Important limitations
- Individual claims and source links have not yet completed editorial verification.
- Evidence level, applicable study model, formulation, route and population remain unassigned.
Glutathione
Accurate, science-based information about glutathione (GSH), its biosynthesis, cellular roles, and related amino compounds used in redox and performance research.
Reported protocols for Glutathione
What published studies and recent community write-ups report about amounts, timing and course length. 5 clinical and 4 community-reported rows, each linked to its source. These are descriptions of what others report, not instructions, and nothing here is medical advice.
| Context | Dose | Frequency | Route | Course | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical5 rows | |||||
| Randomised placebo-controlled intravenous pilot trial in Parkinson's disease21 adults with Parkinson's disease whose motor symptoms were not adequately controlled (11 glutathione, 10 placebo) | 1,400 mg | Three times a week | Intravenous | 4 weeks, with 8 weeks of follow-upNot applicable | Movement Disorders (PubMed)2009 |
| Glutathione was well tolerated with adverse events similar to placebo, but the UPDRS change did not differ significantly between groups (a 2.8-point greater improvement during treatment, P = 0.32, that reversed over the following 8 weeks). The authors described a possible mild symptomatic effect that would need a larger trial; none has followed. | |||||
| Open-label intravenous course in early untreated Parkinson's disease9 adults with early, untreated Parkinson's disease in Sardinia | 600 mg | Twice daily | Intravenous | 30 days, then monthly follow-up for 2-4 monthsTreatment stopped after 30 days; the authors reported the effect lasting 2-4 months | Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry (University of Sassari repository)1996 |
| All nine patients improved on two rating scales, with a 42% fall in disability scores, and the benefit was said to persist for two to four months after the infusions ended. The study had no control group and only nine participants, and the later randomised trial at a higher weekly dose did not confirm a significant effect. | |||||
| Intravenous glutathione for skin lightening, as summarised in a 2025 narrative reviewAdults in a placebo-controlled skin-lightening trial (Zubair and colleagues) and the wider cosmetic literature | 1,200 mg | Twice a week | Intravenous | 6 weeksLightening faded within 6 months of stopping | Cureus (PubMed Central)2025 |
| In the trial the review describes, 37.5% of treated participants reported lighter skin versus 18.7% on placebo, the effect was short-lived, and 32% had adverse events including abnormal liver function and one case of anaphylaxis. The review calls intravenous glutathione the most controversial route for skin lightening, with poor efficacy and the heaviest safety concerns, and notes the Philippine FDA warning against it. | |||||
| Randomised oral supplementation trial of body glutathione stores54 healthy non-smoking adults | 250 mg or 1,000 mg | Once daily | Oral | 6 months, then a 1-month washoutLevels returned to baseline after the 1-month washout | European Journal of Nutrition (Penn State research portal)2015 |
| Blood glutathione rose at both doses, by 30-35% in red cells, plasma and lymphocytes and 260% in buccal cells at 1,000 mg per day after six months, with a lower oxidised-to-reduced ratio and more than doubled natural killer cell activity at 3 months in the high-dose group. It remains the only controlled trial showing that any glutathione product raises body stores, and the gains disappeared within a month of stopping. | |||||
| FDA compounding alert: adverse events after injections made from dietary-grade powder7 outpatients at one clinic, and 1 further patient at a second pharmacy's clinic, in late 2018 and early 2019 | 1,400 mg (7 mL of a 200 mg/mL compounded solution); 2,400 mg (12 mL) in the second report | Single infusions as reported | Intravenous | Not applicableNot applicable | U.S. Food and Drug Administration2019 |
| Within minutes of a 1,400 mg infusion, seven patients developed nausea, vomiting, chills, body aches and lightheadedness, and one was hospitalised with low blood pressure and breathing difficulty; FDA testing of the Letco-repackaged L-glutathione found endotoxin up to five times the limit for that dose. The powder was labelled as a dietary supplement ingredient and the FDA told compounders not to use it for sterile injectables. | |||||
| Community-reported4 rows | |||||
| Self-injection dosage chart (starter, standard and clinical tiers) | 100 mg (starter) or 200 mg (standard) per injection at 200 mg/mL; 600-1,400 mg per intravenous session in the clinical tier | Twice a week (starter); 2-3 times a week (standard and clinical) | Subcutaneous or intramuscular for the 100-200 mg tiers; intravenous drip for 600-1,400 mg | 4 weeks (starter), 8-12 weeks (standard), 4-6 weeks (clinical)4 weeks off after a standard cycle; injections spaced at least 48 hours apart | Community resource2026 |
