Discover how vitamin C and antioxidants support your immune system with this uplifting blend featuring bright oranges, flowering rosehips and fruity blackberry leaves with 130% daily value of Vitamin C!

Vitamin C is an exceptionally potent water-soluble antioxidant that is capable of neutralizing many reactive oxidants while replenishing glutathione stores in cells and membranes. Furthermore, Vitamin C acts as a cofactor for gene regulatory monooxygenases.

1. Supports the Immune System

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient with numerous immunomodulatory effects. It serves as an integral cofactor in various biosynthetic and gene regulatory pathways and acts as an antioxidant protecting cells against endogenous oxidative stress and exogenous oxidative damage; both actions make vitamin C an indispensable immune-supportive agent.

Phagocytes (white blood cells that engulf invading microorganisms) use Vitamin C to produce nitric oxide, one of the chemical signals used to kill captured pathogens and fluidize fatty secretions for improved penetration by immune cells. Furthermore, Vitamin C helps optimize this defensive function by inhibiting production of neuraminidase enzyme that some viruses and bacteria utilize in order to escape immune capture.

Neutrophils (white blood cells that attack invading microorganisms and release oxidants) require vitamin C to enhance migration, phagocytosis, oxidant generation, microbial killing and decrease necrosis and NETosis; promote antibody production; facilitate clearance of spent neutrophils by macrophages from infection sites; as well as promote reduced neutrophil necrosis and NETosis and necrosis rates.

B- and T-lymphocytes (white blood cells that produce antibodies) accumulate vitamin C via SVCT at high concentrations, and its use has been found to both promote their proliferative and differentiation/maturation processes as well as to maintain normal interferon levels during infection.

Mast cells (immune cells that produce histamine) also require Vitamin C for histamine production, an essential signal in responding to pathogens and activating inflammatory reactions. Studies conducted with guinea pigs – another species dependent upon vitamin C supplementation – show that when their vitamin C intake becomes deficient, histamine levels become elevated while supplementation significantly reduced these levels.

2. Prevents Infections

Vitamin C is an effective natural antimicrobial, stimulating white blood cell activity and acting as an antioxidant against infections by protecting against oxidative damage. Vitamin C stimulates neutrophil migration to sites of inflammation, improves phagocytosis and oxidant generation by these cells, supports microbial killing and even supports their apoptosis by blocking caspase-sensitive caspases as well as protecting phosphatidyl serine exposure essential for uptake and disposal of spent neutrophils by macrophages [160].

Animal studies demonstrate the efficacy of vitamin C against pneumococcus and b-hemolytic streptococci bacteria pneumonia infections as well as E. coli, Clostridium difficile and Entamoeba histolytica infections; protozoal infections caused by Leishmania donovani, Toxoplasma gondii and Trypanosoma brucei; as well as protozoan infections from Leishmania donovani, Toxoplasma gondii and Trypanosoma brucei. Human trials using various infectious agents such as bacteria viruses Candida albicans and protozoa [167].

Vitamin C’s effect on infection prevention appears to stem from its ability to maintain a healthy redox balance by neutralizing free radicals like superoxide, peroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid in the body. Furthermore, vitamin C serves as an effective scavenger of lipid peroxidants as well as being an essential cofactor in several biosynthesis pathways of immune system components.

Environment and health conditions associated with impaired immunity and increased susceptibility to infection include smoking, chronic respiratory disease (such as bronchitis or asthma) and vitamin C deficiency in elderly people [173, 174]. Vitamin C may also boost immune function by strengthening neutrophil phagocytosis of lung pathogens and increasing their degradation by oxidants. Vitamin C has also been demonstrated to aid the clearing away of neutrophils from inflamed sites by increasing their apoptosis and preventing formation of reactive oxygen species that cause tissue damage [177]. As such, vitamin C appears to play an integral role in both adaptive and innate immunity responses and is thus beneficially impacting many aspects of each.

3. Relieves Sore Throats

The immune system is your body’s first line of defense against infections that cause sore throats. Supplementing with Vitamin C through healthy foods that contain this water-soluble vitamin and maintaining adequate levels can help ensure optimal functioning of this vital defense mechanism. Vitamin C plays an essential role in supporting white blood cells responsible for attacking microbes; additionally it enhances antibody production to target and neutralize pathogens.

Sore throats may be caused by colds and flu viruses, strep throat, tonsillitis, viral illnesses like the common cold. By resting well and eating nutritiously as well as using natural sore throat remedies to combat infections more quickly, individuals can aid their bodies’ immune systems in fighting them off and speed their recovery time.

