Sublingual B12: The Most Effective and Painless Way to Get Your Vitamin B12

If you saw the movie On Golden Pond, starring Catherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda, you may remember that gripping scene in which Henry Fonda’s character starts to have chest pains. He and his wife both fear at that moment that he is about to die. She quickly grabs his nitroglycerin tablets and shoves them under his tongue. After a moment he opens his eyes and starts to talk. Shortly after that he is back to normal and the movie goes on to end happily.

The nitroglycerin was effective so quickly because it was administered sublingually. The word sublingual is Latin for “under the tongue”. Many medications and supplements are taken sublingually because they are quickly absorbed through the membranes lining in the mouth and on into the blood stream. Vitamin B12 is one such supplement which can be taken this way.

Vitamin B12 supplements have often been difficult for our bodies to properly absorb. By taking this vitamin sublingually it is a very effective way for many people to get their recommended daily dose. A vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to very serious health problems. Likewise, vitamin B12 benefits the body in significant ways. Knowing this, Dr. Alfred Libby was determined to find a way to get this powerful vitamin absorbed into our bloodstreams by using the sublingual method. This was back in the late 1970s.

Initially his peers thought his idea wouldn’t work. But Dr. Libby did not give up and early in 1980 he tested his method of delivering this vital nutrient into the bloodstream sublingually. It was very successful and he is thus responsible for creating the technology behind sublingual B12. Because of his invention, people who need vitamin B12 supplements no longer have to get painful vitamin B12 shots or take B12 pills that have to be swallowed and may not be absorbed by their body.

Well, it is actually simple and works very differently than ingesting a pill. Like the nitroglycerin mentioned above, sublingual vitamin B12 is very quick and effective because it essentially melts under your tongue and is then absorbed into the mucous membranes that line your mouth. Beneath these membranes is the epithelium, which is actually another layer of membranes below your tongue. Just like your skin, certain substances can actually penetrate the epithelium. Some are easily absorbed and as a result go through this layer and on into numerous blood vessels.

These tiny veins are connected to your sublingual artery. This artery just below your tongue connects to another artery called the lingual artery. And the lingual artery is attached to your carotid artery which delivers blood directly to your brain. This all happens very fast which is why medications and supplements taken sublingually have a rapid effect on your body.

The vitamin B12 in your food or in an oral pill must be absorbed via your digestive tract. This is fine if you are young and healthy and your body is producing sufficient amounts of a certain protein called intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is essential for vitamin B12 absorption. However, age, ulcers, certain diseases and other factors can interfere with the production of intrinsic factor, and the B12 is no longer absorbed.

Vitamin B12 shots are one option to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency. Unfortunately, these injections can be painful and very expensive, as well as inconvenient. They may also have some side effects, and some of the vitamin B12 will likely be passed through the urine rather than absorbed by the body.

In order to get all the wonderful vitamin B12 benefits, which are significant, sublingual vitamin B12 really is the very best ways to take this vitamin. It is a very simple and highly effective way to get your B12. It is convenient, doesn’t hurt, and costs very little, particularly when compared to vitamin B12 shots. Thanks to Dr. Libby’s research nearly 30 years ago, sublingual vitamin B12 is available to us today. Taken in this form it is 99% effective and will greatly benefit your health!