Glutathione (liposomal / IV / S-acetyl)
Detox · Master intracellular antioxidant
Tier B
Bottom line
Read Off Label grades Glutathione (liposomal / IV / S-acetyl) as B (6.4/10) based on weak-moderate evidence, variable benefit magnitude, and a low-risk safety profile.
Standard oral glutathione has poor bioavailability (broken down in GI).
Studied, labeled, or reported-use context: Liposomal oral 500-1000 mg/day; IV 1000-3000 mg (off-label uses) — OTC (oral forms); off-label IV; not individualized guidance.
What the evidence says
Standard oral glutathione has poor bioavailability (broken down in GI). Liposomal and S-acetyl glutathione claim better absorption with supporting but not overwhelming data. NAC is a different precursor strategy with a distinct evidence and cost profile. IV glutathione has a robust cottage industry in biohacker clinics with limited controlled evidence beyond acute toxicology indications. **IV-route safety, Aug 2026.** Victory Medical Center Pharmacy recalled compounded injectable glutathione (200 mg/mL multi-dose vials, with ascorbic acid and benzyl alcohol) nationwide on 1 Jul 2026 after out-of-specification **bacterial endotoxin** results — microbial contamination of a supposedly sterile product. It is a **Class I** recall, the FDA's most serious category, meaning a reasonable probability of serious harm or death. The quantity is small (91 units) and the failure is the compounder's, not glutathione's, so the rating here is unchanged. It is worth recording because it is the concrete version of the risk this row already gestures at: the IV cottage industry operates through compounding pharmacies whose sterility assurance is not the same as a licensed manufacturer's, and an endotoxin failure in an intravenous product is a materially different hazard from a capsule that does not absorb well.
Mechanism
Primary intracellular antioxidant; tripeptide (glutamate-cysteine-glycine); reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) forms; phase II conjugation (glutathione-S-transferase) for xenobiotic elimination
Studied, labeled, or reported dose & route
Liposomal oral 500-1000 mg/day; IV 1000-3000 mg (off-label uses)
This records doses and routes described in studies, approved labeling, clinical practice, or documented use. It is not individualized guidance and does not establish safety; context changes with indication, formulation, health history, monitoring, and other medicines.
Citations
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Common questions
- What does the evidence show about Glutathione (liposomal / IV / S-acetyl)'s effects?
- Read Off Label rates the evidence for Glutathione (liposomal / IV / S-acetyl) as Weak-Moderate and the benefit magnitude as variable, producing an overall grade of B (6.4/10). Standard oral glutathione has poor bioavailability (broken down in GI).
- What safety findings are reported for Glutathione (liposomal / IV / S-acetyl)?
- Glutathione (liposomal / IV / S-acetyl) has a low risk profile in the database. Low (rare sulfur GI issues; IV rare hypersensitivity) — but the IV route adds compounding-pharmacy sterility risk that the oral forms do not carry; see the Aug 2026 Class I recall in Notes Legal status: OTC (oral forms); off-label IV (compounded).
- What doses or routes are reported for Glutathione (liposomal / IV / S-acetyl)?
- Liposomal oral 500-1000 mg/day; IV 1000-3000 mg (off-label uses) This is context from studies, approved labeling, clinical practice, or documented use; it is not individualized guidance and does not establish safety.
- How does Glutathione (liposomal / IV / S-acetyl) work?
- Primary intracellular antioxidant; tripeptide (glutamate-cysteine-glycine); reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) forms; phase II conjugation (glutathione-S-transferase) for xenobiotic elimination
This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.