Vitamin C wears many hats in the vitamin family and covers a multitude of activities in the human body, such as repairing blood vessels, synthesizing collagen and elastin, boosting immunity, anti-oxidant, supporting metabolism, hormone boosting, pH balancing, digestion aiding, and cooling the body. As a water soluble vitamin it is depleted rapidly and needs supplementation on a regular basis. When choosing a supplement it’s almost always better to get nutrients from whole food sources. This recipe is about making your own whole food Vitamin C Pills from herbs. These little pills are not only high in Vitamin C but also high in a plethora of important antioxidants and nutrients that work in synergy with the vitamin C. With the combination of bioflavonoids, whole foods sources, and herbs only 150 mg of vitamin C can be developed into over 20,000 mg by the body.
Our Vitamin C sourced herbs
Red Raspberry Leaf
Red raspberry leaves are famously high in vitamin C. In Britain during WWII when citrus foods were hard to come by and scurvy (extreme lack of vitamin C) was an increasing problem, red raspberry leaf tea was a vial substitute for citrus. Scientists began testing local food sources and found that red raspberry leaf actually has more vitamin C than oranges!
Guava
Guava is native to the tropics of North and South America and is now also being grown as far north as Texas. Guava is famous for its high vitamin C content although it also contains other important nutrients such as B vitamins and bioflavonoids. According to the book “Plants in Human Health and Nutrition Policy” there are 1677.6 mg of vitamin C in 100 g of fruit. That makes guava one of the fruits containing some of the richest amounts of vitamin C.
Amla (Phyllanthus emblica)
Amla is a cherished herb from India where it is famously used in the Triphala formula. Like the other herbs in this recipe, amla is celebrated for its incredibly high vitamin C content.
How much vitamin C is in each vitamin C pill?
Honestly I don’t know. Vitamin C content varies with the plant, the location where it grew, the way it was dried, the date it was dried and on and on. That’s why it’s a good idea to get a variety of vitamin C sources in your diet. Rest assured though, these pills do have a good amount of vitamin C as well as other important nutrients.
Whole Food Vitamin C Pills with Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon red raspberry leaf powder
- 1 tablespoon amla powder
- 1 tablespoon guava powder
- Raw Honey
- Lemon peel powder (optional)
Instructions
- Mix together the powdered herbs, breaking up any clumps.
- Pour slightly warmed honey into the powdered mix. Just in pour a tiny bit at a time, stir, add a bit more, and stirs once more.
- The final consistently needs to hold together but not be too moist or sticky. Once the powders are mixed with the honey, form the mixture into pea sized balls. These can then be rolled in lemon powder or another one of the powders in the mixture. Makes 45 pea sized pills.
- Store in a glass, airtight container. These last for 1-2 years.
