General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Rickety Woo [View all]Bernardo de La Paz
(48,955 posts)Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C is soluble in water, but as an acid (ascorbic acid), it can react with iron pots (less so with stainless steel, perhaps, but maybe even then) or aluminum pots (not from the 1600s, but might have been used by 20th century researchers).
The Iriquois may not have been actually boiling the bark. They may have been heating it to less than 70 degrees.
Further, the clay pot issue is important in the heating of Vitamin C because metals like tin compete with ascorbic acid in the major pathway of oxidation of the Vitamin C. It is the oxidative effects of air (accelerated by heat) that degrade Vit. C.
Finally, even if a high percentage of Vitamin C were destroyed by the preparation with heat, there would be still a lot left to treat the illness. When you are comparing to the zero Vitamin C in the missionaries diet, then "something", anything, is a huge increase.