How vitamin C was discovered

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. It is mostly found in leafy vegetables and fresh fruits. The process of its discovery is also the process of the development of scurvy.

From the 13th century to the early 20th century, it was discovered that seafarers were susceptible to scurvy and died, but if fruits and vegetables were added to the diet, the disease would gradually improve, but at first it was not known why. Later, many scientists studied until 1912, when the Polish-American scientist Casimir Funk synthesized the results of previous experiments and published a theory of vitamins. He identified four substances in natural food as a cure for night blindness, beriberi, scurvy, and rickets.

These substances are called "vitamine" by Funk, because the Latin word vita means life. Funk thought that these substances all contained nitrogen or amine groups, so he added the amine amine at the end. Later, it was found that some substances did not contain nitrogen, so they were renamed vitamin, Chinese called vitamins or vitamins, and the four substances were called vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and vitamin D.

In Chinese, they are called vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin D. Later, it was discovered that it was listed in alphabetical order all the way to vitamin K. There are many different ingredients found in vitamin B, and there are names such as vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12.

In 1747, Linde, a Scottish physician, discovered that lemons could cure scurvy, later known as vitamin C

There is no record of scurvy in the crews of ancient Chinese ocean-going fleets. According to the relevant historical materials of Zheng He's voyage to the West in the Ming Dynasty, the recipes of the Chinese fleet at that time included the drink green tea, soybean sprouts made from soybeans, and "kimchi" made with fresh vegetables.

Now we know that scurvy is caused by the lack of vitamin C in the human body, and the foods rich in vitamin C are mainly fruits, vegetables, etc.

It should be the first invention of us Chinese.

In the past, when the ancients went to sea, they all died of scurvy due to lack of fruits, and later found that eating fruits could prevent this disease because there was VC in it. The Chinese should have been the first to discover VC, and it is likely that Zheng and them were the first to discover VC.

No one will be unfamiliar with vitamins, and every meal will be full of different vitamins and matching ratios every day! But 100 years ago, no one knew what vitamins were, so why did they suddenly become an indispensable element of human health? Let's go to the secret of the origin of vitamins together!