You’re right about Vitamin C being fairly safe, even in large doses. The most likely consequence of taking a large dose of Vitamin is C is incurring a bout of “the runs”. If you are someone with subnormal kidney function, large vitamin C doses can increase your chances of developing a particular type of kidney stone. Chewing on vitamin C tabs chronically can damage your teeth because vitamin C (a.k.a. ascorbic acid) decreases saliva pH, causing leaching of calcium from teeth. People that chronically reflux stomach acid through the esophagus into the mouth show similar dental deterioration for the same reason.



There really isn’t any concrete evidence suggesting high-dose vit C is helpful in treating HIV. However, vitamin C is an antioxidant and many of the drugs used to treat HIV produce oxidant-mediated damage to body cells and tissues. This means vitamin C might be helpful in reducing the toxic effects of anti-HIV meds. This anti-oxidant effect is the only biochemical effect, as far as I know, that could possibly be of use in countering the effects of snake venom, and even this assumes that a major mechanism of venom toxin action is induction of oxidative damage. As a random example, if presynaptic neurotoxins damage nerves by causing increased intra-neuronal oxidation, huge vitamin C doses could theoretically decrease further damage. It would not be able to undo damage already done, though, so a snake-bitten terrier lying on the ground, eyes crossed, tongue lolling and hind limb twitching, would likely not be able to sit up and beg for a cookie after receiving only vitamin C.



I’ll second the statement that the only proven, significantly helpful treatment for venomous snakebite is antivenom.



Cheers,

WK

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