The High Dose Oral Vitamin C Protocol for Cancer and Viral Infections


This post contains some fascinating facts about Vitamin C that most people do not know. 

High-dose vitamin C is a powerful anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-cancer protocol. Even if you don’t have cancer, you can use this method to gauge your internal oxidative stress and your body’s real-time demand for antioxidants.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential vitamin, but unlike many animals, the human body doesn’t produce vitamin C. It has to come from food.

You’ve probably also heard that a severe vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy.

Early symptoms of scurvy are malaise and lethargy. That’s a “general feeling of being unwell” along with tiredness or exhaustion. After a few months comes shortness of breath and bone pain. Further down the road, you may experience muscle pain, skin sores, gum disease, loose teeth, wounds not healing, dry mouth, dry eyes, and emotional problems. In the late stages, scurvy causes jaundice, edema, fever, convulsions, and eventually death.

Note: Chemotherapy causes major oxidative damage throughout the body and chemo patients often have severely depleted levels of vitamin C and scurvy symptoms. 

Fortunately, scurvy can be CURED with lemons, limes, oranges, and any other vitamin C-containing food.

Here’s where it gets interesting…

The cure for scurvy was first published in 1617 in The Surgeon’s Mate by English military surgeon Dr. John Woodall. And it was completely ignored by the medical community.

In 1753 (136 years later) naval surgeon Dr. James Lind published his discovery in A Treatise of The Scurvy, which was also ignored. The medical establishment insisted that the testimonials of eating citrus fruit to reverse scurvy were merely “anecdotal” and not based on “scientific evidence”.  Sound familiar?

Fortunately, James Lind persevered and nearly 50 years later citrus fruit was finally accepted and used for the prevention and treatment of scurvy on sailing vessels. So, in summary:

The cure for scurvy was ignored by the medical community for nearly 200 years after its discovery.

Nutrition and natural therapies are still ignored in modern medicine. I’d be willing to bet that if you went to see a doctor with some of the symptoms of scurvy that I listed above, you be subjected to a barrage of expensive tests, misdiagnosed, prescribed various pharmaceutical drugs, and subjected to treatments for some other disease. This happens all the time.

Earlier this year my good friend Tony got very sick and was told that he “probably had cancer or AIDS” by his doctor… turns out it was viral pneumonia! Can you imagine?

But I digress… Back to vitamin C.

Here are some common whole-food sources of vitamin C:

Oranges, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, Papaya, Strawberries, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Kale, and Peppers.

“Superfoods” with the highest concentration of vitamin C on planet Earth are
Camu Camu Fruit, Amla (Indian Gooseberry), and Acerola Cherries. In that order.

Vitamin C supports nearly every system in your body: your adrenals, your immune system, your cardiovascular system, and more.

Perhaps the most important is that it is a neutralizer of free radicals.

There’s been tons of ground-breaking research on high-dose Vitamin C’s powerful healing and anti-cancer effects by the likes of Fred Klenner MD, Irwin Stone, Linus Pauling, and Ewan Cameron. I don’t have time to get into their stories, but I wanted to a least give credit where it’s due. Google them in your spare time.

There’s a fascinating vitamin C phenomenon that most of us don’t know about.

The sicker and/or more toxic you are, the more free radicals you have in your body, and as a result, the more vitamin C your body will absorb and use.

Your body keeps a small reserve of vitamin C available for use when there is increased internal demand, but when you are sick this is quickly depleted.

You may have also heard (or experienced) that if you take too much vitamin C by mouth you get the runs, aka “chach” which is our family’s abbreviation (and code word) derived from “Diarrhea Cha Cha Cha”.

A healthy person can take anywhere from 4-15 grams (4,000-15,000 mg) of vitamin C in 24 hours without getting the runs, but a sick person can tolerate as much as 10-20 times more. I’m talking even as much as 100-200 grams per day by mouth.

Have you ever taken vitamin C when you had a cold and it didn’t help? This is probably because you didn’t take nearly enough.

Here’s where it gets ridiculous…

If you ate something that contained “100% of the US RDA (U. S. Recommended Daily Allowance) of vitamin C” that seems pretty good right?

It’s not.

The USRDA for vitamin C is only 75 mg. That’s MILLIGRAMS. A normal healthy person can absorb and use between 4,000 and 15,000 milligrams per day. 

A single orange has about 50mg of vitamin C. 75 mg is basically what someone decided is the absolute minimum amount to keep you from getting scurvy. This is not an amount that promotes optimal health.

1 teaspoon of Camu Camu Powder has 15 times the US RDA of vitamin C!

Even though you may not have scurvy, I think it’s safe to assume that many of us may not be getting enough vitamin C in our diets, the lack of which could be a contributor to a) feeling lousy or b) serious disease.

High Dose Oral Vitamin C Therapy is taking the maximum dose your body can tolerate before you get the runs. This requires finding your threshold and then backing off a little bit for your daily dose. The clinical term is “titrating to bowel tolerance”.

As some of you know, one of the therapies I used to help my body heal from cancer was IV Vitamin C  Therapy, which is a common practice in integrative oncology. This involves sitting in a chair in a practitioner’s office for two hours with an IV drip containing 50 grams or more of vitamin C.

While this is a very effective method to get a massive dose of vitamin C without bothering your bowels, it is time-consuming and can get expensive. I was paying $120 per session, back in 2004. In order for this therapy to be the most effective, you may need to do it daily or several times per week for many weeks.

My friend Bill, who healed his prostate cancer naturally, turned me on to a simple do-it-yourself oral vitamin C protocol that was recommended to him by a cancer treatment expert whose name I cannot use publicly. 

Bill initially reached bowel tolerance taking 60 grams per day. After two months, his tolerance was down to less than 30 grams per day.

The Vitamin C Protocol & Tolerance Test 

I think this is something everyone should do. Clearly, no one wants diarrhea on purpose, but in this case, it can give you some immediate feedback about your internal condition. And it’s super cheap to do!

