Glutathione
The body’s main antioxidant: a small tripeptide of three amino acids (glutamate, cysteine, glycine) made in every cell and highest in the liver.
Oral is a dietary supplement; injectable glutathione is compounded.
Used for
- Antioxidant support and healthy aging
- Liver support
- Pairing with mitochondrial peptides and heavy training
- Skin tone (popular, poorly studied)
How it works
Neutralizes free radicals, recycles vitamins C and E, and helps the liver bind toxins for removal. Cells make their own, limited mostly by cysteine, and levels fall with age and illness.
Half-life: About 10 minutes in the blood after IV
What the research shows
- In a 6-month randomized trial, oral glutathione at 250 or 1,000 mg a day raised glutathione stores in blood by about 30–35% at the higher dose.
- A shorter 4-week trial of 500 mg twice a day found no change in oxidative stress markers.
- In older adults, 2 weeks of glycine plus N-acetylcysteine (its building blocks) restored glutathione synthesis and lowered oxidative stress.
- In a small open-label pilot in fatty liver disease, 300 mg a day by mouth for 4 months lowered ALT (a liver enzyme).
- IV glutathione 1,400 mg 3 times a week for 4 weeks was safe in Parkinson’s disease but did not beat placebo.
Dosing
Dosing isn’t listed on the public site. In the app, each published option is shown with its source (a drug label, a clinical guideline, a trial or community reports) and can be turned into a protocol you review.
Work out the units to draw for your vial →Side effects
- Stinging injection
- Sulfur smell or taste
- Bloating or cramps (oral)
Cautions
- Inhaled (nebulized) glutathione can tighten the airways in people with asthma.
- The FDA has warned about injectable skin-lightening products; high-dose IV for skin tone is unproven.
- During chemotherapy, ask the oncologist first: it may protect cancer cells as well as healthy ones.
Storage
Unmixed powder: freezer or fridge, away from light.
Once mixed with bacteriostatic water: fridge; the common rule is to use it within 28 days.
There is no label or published stability data for this one, so treat these as habits, not limits.
Stability once mixed
In water it oxidizes into its inactive paired form (GSSG), faster when warm or with air in the vial. Mix small amounts and keep it cold.
Heat, shaking, freezing a mixed vial, light and many needle punctures all speed breakdown. Toss it if it turns cloudy, grows specks or changes color.
Reference only, not medical advice. Written for this app from the cited research. Doses marked community-reported are not from trials.