Some natural sore throat remedies include echinacea, bone broth, raw honey and several drops of lemon essential oil – these home elixirs will boost immunity while offering antioxidant protection that can aid in recovery.

Eucalyptus oil is an effective natural remedy for sore throats, relieving inflammation, speeding healing, and improving respiratory circulation. You can apply the oil directly onto the throat or chest area or use a diffuser at home.

Consuming homemade bone broth can be an effective sore throat remedy, providing your immune system with essential collagen, helping keep it strong and decreasing inflammation. Plus, its easy preparation makes for a nourishing, comforting and soothing liquid! For added benefits add lemon, ginger and honey into hot water before drinking it regularly to alleviate sore throat symptoms associated with colds or flus.

4. Strengthens the Immune System

Vitamin C Symphony helps strengthen the body’s immune system by decreasing oxidative stress and protecting cells from damage. Furthermore, it supports collagen formation – an essential protein found on skin surfaces and mucous membranes which act as primary defenses against pathogens entering our bodies – as well as playing an instrumental role in maintaining an appropriate inflammation response that does not become excessive or out-of-balance.

Vitamin C also aids the production of antibodies and enhances cell-mediated immunity, including macrophages, natural killer cells and T-lymphocytes that identify and attack foreign particles entering the body. Furthermore, it optimizes this response by increasing production of cytokines that signal other white blood cells to begin attacking and prevents their apoptosis – all key elements for successful immune response.

Studies on the effects of Vitamin C on neutrophil function have demonstrated its beneficial properties; specifically, its water-soluble form can significantly enhance leukocyte migration in response to chemotactic mediators, killing of bacteria by neutrophils and monocyte-derived macrophages, as well as improving their phagocytosis of spent neutrophils by macrophages, as well as preventing their sequestration in lung following exposure to toxic gases (septic shock).

Vitamin C is an integral component of several key proteins involved in gene regulation and cell signaling, including those required to maintain normal tissue architecture and to promote normal hematopoiesis. Furthermore, it plays an essential role in the hydroxylation of several substrates – cholesterol, amino acids, catecholamine hormones such as norepinephrine and dopamine, fatty acids as well as methylated DNA/histones are among these substrates requiring hydroxylation by vitamin C – that require it for their hydroxylation as part of metabolic reactions important in regulating immune responses regulating immune responses maintaining normal tissue architecture and supporting normal hematopoiesis. These metabolic reactions help regulate immune response regulating immune response while also maintaining normal tissue architecture as well as supporting normal hematopoiesis.

5. Supports Cardiovascular Health

Vitamin C is an incredibly potent free-radical scavenger. It can neutralize and eliminate superoxide, peroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorous acid and air pollutants [206]. Studies of individuals with impaired immunity or insufficiencies of vitamin C have demonstrated how supplementation increases ex vivo lymphocyte proliferation – suggesting that just 1 gram per day can significantly improve immune cell functionality [207,208].

Vitamin C supplementation enhances cytokine production, important cell signaling molecules produced by both innate and adaptive cells that play an integral part in immune system response to infection or inflammation, including chemokines, interferons and interleukins which play vital roles in shaping immune system responses to infection or inflammation.

Vitamin C also enhances neutrophil migration in response to chemotactants (chemotaxis), increases leukocyte ROS production and their phagocytosis of microbes and other invaders, supports neutrophil apoptosis and clearance by macrophages from inflammation sites, helping resolve inflammation and prevent excessive tissue damage. Supplementation of newborns suspected of sepsis with 400 mg/day vitamin C significantly enhanced neutrophil chemotaxis while similar increases were noted with healthy elderly people following vitamin C supplementation [109].

Murine models of Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD) and Chediak-Higashi Syndrome (CHS), an autosomal recessive disorder affecting leukocyte trafficking, were given vitamin C supplements at doses that significantly enhanced ex vivo leukocyte chemotaxis. This suggests that vitamin C supplementation may help overcome genetic defects underlying these disorders, such as poor production of ROS and failure of neutrophils to engulf microbes they phagocytose. Studies conducted on the peritoneal neutrophils isolated from Gulo mice with low levels of vitamin C have demonstrated that their apoptosis and phagocytosis was inhibited, while those from vitamin C-supplemented mice displayed more prominent apoptosis and phagocytosis [76]. Vitamin C can also stimulate human neutrophil apoptosis by increasing phosphatidyl serine exposure leading to subsequent apoptosis and macrophage uptake [77].