The simple way to find your tolerance is to take 2-3 grams of Vitamin C powder or crystals (ascorbic acid) every two hours mixed in 8 oz of water. That will give you about 12-18 grams on the first day. Make sure you write it down to keep track of how much you’ve taken.

Note: Vitamin C powder is highly concentrated. 1 teaspoon is typically 4-5 grams of vitamin C.

The goal is to find your 24-hour limit, not your single-dose limit.

The half-life of vitamin C in the body is about 30 minutes. That means about an hour after you take vitamin C, your body has used up most of it. So an important key to this protocol is to keep your body saturated with vitamin C all day. Dosing every 1-2 hours is ideal, except while you’re sleeping.

If you reach bowel tolerance in the first 24 hours
Reduce the total dose by 20-25% to avoid diarrhea and continue to take that amount every day as a maintenance dose (this may be for several days or weeks) until you reach bowel tolerance again at that level. Then reduce by 20% again and continue with that dose until you hit bowel tolerance again, and so on.

It works in the way opposite way that you would expect because you don’t build up a tolerance. The healthier you become, the lower your tolerance for vitamin C will go.

If you reach bowel tolerance at 10-15 grams or less per day, you’re considered to be in very good shape in terms of oxidative stress.

If you do not reach bowel tolerance in the first 24 hours
Continue to up the dose each day until you get there. If you are seriously sick you may need to dose every hour or 1/2 hour as indicated in the chart below.

As you get close to bowel tolerance you will get gassy and should have soft stool. That means you’re very close to your body’s limit.

Here’s a dosage chart from the late and legendary Robert Cathcart MD, who treated 9000+ patients with Vitamin C!

TABLE I – USUAL BOWEL TOLERANCE DOSES 

  
CONDITION              Grams Per 24 Hours   Doses Per 24 Hours 
normal                       4 -  15              4 -  6 
mild cold                   30 -  60              6 - 10 
severe cold                 60 - 100+             8 - 15 
influenza                  100 - 150              8 - 20 
ECHO, coxsackievirus       100 - 150              8 - 20 
mononucleosis              150 - 200+            12 - 25 
viral pneumonia            100 - 200+            12 - 25 
hay fever, asthma           15 -  50              4 -  8 
environmental and                                        
 food allergy              0.5 -  50              4 -  8 
burn, injury, surgery       25 - 150+             6 - 20 
anxiety, exercise and                                    
 other mild stresses        15 -  25              4 -  6 
cancer                      15 - 100            4 - 15 
ankylosing spondylitis      15 - 100              4 - 15 
Reiter's syndrome           15 -  60              4 - 10 
acute anterior uveitis      30 - 100              4 - 15 
rheumatoid arthritis        15 - 100              4 - 15 
bacterial infections        30 - 200+            10 - 25 
infectious hepatitis        30 - 100              6 - 15 
candidiasis                 15 - 200+             6 - 25

Something else worth noting
If you are under chronic stress or engage in athletic activities like running, weight training, etc. you are likely to have an increased need for Vitamin C and your tolerance will be higher. Even if you are healthy.

The dose determines the benefit. Dr. Cathcart observed that low-dose vitamin C had little to no effect, but high-dose vitamin C, when taken at 80-90% of bowel tolerance, produced a significant and dramatic reduction of symptoms in his patients.

This next graph is Dr. Cathcart’s demonstration of the relationship between dosage amount and symptom reduction. I had to stare at the graph for a minute to get it. Essentially, disease symptoms severely drop off when near bowel tolerance is reached, but are not affected until then.

For the flu, Dr. Cathcart noted that the clinical benefit was achieved when patients took up to 150 grams per day. Mono and pneumonia patients required up to 200 grams per day.

My Experiments
When I first tried this protocol a couple of months ago I didn’t reach bowel tolerance until I got to around 34 grams. I worked my way up to taking 12 grams three times per day. I have no idea why my tolerance was that high. I work out 3-5 days per week which would increase my tolerance but perhaps I also had something going on internally… who knows?

Earlier this morning I took 7.5 grams and it produced bowel tolerance for me a couple hours later which interrupted my work on this post. Clearly, my tolerance is down and if Dr. Cathcart is right, my internal health has improved.

Another one: My kids came home with colds from school two weeks ago. Then my wife got it. One morning I started to feel cold symptoms as well so I took 10 grams of vitamin C. I felt great all day.

Then close to bedtime I started to feel the symptoms again so I took another 10 grams. I did this every day for about a week. I would feel the symptoms in the morning, but I quickly crushed them with 10 grams of vitamin C.  Some days I would take a dose around lunchtime as well if I remembered.

I was taking 20-30 grams per day for most of the week, I felt good, I was close to bowel tolerance, and the cold never developed. Since then, I’ve done this more times than I can count.

What form to take?

Vitamin C comes in different forms: pure ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, magnesium, combinations of the above (buffered), and liposomal.

I compared three different types (two buffered and one pure ascorbic acid) to see if they had different effects, but my bowel tolerance was essentially the same for all three. 

Solaray Vitamin C Powder is 100% pure ascorbic acid, which is extremely tart and citric.

Vitamin Shoppe Buffered C-Complex tastes chalky, not citric.

Thompson C Buffered Crystals is ascorbic acid buffered with calcium ascorbate, it’s citric but not as strong as the pure crystals.

Note: I do not recommend any vitamin C product with calcium ascorbate anymore as calcium promotes cancer and cardiovascular disease. 

Dr. Cathcart recommended taking pure ascorbic acid for the high-dose oral protocol. Dr. Thomas Levy recommends sodium ascorbate. I think it makes sense to rotate between different types.

*After writing this post it was brought to my attention that most of the ascorbic acid in vitamin C powder is made in China from GMO corn, but there are several brands of non-GMO vitamin C powders on Amazon like NutriBiotic Immunity Sodium Ascorbate.

A personal favorite is Sufficient-C.

