The master antioxidant peptide your liver uses to detoxify everything — now used as an injectable to support liver function, skin tone, and oxidative stress.
Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine — produced in every cell of your body and considered the body’s master antioxidant. It neutralizes free radicals, regenerates vitamins C and E, and is the core substrate for Phase II liver detoxification.
Levels decline with age, stress, alcohol, poor diet, and many medications. Oral glutathione has limited bioavailability, and injectable forms raise blood levels faster — but faster is not the same as more effective. For the most popular off-label use, skin lightening, the oral and topical routes are the ones with randomised evidence behind them and the intravenous route is the one a systematic review calls contraindicated. See the dosing section. It’s one of the most popular additions to longevity and detox protocols.
Glutathione is a natural endogenous peptide. Injectable forms are used off-label in longevity and aesthetic medicine. Not WADA prohibited.
The reduced thiol (-SH) group donates an electron to neutralize reactive oxygen species directly. This is the core of its antioxidant function.
Conjugates to toxins, heavy metals, and reactive drug metabolites to make them water-soluble for excretion. Acetaminophen overdose treatment (NAC) works by replenishing glutathione.
Regenerates oxidized vitamin C and vitamin E back to their active forms — extends the reach of every antioxidant in your system.
Reduces melanin production by inhibiting tyrosinase — the mechanism behind its skin-brightening effect popular in aesthetic medicine.
| Benefit | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Liver support | Correct mechanism, wrong drug. Paracetamol poisoning is treated with N-acetylcysteine, which works by replenishing glutathione — glutathione itself is not the standard of care, and the guide previously implied it was |
| Skin brightening | Supported for oral and topical — not for the injectable route this guide was steering people toward. A 2025 systematic review (Sarkar, PMID 39444151) found five RCTs of oral glutathione at 250–500 mg/day significantly reduced the melanin index versus placebo, and topical 0.5% beat 0.1% and placebo. On the intravenous route there was one placebo-controlled study (37.5% vs 18.7%, p = 0.054), and the review’s conclusion is blunt: "IV glutathione is contraindicated due to lack of efficacy and side effects" |
| Oxidative stress | Elevated markers reduced across cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic conditions |
| NAFLD / liver fat | One open-label, single-arm pilot — no control group. Honda 2017 (PMID 28789631) gave oral glutathione 300 mg/day to 34 NAFLD patients (29 completed) for four months, after three months of diet and exercise intervention. ALT, triglycerides and ferritin fell, and the authors say "large-scale clinical trials are needed." With no control arm and a lifestyle run-in, how much belongs to the glutathione is unknown. AST was not a reported outcome, though this guide listed it |
| Immune function | Depleted in chronic infection; supplementation restores lymphocyte function |
| Respiratory / COPD | We could not find trial support for this and have downgraded it. Nebulised glutathione is used in some clinics, but a PubMed search returned no controlled trials establishing benefit in COPD, and bronchospasm is a recognised concern with the inhaled route |
Build your protocol, log every dose, monitor your body's response, and get reminders so you never miss a dose.
Start Tracking FreeNot medical advice. These figures describe what is reported in the literature and what practitioners and communities do — not a recommendation, and for most compounds here no human dose-finding study exists. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider.
IV raises blood levels fastest and is common in aesthetic clinics, where 2000+ mg per session is typical for skin lightening. The evidence does not support that use. The 2025 systematic review found a single placebo-controlled IV study, non-significant at p = 0.054, and concluded IV glutathione is contraindicated for skin lightening on grounds of both efficacy and side effects (PMID 39444151). Adverse effects from IV glutathione led the Philippine FDA to issue a public warning against its off-label use for skin lightening (Sonthalia 2016, PMID 27088927), which also notes that "although the use of intravenous glutathione injections is popular, there is no evidence to prove its efficacy."
If skin lightening is the goal, the routes with RCT support are oral and topical, at far lower doses than the IV protocols. This guide previously pointed the other way.
Specialized use for COPD / sinus / lung support. 200–600 mg via nebulizer 1–2× daily. Requires provider supervision.
