Vitamin C has been known about for a very long time. Back in the days of the sailing ships, British mariners, after lengthy voyages at sea and living on meager, limited foodstuffs, often came down with scurvy. It was discovered that if they supplemented their diet with limes they prevented scurvy from occurring. This is how the British came to be known as "Limeys".

The matter was later explained by scientists, who found that scurvy - and a number of other conditions - was the result of a Vitamin C deficiency. Since limes (and other citrus fruits) are rich in Vitamin C, it was actually the inclusion of Vitamin C in the limes that kept the sailors free from scurvy.

Today, Vitamin C is known to be employed by the body in countless ways. It is instrumental in the production of collagen, and therefore in maintaining healthy skin. Vitamin C also helps maintain healthy bones, and teeth. It assists the body in absorbing iron more efficiently.

One of the most important functions of Vitamin C in the body is as an antioxidant.
Vitamin C is particularly effective in countering superoxide anion radicals and hydroxyl radicals.

Since Vitamin C is water soluble, the body is not able to store it in quantity.
It is best, therefore, taken daily, or if possible, two or three times a day, in smaller amounts.

Formerly, huge quantities of Vitamin C were recommended by some. Today, however, because Vitamin C can bring on disturbances to the digestive tract when used in large amounts, and to prevent a paradoxical oxidant effect via a so called Fenton Reaction, only about 1000 mg. per day are recommended orally. Dosages of this magnitude have recently been found effective for high blood pressure (hypertension). (Linus Pauling Institute, 2000).

Given intravenously though, huge doses are effective as an antioxidant.