Glutathione_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as GSH, L-glutathione
Your body's master antioxidant, taken for glowing skin and detox support.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
174 of 190 listings we track are vials, the form used for injection.
What is Glutathione?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It mops up molecules that damage cells. That is why people take it for skin brightness, detox support and general cell protection.
Glutathione is a natural tripeptide (three amino acids) that is your body's master antioxidant.
What it's used for
Your body's master antioxidant, taken for brighter, clearer skin, detox support, and protecting cells from daily wear. It is popular for a healthy glow.
By route, see what has been studied by route.
How does Glutathione work?
What it does in the body, and where.Glutathione is three amino acids and your body's main antioxidant. You already make it constantly; the question with supplementing is whether what you take in ever reaches your cells.
- 01It neutralises cell-damaging moleculesReactive oxygen species are a normal by-product of making energy, and glutathione is the primary system for clearing them.
- 02It regenerates other antioxidantsVitamins C and E get used up doing the same job, and glutathione restores them, which multiplies its effect.
- 03Absorption is the real questionSwallowed glutathione is largely broken down before it is absorbed. That is why it is given by IV or injection, and why the skin-brightening claims are weaker than they sound.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
What else is it used for?
Each group carries its own evidence level.Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
Skin lightening
Early research- Human trialTwo small controlled trials, one oral in 60 people and one topical in 30, reported a measurable drop in skin melanin.
- Human trialA double-blind placebo-controlled trial of a topical form in healthy women reported skin lightening and improved skin condition.
- No dataThere is inadequate safety data for intravenous use, and a case report describes severe reversible liver injury from it.
Parkinson's disease
Early research- Human trialAn early open study of a high intravenous dose reported a 42% drop in disability scores.
- Human trialA mid-stage nasal trial showed only mild benefit, complicated by the placebo group also improving.
Intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease
Early research- Human trialGiven into a vein in clinic settings. A randomized trial gave 1,400 mg intravenously three times a week for four weeks to 21 adults with Parkinson's disease. Movement scores changed from 37.6 to 34.8 against 35.1 on placebo, P = 0.32. The result was not significant and was below the minimal clinically important difference.
The published record
Papers and trials about Glutathione
Searched: glutathione supplementation, glutathione injection, intravenous glutathione, glutathione infusion, liposomal glutathione, oral glutathione.
Left out: GSH (glutathione in all contexts).
118 papers tagged human · 76 not reviews or lab · 32 clinical trial publications
20 registered trials · 2 with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Phase 2, results posted
Compare this against the whole library →
Category 1RegulatorsCounted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count.
At a glance
Four things to know about Glutathione
Evidence
Supplement
Category
Immune support
Common vial
1500 mg
Half-life
Minutes
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.100 to 300 mg per injection, two to three times a week. Not cycled Community practice
Taken daily as a supplement rather than in blocks. The open question is absorption, not tolerance.
MinutesHuman study
Refers to the intravenous route. Oral glutathione behaves differently and is poorly absorbed.
Not yet traced to a primary source.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
What people inject is not what anyone studied. Forum protocols and seller pages cluster at 100 to 300 mg per injection, two or three times a week, with some seller protocols going as high as 600 mg. No trial has tested glutathione by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection at any dose. Nebulised and topical forms have their own studies and their own amounts, and none of the routes shares a dose with the others.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
By capsule instead: 250 to 1000 mg per day. Oral figures. A six-month randomized trial in 54 adults compared 250 mg and 1,000 mg a day, and both raised glutathione in blood and immune cells, with the higher dose doing more. Richie JP, et al. Eur J Nutr 2015;54(2):251-263
Glutathione starts at $15.00 across 129 vendors, typically $0.03 – $0.10 per mg.
190 listings, last read Oct 24, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized Glutathione keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Seller protocols suggest 3 mL into a 1,500 mg vial, which gives 500 mg/mL. At that strength a 600 mg dose is 1.2 mL, more than a 1 mL insulin syringe holds. Users who worked it out in practice report moving to 7 to 9 mL, and one reported a week of injection-site soreness after reconstituting at 5 mL. The prescription injectable product is supplied at 200 mg/mL, which matches the higher volumes
Who should avoid it
- Asthma, where inhaled forms have triggered attacks
- Pregnancy
- No injectable form is approved in the US
Stop and get help
- Wheezing or difficulty breathing
- Signs of an allergic reaction
- Any skin rash that spreads
Common effects
- Generally well tolerated by mouth
- Injection carries infection and reaction risk with no approved product
- Lightening of skin tone with repeated IV use, which is not an approved purpose
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Glutathione approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not as a medicine. Glutathione is sold without a prescription as a supplement, which is a different thing from being approved as a drug.
- Into a vein and Injected into muscleResearch onlyNo approved injectable product in the USNo injectable glutathione product is FDA approved in the United States. Several national regulators, including the Philippine FDA, have issued explicit advisories against IV use for skin lightening.
- By mouthSupplementSold as a supplementOral glutathione is sold as a dietary supplement.
- RouteBy mouth, into a vein or muscle, or inhaled
- Checked22 September 2026
- DoseFrom community reports. No regulator or trial established this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
What has happened recently
No injectable glutathione product is FDA-approved in the United States. Several national regulators, including the Philippine FDA, have issued explicit advisories against IV use for skin lightening.
What regulators say
From official documentsCategory 1
Checked 11 September 2026FDA: Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A (interim categories 1, 2, 3), updated May 14, 2026Category 1
Checked 11 September 2026FDA: Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503B (interim categories 1, 2, 3), updated March 21, 2025
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Glutathione?
Others in Immune support, side by side.If you're weighing Glutathione, it's worth reading Thymosin Alpha-1, LL-37, and Thymalin in the same class.
Your body's master antioxidant, taken for glowing skin and detox support.
- Dose
- 100 to 300 mg per injection
- How often
- Two to three times a week
A well-studied shot that tunes up the immune system.
- Dose
- 1.6 mg per dose
- How often
- 2x per week
A natural germ-fighting peptide for stubborn infections and wound healing.
- Dose
- 0.1 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily, short courses
A thymus peptide taken in courses to refresh immune function and aging.
- Dose
- 5 up to 10 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 10-day courses
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- Why Does My Peptide Injection Itch or Welt
Injection-site irritation, a histamine reaction, or a true allergy, and how to tell them apart.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
Sources
- Philippine FDA advisory on IV glutathione for skin lightening(2019)Regulator advisory against IV glutathione for skin lightening.
- Peer-reviewed review of IV glutathione safety(2025)Peer-reviewed review of IV glutathione safety.
- IV glutathione skin-lightening review, PubMed
- IV glutathione in early Parkinson's, PubMed
Beyond these, 272 records are indexed. Browse the records