| This 2026 chart assumes a 600 mg vial in 3 mL of bacteriostatic water and states outright that the 100 and 200 mg tiers are compounder and community convention scaled to fit a U-100 syringe, since no trial has tested injected glutathione below 600 mg and there is no controlled subcutaneous study at any dose. It also warns that unbuffered reconstituted glutathione is acidic and stings, that cells cannot import glutathione intact, and that the plasma half-life after intravenous dosing is about 14 minutes. | |||||
| 600 mg research vial protocol | 100 mg (50 units) for weeks 1-2, then 200 mg (100 units) from week 3 | 2-3 times a week | Subcutaneous, from a 600 mg vial reconstituted with 3 mL (200 mg/mL) | 12 weeksNone described | Community resource2026 |
| A dosage-chart site lays out a 12-week course starting at 100 mg to check tolerance and moving to 200 mg two or three times a week from week three, with the reminder that there is no standardised or FDA-approved injectable dose and that the figures mirror the vendor listing rather than human data. It also describes the volumes involved as large compared with microgram-dosed peptides. | |||||
| Infusion clinic weekly dosing guide | 600-1,200 mg per dose (600 mg weekly for general wellness; intramuscular protocols starting at 200 mg weekly and rising to 800-1,000 mg weekly) | 1-3 times a week | Intravenous drip or push, or intramuscular | Loading phase of weekly or twice-weekly sessions for 5-10 weeks; skin protocols 2-3 sessions a week for 1-3 monthsMaintenance spacing after loading, set by the clinic | Community resource2026 |
| An IV therapy clinic describes 600 mg weekly as its usual starting point, 600-1,200 mg one to three times a week for detoxification or skin goals, and mentions that some skin-lightening protocols push to 1,500-4,000 mg once or twice a week under close supervision. It cites the Parkinson's trial's 1,400 mg three times weekly as the clinical reference and stresses that the exact schedule is set at consultation. | |||||
| Dosing table by indication from a compounding-focused guide | 600-1,200 mg (skin, 8-16 weeks); 600-800 mg (antioxidant support, ongoing); 1,000-1,500 mg (liver support, 4-8 weeks); 1,400 mg intravenous (Parkinson's, experimental) | 1-2 times a week for skin and antioxidant use; 2-3 times a week for liver support and the Parkinson's regimen | Intramuscular at 200 mg/mL (a 1,200 mg dose is 6 mL, often split between two sites) or intravenous | 4-16 weeks depending on the stated goalNone described beyond the course lengths | Community resource2026 |
| The guide's central point is that glutathione injections are given one to three times a week rather than daily, with 200-600 mg per day described as a less common daily pattern, and it tabulates volumes for 200 to 800 mg/mL concentrations. Every figure is practitioner convention; the guide itself notes the only trial-backed regimen is the intravenous Parkinson's protocol. | |||||
How a course is commonly described
- Week 1: first dosesCommunity-reported
Self-injection guides start at 100 mg (half a U-100 syringe at 200 mg/mL) twice a week to find out how the injection feels. Stinging at the site and a brief sulphurous or metallic taste are described as expected; wheeze or chest tightness is described as a reason to stop.
- Weeks 3-12: standard self-injection tierCommunity-reported
The 600 mg vial protocol moves to 200 mg two or three times a week from week three and runs to week twelve, and the dosage chart describes the same 200 mg tier for 8-12 weeks followed by 4 weeks off. Anecdotes of brighter skin and more energy cluster in weeks 2-4, where no controlled data exist for any route.
- Weeks 4-6: what the intravenous trials coveredClinical
The randomised Parkinson's trial ran 1,400 mg three times a week for four weeks without beating placebo, and the skin-lightening trial ran 1,200 mg twice a week for six weeks with a modest, temporary effect and liver test abnormalities in a third of participants. Guides that suggest blood work place liver and kidney tests in this window.
- Months 3-6: the only durable change on recordClinical
In the oral trial, natural killer cell activity had more than doubled by month three on 1,000 mg a day and body stores were 30-35% higher at six months. Injectable protocols have no equivalent measurement of body stores at any time point.
- After stoppingCommunity-reported
Glutathione status tracks ongoing supply: the oral trial's gains reversed within a one-month washout, the Parkinson's trial's small advantage reversed over 8 weeks, and the skin-lightening effect faded within six months. Community guides therefore frame the 4-week break as a check on whether anything attributed to the compound persists, not as recovery from suppression.
- Every dose with trial support is intravenous (600 mg twice daily, 1,200 mg twice weekly or 1,400 mg three times weekly) or oral (250-1,000 mg a day). There is no controlled human study of subcutaneous glutathione at any dose, and the 100-200 mg self-injection tiers are conventions sized to an insulin syringe.
