Glutathione
The body's own antioxidant, sold as injections, sprays and tablets. Taken by mouth it raises the body's stores while you take it; in the trials that tested a disease outcome it did not beat placebo.
- U.S. status
- Legal to compound
- Glutathione is in 503A Category 1 (bulk drug substances under evaluation), covered by FDA's interim compounding policy (list updated May 14, 2026).
- FDA source, read September 2026.
- Evidence cited here
- Longevity: Small studies1 controlled human study cited here for longevity, the largest with 54 people.
- Hauser 2009 (21 people), Mischley 2017 (45 people) and Arjinpathana 2012 (60 people) did not measure longevity, so they count toward no label here. They are still listed with the studies below.
- Forms sold
- Injection · Oral · Sublingual · Nasal spray · Topical
1. What Glutathione is
Glutathione is a small molecule made of three amino acids that cells use to neutralize reactive oxygen and to process some drugs and toxins. The body makes its own, mainly in the liver.
Glutathione is in the FDA's 503A Category 1, the list of bulk substances pharmacies may compound while the FDA evaluates them. Sellers offer it as an injection, a nasal spray and by mouth; the category allows compounding, and says nothing about whether it works.
2. How it works
Inside cells, glutathione gives up electrons to reactive molecules and is then recycled by an enzyme, which is why it is described as an antioxidant. Taking more of it only helps if it reaches the cells that need it, and a molecule this size is often broken down in the gut or the blood before it gets there.
That is why the oral trial below matters: it measured whether glutathione levels in blood cells actually rose. Whether raising those levels changes how you feel or how you age is a separate step that no trial here has measured.
3. What the studies measured
In a six-month trial, 54 healthy adults took 250 mg or 1,000 mg of glutathione a day, or placebo. At the higher dose, glutathione in blood cells rose 30 to 35%, and it returned to baseline within a month of stopping.
In Parkinson's disease, 21 people received intravenous glutathione or placebo three times a week for four weeks, and 45 took a nasal spray or placebo for three months. Neither route beat placebo on the standard symptom scale. One person on the higher nasal dose developed a heart muscle disease.
For skin lightening, a four-week trial in 60 students found oral glutathione lowered melanin more than placebo at two of six measured sites.
4. What they did not measure
No trial cited here measured energy, aging, or a longevity outcome. The strongest result is that the body's stores rise while you take it.
The injected form sold for wellness has not been tested against placebo in healthy people. The intravenous trial was in Parkinson's disease, and it found no benefit.
The studies behind this page
The evidence label above is computed from these papers: their design and how many people they enrolled.
- Randomized trial
54 people
Counts toward: Longevity
Blood glutathione rose 30 to 35% at the high dose and returned to baseline a month after stopping.
Healthy non-smoking adults; oral glutathione 250 or 1,000 mg a day, or placebo, for 6 months.
Richie JP Jr, Nichenametla S, Neidig W, Calcagnotto A, Haley JS, Schell TD, Muscat JE (2015). Randomized controlled trial of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores of glutathione. Eur J Nutr. PMID 24791752
- Randomized trial
21 people
Counts toward no label
No significant difference from placebo on the Parkinson's rating scale (P = 0.32); well tolerated.
People with Parkinson's disease; 1,400 mg intravenous glutathione three times a week, or placebo, for 4 weeks.
Hauser RA, Lyons KE, McClain T, Carter S, Perlmutter D (2009). Randomized, double-blind, pilot evaluation of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord. PMID 19230029
- Randomized trial
45 people
Counts toward no label
Neither dose was superior to placebo; one participant on the high dose developed cardiomyopathy.
People with Parkinson's disease; intranasal glutathione 100 or 200 mg three times daily, or saline, for 3 months.
Mischley LK, Lau RC, Shankland EG, Wilbur TK, Padowski JM (2017). Phase IIb Study of Intranasal Glutathione in Parkinson's Disease. J Parkinsons Dis. PMID 28436395
- Randomized trial
60 people
Counts toward no label
Melanin fell more than on placebo at 2 of 6 measured skin sites.
Healthy medical students in Thailand; oral glutathione 500 mg a day or placebo for 4 weeks.
Arjinpathana N, Asawanonda P (2012). Glutathione as an oral whitening agent: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Dermatolog Treat. PMID 20524875
Glutathione
Frequently asked questions
- Does taking glutathione raise glutathione levels?
- Taken by mouth at 1,000 mg a day for six months, it raised levels in blood cells by 30 to 35%, and they fell back to baseline within a month of stopping.
- Do glutathione injections work?
- Intravenous glutathione did not beat placebo in the one Parkinson's trial cited here, and no placebo-controlled trial has tested wellness injections in healthy people.