Natural Remedies & Cures for Scurvy

Natural cures for scurvy

Scurvy is generally characterised by darkened gums and loose teeth. It is due to vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) deficiency and often scurvy patients complain of a sluggish healing process with even the most minor cuts or bruises taking weeks to heal. Scurvy is treated by saturating the body rapidly with daily doses of ascorbic acid. Depending on the progression of the disease, patients are prescribed anywhere between 800 mg to 100 mg of supplemental vitamin C. Pregnant and lactating women and diabetics are generally prescribed smaller doses.  Patients are generally prescribed multivitamin tablets to treat probable coexisting nutritional deficiencies.

Most doctors recommend natural sources of ascorbic acid like oranges and lemons. Vitamin C is easily destroyed by cooking, and so raw fruits and vegetables are preferred. One of the most common and effective methods used to treat scurvy uses the Indian Gooseberry. The Indian Gooseberry is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C and is eaten at least thrice a day for a week. Generally this treatment can cure a patient in as little as two weeks. Smaller children might refuse this treatment as the fruit tends to be a little distasteful. Potatoes, raw mangoes and citrus fruits can be used instead.

answered by G M

Scurvy natural treatment

It is not clear exactly what you mean — are you asking what the traditional treatment for scurvy was? Among the earliest treatments of scurvy, dating back to the discovery of the disease by western explorers, were a tea of the arbor vitae tree and citrus fruit. Local cures for the disease have also existed for hundreds of years, and they are similar, basically involving an increase in the intake of vitamin C.

As you may know, the fundamental cause of scurvy is a severe deficiency of vitamin C. It was therefore once a common ship disease — sailors often suffered from scurvy as the best sources of vitamin C are fruits, and there was typically no steady source of fruit at sea.

The traditional cure for scurvy has therefore been simply to remedy the deficiency. Today there are of course vitamin supplements available, but you can also simply increase your intake of citrus fruits. The advantage with a vitamin tablet is that you can measure your intake quite precisely. The recommended dosage is 200 mg a day, broken up into smaller doses taken throughout the day. In case of mild scurvy, the symptoms will disappear within a week, and for more severe cases, it may take two or three weeks.

answered by G R