- The FDA warned compounders in 2019, and again in August 2026 after at least 30 patients reacted, that dietary-supplement-grade glutathione powder can carry endotoxin and must not be used for injectables; fever, rigors, vomiting or collapse within hours of a dose is the pattern those reports describe. The Philippine FDA has separately warned that no injectable product is approved for skin lightening and that liver, kidney and skin reactions have been reported.
- Oral glutathione is the only form shown to raise body stores in a controlled trial, and those stores returned to baseline within a month of stopping; glutathione sold for injection by research vendors is unregulated, and the legacy page for this product (1-3 mL up to three times a week) gave no concentration.
Sources for this section (13)
- Randomized, double-blind, pilot evaluation of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease
- Reduced intravenous glutathione in the treatment of early Parkinson's disease
- Exploring the Safety and Efficacy of Glutathione Supplementation for Skin Lightening: A Narrative Review
- Randomized controlled trial of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores of glutathione
- FDA highlights concerns with using dietary ingredient glutathione to compound sterile injectables
- FDA reminds compounders not to use dietary supplement grade glutathione for injectables
- FDA Advisory No. 2019-182: Unsafe use of glutathione as skin lightening agent
Plus 6 community resources (dosing guides, forum threads and vendor write-ups), reported above but not linked.
Overview
Glutathione is the tripeptide gamma-glutamyl-cysteinyl-glycine, the most abundant thiol inside human cells and the substrate for glutathione peroxidases, glutathione S-transferases and the redox buffer that keeps proteins in a reduced state; cells make it in two ATP-dependent steps with cysteine as the limiting ingredient. It is sold as an injectable by compounding pharmacies, usually at 200 mg/mL, and by research vendors as 600 mg or 1,500 mg vials or as a 20 mL liquid (a reseller lists one vendor's version at 200 mg/mL, and another vendor lists a 20 mL liquid); the legacy page for this product gave 1-3 mL up to three times a week. No injectable glutathione is FDA-approved for any indication: it reaches patients through 503A and 503B compounding or as a research chemical, and the FDA issued safety communications in 2019 and again in August 2026 after dozens of patients reacted to injections compounded from dietary-supplement-grade powder containing endotoxin. Human trial data are thin: a randomised intravenous trial in Parkinson's disease was negative, a small intravenous skin-lightening trial produced a modest effect with frequent liver test abnormalities, and the only study to show a durable rise in body stores used oral tablets.
What researchers are exploring
These themes organize the educational information currently available. Individual claims remain under source review and are not treatment claims.
- 1
What is Glutathione (GSH)?
Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide made from glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. It is the most abundant intracellular thiol and a central antioxidant/redox buffer that helps maintain cellular redox homeostasis and protects…
- 2
Related Amino Compounds (for Redox/Performance Models)
Supports nitric oxide (NO) pathway via arginine recycling; often paired with L-arginine in vascular/endurance models. Molecular Formula: C 6 H 13 N 3 O 3 Molecular Weight: 175.19 g/mol Key amino acid for immune and gut…
What is known and what still needs verification
Available context is organized without assigning unsupported study models or evidence grades.
- Not graded
What is Glutathione (GSH)?
Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide made from glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. It is the most abundant intracellular thiol and a central antioxidant/redox buffer that helps maintain cellular redox homeostasis and protects against oxidative stress.…
- Not graded
Related Amino Compounds (for Redox/Performance Models)
Supports nitric oxide (NO) pathway via arginine recycling; often paired with L-arginine in vascular/endurance models. Molecular Formula: C 6 H 13 N 3 O 3 Molecular Weight: 175.19 g/mol Key amino acid for immune and gut integrity; commonly studied for…
Chemistry identifiers
Sequence, synonyms and registry identifiers as recorded in PubChem, the National Library of Medicine's open chemistry database. Formula, mass and CAS number are summarized at the top of the page.
Sequence
gamma-Glu-Cys-Gly (glutamate linked through its side-chain gamma-carboxyl)
Also listed as
GSH, L-Glutathione reduced, gamma-L-Glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine, Tathion, Glutathione-SH, UNII GAN16C9B8O, CHEBI:16856, DrugBank DB00143
InChIKey
RWSXRVCMGQZWBV-WDSKDSINSA-N
IUPAC name
(2S)-2-amino-5-[[(2R)-1-(carboxymethylamino)-1-oxo-3-sulfanylpropan-2-yl]amino]-5-oxopentanoic acid
Limitations and unknowns
Sources
1 link carried over from the earlier page, awaiting verification.