Known in the over-the-counter food supplement trade as vitamin C, ascorbic acid, a water-soluble organic compound, is the most studied and debated of all the vitamins. Commonly found in nature in peppers, citrus fruits, tomatoes, melons, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables, vitamin C assists the body in the production of collagen, but is widely believed to be a strong antioxidant, a fighter of cancer, and a key player in detoxifying the body of foreign substances. In its natural state, ascorbic acid appears as a white or yellow crystal or powder. The chemical name, ascorbic acid, actually refers to the levorotary isomer, L-ascorbic acid.