Not medical advice. These figures describe what is reported in the literature and what practitioners and communities do — not a recommendation, and for most compounds here no human dose-finding study exists. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider.
Injectable glutathione comes as a lyophilized powder. Note that reconstituted glutathione is extremely sensitive to oxidation and should be used quickly.
600 mg vial + 3 mL BAC water = 200 mg/mL
| Dose | Volume | Syringe Units |
|---|---|---|
| 100 mg | 0.50 mL | 50 units |
| 200 mg | 1.00 mL | 100 units |
| 300 mg | 1.50 mL | 150 units |
600 mg vial at 200 mg 2×/week = ~10 days
Pre-filled with a typical Glutathione setup. Edit any field — the draw updates live.
Insulin syringe — 100 units = 1 mL
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Glutathione is remarkably well tolerated — it’s naturally endogenous and the body has robust clearance mechanisms.
Glutathione is sold for research use only. If you are sourcing it for research, we recommend Lyvn — every batch third-party tested with the full laboratory panel published on the product page.
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For research use only. Not for human consumption. 21+.
Build your protocol, log every dose, monitor your body's response, and get reminders so you never miss a dose.
Start Tracking FreeOral glutathione is sold in the US as a dietary supplement under DSHEA — GRAS at common doses, not FDA approved for any disease indication. Injectable glutathione (IV/IM/SC) is NOT FDA approved for any indication and is available only through compounding pharmacies on patient-specific prescription. The FDA issued a Drug Compounding Alert on June 7, 2019 highlighting concerns about using the dietary-grade ingredient to compound sterile injectables.
Oral: 250–1000 mg/day (liposomal and S-acetyl forms have better bioavailability than plain reduced glutathione). IV (clinic protocols): 600–2000 mg per infusion, weekly to monthly. IM/SC: 200–600 mg per injection, daily or 2–3 times per week. None of these come from FDA-approved labeling — all reflect clinic and community convention.
For a 600 mg or 1000 mg lyophilized vial, a typical reconstitution is 600 mg + 3 mL bacteriostatic water (200 mg/mL) or 1000 mg + 5 mL (200 mg/mL). A 200 mg dose draws to 1.00 mL (full 100u insulin syringe). The reconstituted solution should be clear to pale yellow — brown or cloudy means oxidation/degradation; discard.
Glutathione (GSH) is the body’s primary intracellular antioxidant — its thiol (-SH) group is what makes it so reactive. That same reactivity makes glutathione itself extremely prone to oxidation when exposed to air, light, or warmth. Reconstituted solutions form GSSG (oxidized glutathione) and higher disulfides, losing therapeutic activity. Store refrigerated, protected from light, with the BUD shorter than for typical peptides (7–14 days community convention).
IV bypasses GI degradation and delivers high blood levels rapidly — but plasma half-life is short (~10–15 min) and most administered glutathione is rapidly broken down at the cell membrane into its amino acid components before getting inside cells anyway. Oral liposomal and S-acetyl forms have shown measurable increases in intracellular GSH in small trials, with much lower cost and no injection burden. For most users, oral liposomal is the better risk-adjusted choice; IV is reasonable for specific clinical applications (heavy-metal chelation adjunct, severe oxidative-stress states under clinician supervision).
Generally well tolerated. Oral: rare GI upset. IV: most concerning risk is anaphylaxis (rare) and the impurity / endotoxin risk highlighted in the 2019 FDA Compounding Alert when dietary-grade ingredient is used to compound sterile injectables. Use a reputable compounding pharmacy that uses USP-grade glutathione for injectables, not dietary-ingredient grade.
Disclaimer: This guide is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The compounds discussed are not FDA approved for human use. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new supplement or peptide protocol. StackTrax does not sell peptides or supplements directly — purchase links go to third-party vendors. StackTrax is not responsible for the products, quality, or business practices of any third-party vendor.
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StackTrax guides cover peptides and compounds that are not FDA-approved for the uses discussed. The dosing, reconstitution, and safety information is compiled from published research and community protocols for educational purposes only.
Before using any compound mentioned here, consult a qualified healthcare provider. StackTrax does not sell, prescribe, or recommend these substances for personal use.