Sufficient-C is non-GMO ascorbic acid with lysine, bromelain, and green tea extract. It tastes like peach lemonade and is easy to give to kids.

What about Liposomal vitamin C?
Liposomal ascorbic acid is 1.77 times more absorbable than non-liposomal ascorbic acid, however, it is up to 40 times more expensive (approximately 1 dollar per gram) compared to sodium ascorbate, which can be bought in bulk for as low as 2.5 cents per gram. Sufficient-C is about 30 cents per gram, still 60% cheaper than liposomal C. A high-dose protocol with liposomal C could cost you $30 or more per day.

LivOn Laboratories Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C is the liposomal brand we keep on hand. The single-serving packets are nice for travel.

Recommended Reading:
Cancer and Vitamin C  by Ewan Cameron and Linus Pauling
Curing the Incurable: Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins by Thomas Levy MD

You might also enjoy my interview with Dr. Ron Hunninghake, former medical director of the Riordan Clinic in Wichita, Kansas on the anticancer power of IV vitamin C. He’s overseen over 75,000 administrations of IV vitamin C.

Links:
Dr. Cathcart’s Instructions on Dosage
vitamincfoundation.org
Riordan Clinic IV Vitamin C Protocol
Read The Healing Factor by Dr. Irwin Stone For Free Here

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This Post Has 115 Comments

  1. Mindy

    HI Chris- thanks for all the work you do. I visit your site daily. I am fighting brain cancer and was told that people in my situation are not candidates for Vitamin C therapy. Can you comment on this? Thank you!

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Mindy I haven’t heard that before and I’m not sure why someone would tell you that… Was it an oncologist?

  2. michelle

    How much vitamin c should a child be given each day? For example– my 2 and 4 year old?

    Also, is this any better or worse than a whole food complex one? I have Nature’s Way alive vitamin c – is this just a waste of money?

    I guess in high doses I’d definitely want something less pricey! I’m nervous, but excited to try this!

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Michelle I really can’t say…
      A child should only be able to tolerate a fraction of what an adult
      can take unless they are sick.
      That’s something you’ll have to try incrementally.

      Chewable gummy vitamins like Alive are the easiest to get kids to eat for sure.
      Vitamin C powder is definitely the best route for high doses because it is so much cheaper but it may be hard to get kids to drink it. If you mix it with enough honey it will taste like lemonade.

      1. barb

        Not sure if this was mentioned but, most Vit C comes from China – which is really polluted since they burn ALOT of COAL.

        I would try to find an organic type for children.

  3. Billie

    Hi Chris, like Mindy thanks for the articles you post.

    I too like you did Vitamin C IV so many sessions I lost count. Now I take and maintain 10.5 Grams daily. Plus whatever is in my food.

    Great suggestions, God Bless, Billie

  4. Diane

    Hello Chris…just found a 3 lb bottle of Now brand ascorbic acid powder on Amazon…free shipping. Do you have an opinion on this brand? I am on a major budget with a family of 5. thank you for all your energy and excellent info!!

  5. SUZIE

    HI CHRIS I HAVE CLL LEUKEMIA AND TAKE ABOUT 10 GRAMS A DAY OF VIT C DID THE LIPSOMAL FOR AWHILE ALSO AND WBC WENT WAY UP WITH CLL THE WHITES WHEN RAISED DO NOT DIE AND CAUSE THE REDS AND PLATELETS TO DECREASE. I WAS SCHEDULED FOR IV VIT C AND THEY RAN THE G6PD TO ONLY FIND OUT I AM VERY HIGH AND THUS IT WOULD CAUSE INTERNALY BLEEDING..I BLEED ENOUGH WITH THE LOW PLATLETS AND ALL SO N HJAS ME IN LPSOMAL GLUTATHOINE TO HELP FIGHT THE VIRSUS;S IN MY BODY

  6. Beth wickliffe

    Great info. I also have done IV Vit c infusions in the past . Will share this awesome, doable an affordable therapy and info with people I help and clients.

  7. Judi

    I’ve heard high doses are bad for your teeth. How do you protect them?

    1. billc

      You are correct in that it would be bad for your teeth if you don’t rinse with water. Just swish around a couple of mouthfuls. And you can swallow the water or spit it out…doesn’t matter as long as you don’t let the acid sit on your teeth.

      1. Laurie

        I like lemon in my green tea so I use a straw. That way the liquid doesn’t surround your teeth. It helps prevent staining from the green tea too. My mom is a hygienist and she approves of this method.

  8. Sandra

    Hi Chris,
    you are a great inspiration! Im currently battling inoperable Ovarian Cancer and find your site extremely informative. Im taking Liposomal Vitamin C as this is said to bi-pass the digestive system and go straight to the liver. They claim this doubles the absorption rate compared to ordinary oral Vit C. They come in sachets of thick liquid that has a taste that is easily disguised when mixed in any juice.
    Keep up the good work . Many thanks.

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Sandra, thanks!
      I knew someone would bring up liposomal vitamin c… It may have a higher absorption rate, but it is too expensive to take in high doses, which is why I didn’t mention it in this post.

      This protocol is really good to use as a benchmark test to see where your tolerance is and how much you need to take. :)

      1. Lael

        It’s not too expensive if you make your own! It’s easy to do, too. Just Google for the recipe…or even youtube.

    2. Lisa

      Sandra,

      Curious, how is the Liposomal vitamin C working? I was taking it for Ovarian Cancer also but stopped because of the soy that is in it.

      Thanks

      1. Chelsea

        Sandra,
        You can make your own Liposomal vitamin C and avoid the soy by using Sunflower Lecithin instead.

  9. Ronald

    I am very interested in this. However, I have chronic heartburn(I haven’t found out why I get it) and I’m afraid if I take this absorbic acid, it might flare up pretty bad. Are there any other brands I could take? Why is it that the Acerola Cherry isn’t good to take?

