Matt Soniak. filed under: Big Questions, Origins. Like us on Facebook. If youâve ever seen the World Health Organization or American Medical Association logo, or the âstar of lifeâ on the side of an ambulance, you might have wondered what a snake wrapped around a stick has to do with those who fix what ails us.Well, that stick is the asklepian, or rod of Asclepius.iled under: Big Questions, Origins. Like us on Facebook. If youâve ever seen the World Health Organization or American Medical Association logo, or the âstar of lifeâ on the side of an ambulance, you might have wondered what a snake wrapped around a stick has to do with those who fix what ails us.
For the most part, the B vitamins are absorbed directly into the bloodstream in your stomach or small intestines. The exception is vitamin B-12, which must be bound to something called intrinsic factor for absorption.
Certain vitamins require specific enzymes to convert them into the active forms within the body. Two classic examples are vitamin B6 and folic acid. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) is absorbed in the intestines and converted to its active form, pyridoxal-5â²-phosphate, in the liver by the enzyme pyridoxal kinase.