Sometimes products are made to sound a little fancier than they truly are, and this can be very true in the case of overly marketed supplements. Consider good old vitamin C. If you choose not to eat a diet rich in this essential vitamin, you may consider a supplement such as vitamin c with bioflavonoids (A.K.A Vitamin P, a group of naturally occurring compounds that act as super anti-oxidants and natural antibiotics). But does it really make sense to add anything to an already great supplement such as is the case with vitamin c with rose hips? Well, that depends on why you're buying it.
You must first understand what rose hips are and why anyone would want them encroaching on their vitamin C. The hip is the pudgy nub that sits below the petals of a rose. It's used in jellies and eaten raw, but the insides are hairy and are even used as itching powder. Their use as a food product is best known for its immune system boosting tea form, most notably with dried rose hips. They do, in fact, contain a boatload of vitamin C (over 50 percent more than citrus fruits!), which explains why vitamin C with rose hips are so popular – they provide more or better vitamin C from a combination product.
The health benefits of vitamin c with rose hips are numerous as they are filled with not only vitamin C, but also vitamin E and K, some B vitamins such as B1, B2 and B3 (niacin), iron, calcium, and phosphorus. Rose hips are notoriously used as a supplementary natural treatment of colds, flu, and offer sore throat relief (available in capsule form for convenience – take 3 times per day). They also speed up the healing process of minor skin irritations and bruises, and can help alleviate women's menstrual cramps and heavy flow. Those with constipation problems will receive extra health benefits from vitamin C with rose hips, since pectin and fruit acid in rose hips act as a gentle laxative and diuretic.
The problem with rose hips is that while they may be packed with vitamin C while on the plant, a large amount of this essential vitamin is lost or damaged during processing and drying to say nothing of what is lost during storage. As such, it's not uncommon for synthetic vitamin C to be added to vitamin C with rose hips supplements. This can particularly be a problem for people who are searching for organic products like organic vitamin c, especially since labels can be very misleading regarding what is and is not lab created.
You will likely pay a few sheckles more for vitamin C with rose hips than you will with the standalone product, but the additional benefits, although arguably minimal, may be worth the extra buck. Traditional vitamin c supplements will provide most of the C that you need, and if you're looking for the best vitamin c, feel free to add some to your diet via red peppers (contain nearly 3 times more vitamin C than your favorite orange juice!), broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and spinach ! It's the form that your body loves the most, and dietary negligence is the cause of a deficiency of vitamin c.
Adding another vitamin C containing ingredient does add more vitamin C, but potentially less if the quality of the additional product is degraded. It can also be risky for people who prefer organics. Do your homework and find an inexpensive vitamin C supplement from a vendor you trust. For example, 250 capsules of Nature's Way Vitamin C-1000 With Rose Hips will cost you around $17, similar to 250 tablets of Now Foods' C-1000 with Rose Hips & Bioflavonoids. And don't be alarmed if your current vitamin C supplement does not contain the extra herbal power; as long as you take your daily dose of 2000 mg (split into 2 or more doses), your body will be supplied with the necessary immune system boost it craved so much for years.
Finally, remember to consult your health care provider if you are taking any chemical medications, as to avoid any potentially harmful drug interactions.
Leave a Reply