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Ronald. Wheat and dairy can be major contributors to heartburn, have you tried eliminating those from your diet yet? Also tomatoes.
      I doubt Vitamin C would aggravate it, but there’s no way to know unless you try it.
      Worst case is you waste $12 and have heartburn for a few hours one day.
      Also I did not say that Acerola is not good to take, you just can’t do a high dose protocol with it.

      1. Ronald

        Thanks Chris! I will try the vitamin C and stay away from gluten and dairy for a while. It will be tough,but I have to try! This heartburn is so irritating!

        1. Jon

          a glass of warm water with two teaspoons of baking soda twice a day made my heartburn disappear – effect was obvious after only two days.

      2. Christine

        From what I understand is a lot of heartburn cases come from not enough acid in your body, then your reserve freaks out and squirts too much acid out, this is agravated by taking anti acids, one way to know if this is the case with you is to take a spoon full of apple cider vinegar before your meal and if it reduces the heart burn then your gland that produces the acid your body needs to digest food isn,t making enough…. All our organs need proper hormones to function correctly or they malfunction, stress can cause imbalances, and sometimes we don,t realize we are stressed, but the American lifestyle is stressful…. Dong quai can help to balance hormones…. Stress causes imbalance and imbalance causes stress, so it is a mad circle unless you help your body fix it. Poor diet causes stress and stress causes hormone imbalance, we have hundreds of hormones in our body, they are needed as much as blood. If you find you are lacking acid, you can get vinegar pills (capsules work best) as you can take them with you and are much more convenient than a bottle of vinegar and a spoon. Stress and diet is the biggest problem here in America and elsewhere. Glutathione stops production when your body is stressed, and without glutathione oxidation occurs, oxidation is in your blood and is harmful, take lots of antioxidants and you can take in pill form glutathione, or make liposomal glutathione….. Remember stress comes in many forms and stress screws up hormone balance causing all kinds of unexplained problems in the human body.

      3. Jaimie

        Chris,
        I just found this note from you regarding Acerola. I must have missed the comment in your High Dose Vitamin C post that you can’t do a high dose protocol with Acerola. I thought I was making the right choice going with a natural supplement: HealthForce Truly Natural Vitamin C. Why will it not work for this application?
        Thank you

  10. Claudia

    Wow, exciting information. I have stage 4 colon cancer (going on 3 1/2 years under chemo treatment) and am excited to add this to my lifestyle change.
    Thank you

  11. Lin

    Hi Chris, i did take quite a bit of Vit C during my treatments 12 years ago but have been cautious since as I am concerned about too much acidity in the body. We know for sure that cancer LOVES an acidic environment. So the problem i feel is how to impliment this protocol and keep from being too acidic. Do you have any research / information about This ?

    Thanks
    Coach Lin

      1. Sandra Henderson

        Hi Lin, Linus Pauling took Ascorbic Acid mixed with Bicarb to take away the acidity on his stomach. The alkalinity of the different form comes from the thing it is mixed with. Sodium Ascorbate, for example, is more alkaline because it is ascorbic acid mixed with bicarb! And calcium ascorbate is more alkalizing because of the calcium in the mix. But the ascorbic acid part of any form is going to have the same effect. Have ascorbic acid with alkaline foods/suplements and you will be kind to your stomach. If you need more alkalizing due to the ascorbic acid (in whatever form), then just balance as needed.
        http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/…/vitaminC/vitCform.html

        Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University
        lpi.oregonstate.edu
        Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University

  12. arti

    My mother in-law was actually treated with natural vit. C injected every day. That gave her extra strenght and great improvement but her diet was poor ( in standards of cancer treatment) and vit. C supply failed a few times for several days, so eventually after about 4 months she stopped eating and passed away 3 weeks later.
    The supply of the vit.C came from Israel and it was very expensive and I did not know until now, that you can use cheaper alternative vitamin for high oral use. I’ll give it a try and see how tolerant I am.

  13. arti

    My mother in-low was actually treated with natural vit. C injected every day. That gave her extra strenght and great improvement but her diet was poor ( in standards of cancer treatment) and vit. C supply failed a few times for several days, so eventually after about 4 months she stopped eating and passed away 3 weeks later.
    The supply of the vit.C came from Israel and it was very expensive and I did not know until now, that you can use cheaper alternative vitamin for high oral use. I’ll give it a try and see how tolerant I am.

  14. arti

    Sorry, I forgot to mention, that my mother in- low had nasty brain cancer that she was treated for.

  15. Cathy

    Chris, so you are saying a normal person should take 4 to 15 grams a day. The bottle of Vitamin C powder only comes in 5,000 mg so you would take the whole container in one day, is that right? 1,000 MG = 1 Gram

    1. Chris Wark

      That means 5000mg or 5 gm per serving. For example the Solaray bottle has 45 5000mg servings.

  16. Gail

    Chris–how do you measure the grams? is there a measuring spoon equivalent?

    1. Chris Wark

      On the side of the bottle it will tell you how many grams are in a serving.
      It varies. For Solaray pure ascorbic acid 1 teaspoon = 5 grams.

  17. Amalia Tran

    Will try this and give you and update.

  18. Emily

    This was an interesting read and I’d like to try it though I’m not excited
    about the diarrhea! lol! I already have issues with my bowels so I guess it
    won’t really matter and can only help. I always feel very blah and have low
    energy so maybe the Vitamin C will help. I always thought I just wasn’t
    getting enough sleep but even when I do get enough sleep I still feel tired
    and kind of blah, if that makes sense. Thanks for the post. I’ll give it a
    whirl.

    1. Chris Wark

      Emily you might have low thyroid due to an iodine deficiency.
      Worth looking into. I’ve got a post about iodine in the works…

  19. Pam

    Hi Chris. Thanks for the info. I read your article this last evening. Then this am, I listened to the Healing Cancer Summit Q&A of Dr. Nicholas Gonzales. Interestingly, he said that IV Vitamin C (and presumably all Vitamin C therapy) has never been proven to affect cancer at all. Did you happen to listen to the Q&A? What are your thoughts?

    there is so much conflicting information out there about what to do. How is a person to know? In addition to the vitamin C, there are many who say that cancer does not like oxygen yet others tell you to be careful about increasing the oxygen in the blood supply because that will increase the tumor.

  20. Joe

    Hi chris, thanks. Atm im taking about 6 grams a day so i think i ll try upping it! When i was reserching i found that much of the vitamin c comes from gm sources – does this bother you? I got one certified gm free, but it came from china so i dont know. I want to make the switch to a natural version, like camu camu, but i really don’t know if its worth it.

    What do you think?

    Thanks, and great site! Joe

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Joe
      I’ve never heard that. Please share the source of this information. Thanks!
      Natural whole food sources of vitamin c are ideal, but not for a high dose protocol.
      Too expensive.

  21. Andreas

    Hi Chris,

    great post. I will try the protocol starting tomorrow. I also had great experiences with Vitamin C IV therapy. It among other things and supplements cured me from a non-hodgkin lymphoma. I can highly recommend it.

    Thanks for making such things public. Keep up the great work.

    Best regards from Germany
    Andreas

  22. Patrick

    Homemade Liposomal Vitamin C

  23. Francia Clavecillas

    Great informtation! In places where the vitamin c powder is not available, can I use the ascorbic acid tablet? If yes, how many milligrams per day would you recommend? I have cancer of the endometrium and have survived since 2009 till now through natural healing. I am really interested in your Vitamin C information.

    I’ll share your information to as many people as I can possibly reach.

    Francia

    1. Chris Wark

      I imagine you could, following the same dosing instructions, work your way up to bowel tolerance.

  24. Lewis D.

    Yet another excellent and comprehensive post Chris!

    The article below is entitled “Is Your Vitamin C on GMO’s?” Apparently most vitamin C is derived from GMO corn. Source Natural and Ester C make non-GMO vitamin C. See the article below:
    http://momsforsafefood.net/2010/11/01/is-your-vitamin-c-on-gmos/

    Do you think GMO derived vitamin C might be less healthy than that from non-GMO sources? I am concerned about that possibility.

    1. Jill

      Thanks, Lewis. I will for sure be avoiding GMO vitamin C. And, of course, thanks Chris! Great post.

  25. joshua

    Hi Chris,
    I am excited to have discovered you and your message of allternative treatment. Recently I have been researching help for my mother who has glioblastoma (brain cancer). I am very conerned that she won’t survive it. She has done radiation and is about to take a stronger chemo pill. surgery removed alot of it. Her diet is not good. Any guidance you or anyone could give would be tremendously appreciated!I feel i don’t know what to do.
    THANKS
    Joshua

  26. Carolyn

    Is it ok to put the Vitamin C in hot tea? I’ve read through this whole thing and don’t remember reading about it and scanned it again but can’t find any where it was mentioned. Do you have to put the Vit C in cold liquid or can it be put in hot tea? Will it have the same effect? Thanks so much for this article!

    1. Chris Wark

      I imagine you could, I’ve never tried it…

    2. Chris Wark

      I’ve never done it, but it should be fine

  27. Tricia

    This is brilliant, years ago my brother had intravenous vit c for allergies and he told me about taking vit c until you need to get the runs but this post explains why it works so well and gives a clear process in which to do it yourself. I know so many peoe who will benefit from this. Thank you!

  28. Peggy

    I don’t have cancer, but follow Dr. Robert Morse’s raw vegan diet, and I eat as many as 12 oranges a day (or something else that is high in Vitamin C). What is wrong with just eating LOTS of citrus? That way, if you are concerned about GMO, you can buy organic. Or is that not enough if you have cancer?

  29. Sue

    Hi Chris
    Love your site. It was the article in a UK newspaper which pointed me up to the benefits of Vit C – 78 Grandfather cures himself with high dose Vit C, together with other stuff.You subsequently referred to it.
    I have incurable cervical cancer and have had 3 weeks intensive IV Vit C and also take the liposomal. The benefit of the liposomal is that you do not go to bowel tolerance level, it bypasses the bowel and and acts on a cellular level.
    I have been advised that together with alpha lipoic acid and vitamin K a cytotoxic effect is created within the cancer cell. Vit C is structurally similar to sugar and attracts cancer cells. It is important to not eat around the time of taking Vit C for this reason. Steve Hickey and Hillary Roberts have written some very good books on the subject. I was at one point making my own liposomal Vit C but discovered that it wasn’t forming properly ( the lecithin was not encapsulating the Vit C) so I have moved over to a well known brand. A Hawaiian Doctor on YouTube shows you how to do this.

    Vit C offers natural hope for many

    Sue

  30. Rett

    Hi chris I have just read your article. I’m searching for information on this high dose vitamin c intake as my best friend is battling cancer and as been told she terminal. I know and beleive she can fight this. She is open to this vitamin c option can you HELP ME PLEASE any info on where to start what brand to start off with even the rite dosage to start off with I am desperate to help her any way I can.

    1. Chris Wark

      Everything you need to know including additional books to read are in this post.

  31. Patrick

    You can get a 1LB container of Now brand pure ascorbic acid for $16.20 on Amazon, Free shipping if you are a prime member.

  32. priyanka

    Hi chris, i have pcod, so is it ok to take high dose of vitamin C ? can i take as a form of tablets? i buy today and there is a information

    brand- NOW C-1000 with rose hips & bioflavonoids tablets. other ingredients- cellulose,magnesium stearate(vegetable source) and vegetable coating.

    And the other bottle says….

    brand- NOW C-1000 with 100 mg of bioflavonoids capsules. other ingredients- gelatin(capsule),stearic acid(vegetable source) and magnesium stearate(vegetable source). please reply i am really confuse.

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Priyanka, I can’t answer the question “Is it ok?”
      That is something you must research and decide for yourself.

      I would only take vitamin c powder in the forms mentioned in the post.

