Hi Everyone,

First post so hello first of all

I was recently told by a homeopathic doctor that I should be taking strong high-quality probiotics (to counter the effects of a lot of antibiotics) and 1000mg of buffered vitamin C every day.

I would be interested in the experiences and opinions of anyone who takes these supplements; which brands are the best quality and have a good reputation? Is it better to take probiotics in powder form or capsule form and vitamin C in liquid or capsule form?

Also which are the best sites or shops, although I suspect ordering online will be cheaper, to buy from? I'm based in the UK if that makes a difference.


Thanks for any help.

Regards

Michelle

Hello Michelle,

Welcome to the forums. Did you find this place from the link I posted on the Vitamin D3 post on MSE?

Okay I used to take 1000mg Vit C with citrus bioflavonoids from here:
I was introduced to them via Nigel Kinbrum's blog here:

I now use these ones though and buy loads from iHerb.com

Hi jw8725,

Yes I found it from your link so thanks!! I had asked this question on MSE on the health board there but got no replies at all so I'm sure this will be a better place to ask.

Thanks for the links; the bluebonnet one you take isn't a buffered one but it seems they do a buffered one with calcium ascorbate as opposed to ascorbic acid for the same price so that might be worth a try.

As far as I've read buffered varieties will simply be non-acidic forms such as calcium carbonate - have I got this right? I've also see Ester C and I know tha is a variety of buffered Vitamin C but I'm not sure what the difference is. I had also read that sodium ascorbate is the form used in most high dosage trials but conversely I've also read that it's best to avoid this one so it can get quite confusing.

I also read a few articles, such as this one, that say I should actually be taking quite a bit more than the 1000mg yet at the same time others that say there's no point taking high dosages as the system doesn't use them. I've also seen that it's better to take smaller doses throughout the day than one large dose but as I'm no expert I'm unsure what to believe really.

I'm interested to find out more about all of this so I can get the best type for me and I'd like to know whether powder or liquid forms have been proven to assimilate into the system better than caplet or tablet forms.

Thanks for the help.

Regards

Michelle

For probiotics, my most favorite is from Dr. Ohirra. That's the name brand. You can also find it a www.iherb.com.

Here is a link to describe the product by Dr. Orirra himself. It is too expensive here though.

https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/index.html

I like it; because the ingredients are naturally fermented for a very long time (3 years, I think) to produce the bacteria.

For something even more natural, eat fermented foods each day; such as sauerkraut, yoghurt, kefir, miso.

Amla berry is 12 times more potent than ascorbic acid and therefore requires less. Do a search for that at iHerb as well.

__________________
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- Jim
"Even if you are in a minority of one, the truth is still the truth". - Ghandi

LOL I just ordered a 60 pack of ohiras probiotics from iherb. It was 32 bucks. I bought a 30 pack a few weeks ago from whole foods for 30 bucks. Buying on the net is much cheaper

Also, there is a supplement from indian food stores called chywanaprash which is basically amla fruit jelly mixed with herbs

Hi jfh,

Thanks for your reply. I've come back to this as I've been using the Viridian probiotics I got from my local health food store in the meantime but now they are coming to an end I'm hoping to find something better that's a bit easier to use (it's a powder and taking it 3 times a day half an hour before I eat is a real hassle.)

I would really like to try Dr Ohira's probiotics and would get it from iHerb at $32 but I'm in the UK and that is just over the �18 limit for avoiding customs charges which would mean I'd end up with a horrible Royal Mail charge to boot I've tried to find them cheaper elsewhere or on UK sites but I've drawn a blank - if anyone knows of somewhere cheaper I'd be really grateful to hear of it. Otherwise are there any comperable brands I could try? Thanks again for any help.

Regards

Michelle

Try the Vitamin Shoppe brand called Ultimate '10' Probiotic. It's an excellent alternative which helped save my life several years ago when I was literally at death's door with severe ulcerative colitis. You can pruchase 100 enteric coated capsules for $19.99 U.S. However, note that on the label of the actual bottle it states that the product, "Contains soy and milk". Thus if you have an allergy to either, you should avoid this one. Read the Reviews: https://www.vitaminshoppe.com/ultimat...robiotic.shtml

For Buffered Vitamin C, you may want to try one of these. The one from Swanson contains Bioflavonoids as well. The one from Vitacost does not. Both of the suppliers and both products are excellent and their prices are difficult to beat:

https://www.swansonvitamins.com/SW944/ItemDetail?n=

https://www.vitacost.com/Natures-Way-Buffered-C-500