How to Take Emergen C

Most of the Emergen-C drink mix powders, produced by Alacer Corp., provide 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C per dose. Professional opinions on appropriate vitamin C dosage vary; the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends consulting a physician before taking more than 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C per day, while Medline Plus, a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, cites 2,000 milligrams as the upper limit of an appropriate daily intake for adults over the age of 18.

Oranges aren't the only way to drink your vitamin C. (Image: Dejan_Dundjerski/iStock/Getty Images)

Step 1

Tear open a packet of Emergen-C and dump the contents into a small glass.

Step 2

Add four to six ounces of cool water to the glass. Stir briskly with a spoon.

Step 3

Drink the Emergen-C immediately. The product directions recommend repeating this dose for a total of two to four doses, or 2,000 to 4,000 milligrams of vitamin C, per day. Note that this exceeds the daily intake of vitamin C recommended by both the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medline Plus, so you may wish to consult with a physician before taking more than one or two doses per day.

Things You'll Need

• Emergen-C packet

• Small glass

• Spoon

• 4 to 6 ounces of cool water

Tip

If you're taking one of the specialty Emergen-C products, the total number of doses recommended per day may vary from the two to four listed above. For the multi-vitamin mix, for example, you only take one packet per day.