  33. Karen

    Chris, I know there is an IV center in LA. But I have done searches and can not seem to find it. A friend was just diagnosed with cancer.

    1. Chris Wark

      Check out Oasis of Hope

  34. Jodie

    I have been treating a severe cold with semi-high doses of vit C, but I am pregnant and have been cautioned that it can cause premature birth. I am not quick to believe this, but still am trying to be careful. Do you know anything about precautions during pregnancy?

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Jodie, I don’t know about high dose Vitamin C and pregnancy, but I would be cautious.

  35. Trisha

    Chris
    I was just wondering what the best way to take vitamin C orally daily would be?
    For example: I need to consume 35g daily, do I have to take smaller doses all day (every hour) or can I take larger doses 4-5 times a day? I’ve noticed I can take 10g at one time so far with no bowel issues, but I’m worried this is an ineffective way?!

    Thanks in advance

    1. Chris Wark

      It’s not an ineffective way. The half life of Vitamin C is about 30 minutes in the body. So theoretically you would get the most benefit from dosing every hour or so because it keeps your blood levels saturated throughout the day. This is tedious to keep up with but “might” be the most effective method.
      Having said that, many Vitamin C experts like Dr. Cathcart recommend taking 4-5 doses per day (probably because it’s easier).
      So for a 35 gm per day target that would be 8-9 grams every 4 hours. My opinion is that either way is fine. Just get it in there! :)

  36. Trisha

    Thank you for your quick response
    Blessings to you and your family

  37. Ik

    Chris my question is that vitamin c is acidic and if one can take high dose of vitaminC then his body ph level go down and acidic body is paradise for cancer cells.it is same like i can’t understand carrot juice because it contains sugar and sugar is cancer cell food if we cut down sugar in diet but if start taking carrot juice then it means we r feeding cancerous cells.how these two things work?

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi lk, there is some flawed thinking about pH. Namely that all acid is bad, which is not true. Vitamin C is ascorbic acid and it is an incredible supporter of bodily function and a powerful anti-cancer protocol. Also Amino acids are the building blocks of every cell.

      As for glucose, all cells feed on glucose, not just cancer cells. The majority of food you eat is converted to glucose, unless you are in ketosis from fasting or on a ketogenic diet. I drank lots of carrot juice because it has lots of anti-cancer nutrients like Vitamin A, beta carotene, enzymes, minerals, etc. I didn’t worry about the sugar in carrots or beets, but if you are, don’t drink carrot or beet juice.

      1. Christine

        I thought citrus made your body alkaline and alkaline foods like bread and milk turn your body acidic?

  38. Ik

    Thank you Chris for your prompt response.Great help.Chris I have put my brother on vegetable and juice diet he has Lung cancer stage 4 and has bad cough too.after putting on veg diet he got constipation and by giving Movical for couple of days,he has started vomiting and bloating his appetite was good before and suddenly got problems he couldn’t eat from last 4 days and doctor was suggesting chemo,his scan is due next week,I was thinking that in three weeks may b we feel improvement in cancer markers so we can avoid chemo but he has stopped eating and started vomiting plus he can’t go for exercise because of cough it gets worst do u have any solution or advice?

  39. chris

    I tried to use the Soloray Vit C powder. I was taking the recommended dose and within 3-4 days I was getting sores in my mouth from the acidity. Is there one I could take that wouldn’t have that affect on me? Thanks

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Chris I’ve taken massive amounts for long periods of time and never had that reaction.
      There are different formulations, like sodium or calcium ascorbate that might not affect you…

  40. jermaine

    hey chris what do is your opinion about taking supplements containing magnesium sterate in them? alot of articles ive read says avoid them. whats your view on it?

  41. Stephanie

    I only have half a thyroid and take synthroid, I’ve also had some abnormal cells show up such as color polyps twice. What is a good dosage for vitamin c just to stay healthy?

    1. Christine

      You need iodine, I take tri-iodine which contains three types so your body is sure to absorb at least one form. I also have polyps in my lungs, hoping the vit c helps that, stay away from cigarettes and I have a chiropractor that has offered to give me a scrip for oxygen so I can hook up to it while i run or walk on my treadmill, gonna take him up on it. Juice a few times a day with a good diet too so your body can help itself. Make sure you are getting good cardio so your lungs are getting a good work-up too. I stay away from thyroid med cause it tells your thyroid you don’t need to make the hormone and can shut your thyroid down further…. Also if your adrenals aren,t functioning properly none of your body is getting enough pregnalone orDHEA to make it,s hormones, including your thyroid. Excercise, less stress and dong quai(awesome for balancing your hormones) will help a lot. Don,t ever take steroids, will make your condition worse, steroids are harmful to the body.

  42. Tam St. Armand

    Hi Chris, I’m a bit confused. How much vitamin C should a relatively healthy person be consuming a day and is it okay to take in a ‘pill’ form and what about a pill form with a ‘time release?’

    I look forward to your reply response.

    Best wishes,

    Tam

  43. Brenda Newberry

    How do you manage the multitude of supplants to ensure you are not overdoing it. For instance. I am using the Bill Henderson protocol and on the 7th week. Maintenance mode next week but still many supplements

    1. Chris Wark

      Hi Brenda I’ve never really felt like I was overdoing it on supplements, but it’s a good idea to rotate between things and take one day off per week of supplements to give your body a rest

  44. Karen

    Hi Chris, I took 4 grams of vit c for 24 hrs reached bowel tolerance. Than reduced it to 3 grams every 2 hours reached bowel tolerance, so I thought I would try 2 grams every 3 hrs, did not reach bowel tolerance so I am taking it every 2 hours and still have not reached bowel tolerance should I increase the amount or just stay on the 2 grams every 2 hours?

    1. Chris Wark

      Sounds like you are right where you need to be at 2grams every two hours. :)

      1. Karen

        Thank you for your quick response, so I just add this to my daily intake of vitamins, just seems like I will be carrying vitamin c with me all the time and 8 oz of water lol

  45. Nick

    I have the solaray vitamin c powder that is from calcium ascorbate. I have been taking 5,000mg a day. Is this a safe and effective dose? Should I switch to ascorbic acid instead with that high of a dose?

