peer-reviewed scientific references supporting the therapeutic use of high-dose vitamin C:
[1] Williams RJ, Deason G (1967) - Individuality in vitamin C needs
[2] Pauling L (1986) - How to Live Longer And Feel Better
[3] Hoffer A, Saul AW (2009) - Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone
[4] Levy TE (2002) - Curing the Incurable: Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins
[5] Hickey S, Saul AW (2008) - Vitamin C: The Real Story
[6] Cathcart RF (1981) - Vitamin C, titrating to bowel tolerance
[7] Klenner FR (1979) - High daily intake of ascorbic acid in preventive medicine
[8] Webb AL, Villamor E (2007) - Effects of vitamin supplementation on immune function
[9] Wintergerst ES, et al. (2006) - Immune-enhancing role of vitamin C and zinc
[10] Kastenbauer S, et al. (2002) - Oxidative stress in bacterial meningitis
[11] Murata A, et al. (1975) - Mechanism of inactivation of bacteriophage by ascorbic acid
[12] Harakeh S, et al. (1990) - Suppression of HIV replication by ascorbate
[13] White LA, et al. (1986) - In vitro effect of ascorbic acid on infectivity of viruses
[14] Furuya A, et al. (2008) - Antiviral effects of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids
[15] Gerber WF (1975) - Effect of ascorbic acid on serum interferon level
[16] Karpinska T, et al. (1982) - Influence of ascorbic acid on interferon induction
[17] Anderson R, Dittrich OC (1979) - Effects of ascorbate on leucocytes
[18] González MJ, et al. (2005) - Vitamin C as an Ergogenic Aid
[19] Kennes B, et al. (1983) - Effect of vitamin C on cell-mediated immunity
[20] Siegel BV, Morton JI (1984) - Vitamin C and immunity
[21] Jeng KC, et al. (1996) - Supplementation with vitamins C and E enhances cytokine production
[22] Campbell JD, et al. (1999) - Ascorbic acid inhibits T cell apoptosis
[23] Schwager J, Schulze J (1997) - Influence of ascorbic acid on lymphocytes
[24] Banic S (1982) - Immunostimulation by vitamin C
[25] Wu CC, et al. (2000) - Effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on immune response
👥 Editorial Review Board
🎓 Orthomolecular Medicine News Service
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.
- • Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.
- • Damien Downing, M.D.
- • Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D.
- • Steve Hickey, Ph.D.
- • James A. Jackson, PhD
- • Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D
- • Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D.
- • Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D.
- • Erik Paterson, M.D.
- • Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D.
Editor: Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D.
Contact: [email protected]
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The above provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner.