Is Synthetic Vitamin C as Good as the Natural Vitamin? A claim put forth by some purveyors of health foods is that vitamins obtained from natural sources are more healthful than those obtained by chemical synthesis. For example, pure L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) extracted from rose hips is beer than pure L-ascorbic acid manufactured in a chemical plant. Are the vitamins from the two sources different? Can the body distInguish a vitamin’s source?