  46. Barbara

    Chris,

    Several credible websites have called ascorbic acid “junk” and recommend a pure powdered form of vitamin C. But is powdered ascorbic acid also considered “junk”, not just the pill form?

    My question is, should we be concerned if a powdered vitamin C is called ascorbic acid?

    I have acerola berry powdered vitamin C, but 1.5 teaspoons contain only 320mg.

    Thanks for an incredible website.
    -Barbra

  47. sahil

    Is there any way to take it in oral form instead of IV – my mother has stage 4 endometrial cancer metastasized to lungs and is tired of iv. She finished chemo and is now starting a full blown naturopathic treatment. What amount of tablets do you recommend.

  48. Jan

    I didn’t reach bowel tolerance until a little over 90gm per day (apx. 10+ gm every two hours). Doesn’t surprise me a lot. Before I got breast cancer, I rarely ate fruits or vegetables, except what came in those highly processed Lean Cuisine frozen meals. I subsisted largely off of grains (cereals) and too many sweets. I wish I had known better. Getting cancer was a true wake-up call. Chris, I am SO thankful for this site. I have RADICALLY changed EVERYTHING about the way I eat, and I truly have hope that the cancer will eventually clear out of my body. Thank you again!!!

  49. Christine

    I have been sick for 7 years after having my uterus removed, was told could be the anesthesia, spent lots of money on doctors, after a lot of stress my adrenals started failing, went into cortisol crisis 10 months ago almost died, had massive chest pain, digestion shut down went into convulsions, ambulance rides, emergency room visits, digestive disease center, heart doctors etc…. No one could figure it out., And i couldn,t function, was depressed, had no energy and very emotional. My insides hurt badly, and all my muscles were tense ans sore. Started my own research and found a naturopath and a chiropractor that did vit c I.V. And glutathione I.V.s, they made me feel better immediately, had to do it every week…. My muscles are being renewed by taking liquid aminos by twin lab, taking powdered vegetable protein and watched Fat, Sick and Nearly dead and started juicing 3 times a day while still eating, juicing increased my energy and am getting my mind back. Hope this helps someone…. Also don’t smoke, it depletes vit c rapidly. Also dong quai takes away muscle tension almost immediately and keeps me out of the chiropractors office. I started making liposomal vit c and liposomal glutathione at home (can find directions online) and am not having to do the Expensive I.V.s any more :0)

  50. Nancy Russell

    I DIDN’T READ THE COMMENTS BUT TO FIND ASCORBIC ACID HERE IN AMERICA. BUY SOME FROM THE VITAMIN C FOUNDATION. NO GMO, NO CHINA, ORGANIC ETC.

  51. Harry SMITH

    Hello,

    I noticed you not recommending liposomal vitamin c for the cost concerns at mega dose levels. However if one could afford this is there a particular product which is best? I’ve come across these 2 and can’t tell which is superior:

    http://goldentigerlipids.com/liposomal-vitamin-c.html

    http://www.livonlabs.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/001896.2.740875833321061566/liposome-encapsulated/lypo-spheric-vitamin-c.html

    I would be immensely grateful if you could offer your advice on which is better?

    Thank you

    1. Chris Wark

      I really have no idea which is better. Did you know you can make your own liposomal at home? google it. :)

    2. Helena

      Dr Levy recommends the LivOn brand.

  52. Bobbijo

    Chris, I hope you can help. Can I use this at home in conjunction with IV c? I get 50g At the dr 2x a week. She will not go higher but I would like to do more at home. However I seem to reach bowel tolerance in one dose! So maybe I don’t end it at home?

    1. Chris Wark

      You should be able to do it on the inbetween days.

      1. Andrew Vajda

        According to Steve Hickey PhD, professor at Manchester U., C has a 1/2 life of 30 minutes. So every 30 minutes your body has used up 1/2 of what it had left. As described in Dr Cathcart’s titration page, you want to divide the oral doses throughout the day as much as possible. You could consider dividing that bowel tolerance dose into several doses.

  53. tom

    I understand Nutribiotic is a Non-GMO vitamin C powder. It may be a better value than Quali-C

  54. Sarah

    Hi, you can buy vitamin c in various forms and volumes from http://www.detoxpeople.eu, I get mine from them and they are always very helpful and advice me when needed

  55. Daniels

    Hi Chris
    I have just found a different type of C called liposomal. It is more effective than even injected C. I intend to buy a jewelry cleaner so I can make it myself. I urge you to google it and write about it on your site.

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    The High Dose Oral Vitamin C Protocol for Cancer (and Nearly Every Other Ailment) » sac besace cuir homme longchamps

  57. Reg

    In February 2011 I was diagnosed with Liver and right Adrenal gland Cancer, at first they said that it was inoperable but then decided that it would be OK.

    In lost half of my Liver and the whole Adrenal gland and was told I was fine and the op was successful, then by the following February I was feeling sick again and asked for a scan to check if all was OK.The Liver was back the size of an Orange and also in my left Adrenal gland plus 5 positions in the bone.

    I was put on Chemo and was told that there is known cure for liver cancer but would make my time left OK, I got very sick on Chemo and was taken off it but a few weeks prior I started on 45grams of IV Vitamin C and thus was around August 2012 and I was told that I would be lucky to last till Christmas.

    Around September/October my AFP dropped from thousands to 5 and then 3 and from then to the present day 14/01/2014 hasn’t changed. The tumors shrank and were diagnosed as small cysts and the bones areas had dissapeared so I can’t say enough about Vitamin C as a cure.

  58. Andrew Vajda

    Hi Chris,

    Congratulations on your success fighting cancer and thanks for your help on getting the word out on high dose vitamin C.

    I was fortunate enough to meet dr Cathcart and interview him for a documentary I’ve been working on for years that will be called Primal Flaw.

    I also just opened an online store selling the UK made non GMO pure ascorbic powder nd I put it up for the lowest markup out there.

    We also have Dr Cathcarts titration page up on our research page on our website, http://www.gmofreevitamins.com. Dr cathcart’s old site has since been reacquired by a German company.

    You could also look into Abram Hoffer’s cancer treatment protocol with Niacin. He was a good friend of Dr Cathcart’s and had incredible results with Niacin. He was also chief editor of the Orthomolecular journal of medicine.

    The Breuss cancer cure is a good book available on Amazon that is basically a juicing diet that many people claim to have had success with.

    I also highly recommend this site http://www.doctoryourself.com by Andrew Saul, the new chief editor of the OM journal.

    Take care and keep up the good fight!

  59. Johanna

    :) Your journey is very inspiring to me and gives me hope that is hard to come by…

    After researching alternative treatments, I came across liposomal encapsulated vitamin c to make at home (where i live, IV wasn’t an option my doctor was willing to give me).

    The only problem I am having is the buffered vs. non buffered ascorbic acid. If a company claims it to be “naturally buffered” (sourced from dried fruit like cherries and orange peels, which means it comes with all the minerals the fruit had), I figure that the extra minerals might not be problematic, as they are within their natural state. So that is not my problem.

    I am just concerned as to how it would mix with the lecithin, if it would or not. I am reading online that people are having issues keeping the mixture made with buffered ascorbic acid from separating…I was wondering if you had any problems in that regard?

    Thank you! I’ll appreciate any advice you might have!

  60. Helena María Rodriguez Garcia

    Hello Chris! I just found your website. I am very happy that you beat cancer. I have been trying to help increase people’s awareness regarding real alternatives to heal cancer and so every time I find someone like you I feel like dancing!
    I learned from Dr Hal Huggins that Ascorbic acid in high amounts with no food can damage your stomach and so he recommends that if one is to take high amounts of vitamin C on an empty stomach to take the Sodium ascorbate form. This last one is the one I use for my flush/detox. I do this because of the mercury I recently removed from my teeth.

  61. lilly

    Hi Chris, any chance you know whether high dose intravenous Vitamin C interferes with taking high dose pancreatic enzymes? Thanks Lilly

  62. Aaron

    Hi Chris,

    How is your friend Bill doing?

    I was concerned about people using homemade lipsomal supplements for prostate cancer, as the lectins contain high amounts of choline, which is bad for prostate cancer.

    However, studies have shown that when encapsulating curcumin etc with liposomes, you do not see a negataive effect from the lectins, possibly as it works in an almost trojan horse type manner. The prostate cancer cells ‘welcome; the choline and then our met with the anti-cancer partner.

    Sop this seems true for professional grade liposomal products, however I am yet to see any firm evidence that the homemade liposomals work? And if they do not, you may well be just feeding the choline to the prostate cancer.

    If your friend Bill, or your good self have any thoughts on this, they would be welcome.

  63. Richard

    Sodium Ascorbate is the proper choice for most purposes, especially high dose usage. It’s neutral ph is safe and healthy. You can even rinse you mouth or brush your teeth with it, without damaging your teeth. (Ascorbic Acid will damage them over time.)

    When you take Ascorbic Acid your body eventually converts it to Sodium Ascorbate. Better to start with the right stuff.

    Most of the other animals produce their own Vitamin C. In the form of Sodium Ascorbate.

    You can pour Sodium Ascorbate onto an open wound without stinging or burning. Don’t try that with Ascorbic Acid.

    Ascorbic Acid is the wrong stuff for most purposes.

  64. Bernie

    I tried the vitamin C crystals for the first time 1/4 teaspon equivalent to 1000mg and after awhile my nose started running and my sinuses were congested, never had that before. Was I detoxing?

  65. Dr. Carolyn Jaffe

    Thank you for this lively discussion group. Read past posts with one contributor challenged by heartburn. I suggest 1/2 to 1 tsp. of vinegar; heartburn should disappear in 5 mins.. Vinegar is alkaline and helps restore pH back into balance. I am an acupuncturist and a naturopath who suggests lipsomal Vit C and liposmal glutathione to my patients – – I see noticeable improvement in most cases. Thanks again. Dr. Carolyn Jaffe – Founder JMT Technique.

  66. mike

    Hey Chris they sent my Dad home to die this last week with cancer so I started him on the liposomal vitamin C but I can only get about 9 grams in him any more he reaches his bowl tolerance, so what can I do to get more into him? we are seeing good things come from this I just wish I could get more into him.

  67. James Peters

    You can read Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C and The Cancer Breakthrough by Dr Steve Hickey PhD and Dr Hilary Roberts PhD and Cancer and Vitamin C: A Discussion of the Nature, Causes, Prevention and Treatment of Cancer with Special Reference to the Value of Vitamin C by Dr Ewan Cameron M.B., Ch.B, FRCS and Dr Linus Pauling PhD (twice Nobel prize winner)

  68. sTEPhannie

    Does anyone know if this therepy is safe to do while breastfeeding?

  69. pespinoza

    Hey Chris, love your blog. Thank you for all the info. Do you know if Vit-C may contribute to Ascites? Can you comment on this ? My wife has Ovarian cancer, Ascites is a common symptom but she had a sudden set back and grew within a week. That said only .5 ltrs. Just wondering if it may be VitC related, and what questions I need to ask our Dr.

  70. Christin Hards

    Wow! I’ve been reading your site for 3 years, and only in this article did I see that you did Vit C therapy to treat your cancer. I thought it was all only food. Not that I blame you. I often wondered how you knew and had total faith in what you were doing all on your own.

    Anyway, my question really is – am I missing something? A place to higher quantities of vitamins? It seems you can easily spend $300/mo and are still not getting adequate intake of vitamins. And if you are a family of 5 . . . how on earth does a person afford it? Any suggestions?

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