Posted on 06/05/2025 7:46:18 AM PDT by Red Badger
The internet is abuzz with tributes to a liquid chemical called methylene blue that is being sold as a health supplement.
Over the past five or 10 years, methylene blue has come to be touted online as a so-called nootropic agent – a substance that enhances cognitive function. Vendors claim that it amps up brain energy, improves memory, boosts focus and dispels brain fog, among other supposed benefits.
Health influencers, such as podcaster Joe Rogan, have sung its praises. In February 2025, shortly before he was confirmed as health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in a video squirting a blue liquid widely presumed to be methylene blue into a glass – though he never verbally endorsed the substance.
As a researcher studying inflammation and cancer, I investigate how dyes affect human health. Claims about methylene blue are alluring, and it’s easy to buy into its promise. But so far, evidence supporting its health benefits is scant, and there are some serious risks to using the substance outside of medical practice.
What Is Methylene Blue?
Methylene blue was first synthesized in the 19th century by scientists at the German chemical company BASF. Museo di Chimica dell’Università di Genova via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
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Methylene blue is a synthetic dye that exists as a dark green powder and takes on a deep blue color when dissolved in water. My work and that of others suggest that many synthetic dyes widely used in foods and medicines can trigger potentially harmful immune system reactions in the body. But unlike commonly used food dyes – one of which was recently banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – methylene blue is not derived from petroleum, also known as crude oil. Instead, it comes from a different family of dyes, which isn’t thought to have these health concerns.
Methylene blue was first synthesized in 1876 as a dye for textiles and was valued for its intense color and ability to bind well to fabrics. Soon after, German physician Paul Ehrlich discovered its ability to stain biological tissues and to kill the parasite that causes malaria — making it one of the first synthetic drugs used in medicine.
The chemical didn’t gain widespread use as a malaria treatment because it was no more effective than quinine, the standard therapy at the time. But in the 1930s, the dye found a new use in testing the safety of raw or unpasteurized milk. If its blue color faded quickly, the milk was contaminated with bacteria, but if it remained blue, the milk was considered relatively clean.
This safety test now is largely obsolete. But it works thanks to methylene blue’s chemical superpower, which is that its molecules can swap electrons with other molecules, like a tiny battery charger.
How Do Doctors Use It Today?
That same chemical superpower enables some of methylene blue’s medical uses. Most significantly, doctors use it to treat a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia, in which hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, takes on a different form that can’t do the job. Methylene blue restores hemoglobin’s function by transferring an electron.
Doctors also sometimes use methylene blue to treat the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, septic shock or toxicities from drugs such as chemotherapy. It is also used as a surgical dye to highlight specific tissues such as lymph nodes, or to identify where tissue is leaky and therefore may be damaged.
How Does Methylene Blue Affect The Brain?
Methylene blue can enter the brain by crossing the protective tissue barrier that surrounds it. Researchers have also found that the chemical can protect and support mitochondria, cell structures that are often described as the powerhouses of the cell. Methylene blue may help mitochondria generate energy for cells to use. For these reasons, researchers are studying methylene blue’s effect on the brain.
So far, most of what’s known about the substance’s effects on the brain comes from studies in rats and in cells grown in a lab dish – not in people. For example, researchers have found that methylene blue may improve learning, boost memory and protect brain cells in rats with a condition that mimics Alzheimer’s disease.
Methylene blue is actually dark green in powdered form. Adam Rędzikowski via Wikimedia Commons
Studies in rodents have also found that methylene blue can protect the brain from damage from brain injury. Other studies showed that methylene blue is useful in treating ischemic stroke in rats. However, no research to date has examined whether it protects peoples’ brains from traumatic brain injury or stroke.
A handful of clinical trials have investigated the effects of methylene blue in treating aspects of Alzheimer’s disease in people, but a 2023 review of these trials notes that their results have been mixed and not conclusive. A small study of 26 people found that a single low dose of the chemical boosted memory by about 7% and increased brain activity during thinking tasks. Another study by the same researchers found that methylene blue changed how different parts of the brain connected, though it didn’t improve thinking skills.
Although some studies in people have shown hints that methylene blue may be beneficial for some brain-related issues, such as pain management and neuropsychiatric disorders, such studies to date have been small. This suggests that while there may be patient circumstances where methylene blue is beneficial, researchers have not yet pinned down what those are.
Is Methylene Blue Safe?
Methylene blue is generally safe when used under medical supervision. However, the chemical has some serious risks.
For one thing, it can interact with widely used medications. Methylene blue inhibits a molecule called monoamine oxidase, whose job is to break down an important brain chemical, serotonin. Many commonly used medications for treating anxiety and depression target serotonin. Taking the supplement along with these medicines can cause a condition called serotonin syndrome, which can lead to agitation, confusion, high fever, rapid heart rate, muscle stiffness and, in severe cases, seizures or even death.
In people with a rare genetic deficiency of an enzyme called G6PD, methylene blue can cause a dangerous condition in which red blood cells break down too quickly. At high doses, the chemical can also raise blood pressure or cause heart problems. Also, it’s considered unsafe for pregnant or breastfeeding women because it may harm the fetus or baby.
Overall, while scientists have found hints of some fascinating properties of methylene blue, much larger, longer trials are needed to know if it truly works, what the right dose is and how safe it is over time.
Lorne J. Hofseth, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina. He does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Thank you very much and God bless you.
I have seen them give it in one of Noah Wylie’s shows ..ER or The Pit. Don’t remember the condition.
I will have to look into it.
I like it my wife is getting angry because it stains the toilets
Your trivia of the day:
MB was invented by Johann Konrad Dippel, an alchemist, more commonly remembered as a Baron of Frankenstein, who was born at Castle Frankenstein.
He claimed to invent various miracle substances and rumors always persisted that he experimented on cadavers and was even involved in grave robbing. MB was one of his miracle substances.
Castle Frankenstein did, in fact, blow up partially at one time, but that was probably after Dipple was dead.
While some authorities disagree, his exploits and rumors around him likely had some influence on Mary Shelley.
btw, if you are african american don’t do this drug until you have been tested for g6pd. Women can have the disorder but it mostly seems to appear in men.
I had to have the test before I could consider a drug for autoimmune issues. I actually tested above normal but no one paid attention or even knew what to do with that test result. They were looking for abnormally low
There are plenty of humans using it—so we should be grateful they are doing the human testing so we don’t have to....
Lol.
Or Percy..................
I didn’t see any mention of the fact ‘Methblue’ as I call it, is put into millions of people every month for MRIs. I recently had one done on my brain. When it was over I mentioned to the attending doctor that I felt odd, clear headed. I said, “After all that racket for an hour I expected to feel awful.” She smiled and said, “Kind of like a reset?” I said, “Yeah, kind-a.” She just smiled. So, I started taking it. I do feel more “clear”, and I like that.
https://x.com/bryan_johnson/status/1896679614602482042
Bryan Johnson
@bryan_johnson
·
Mar 4
To address a few comments here, ahead of sharing my dosing protocol soon, it will be low-dose, well below 1 mg/kg to minimize risks of serotonin syndrome and oxidative stress. I’m not taking any other serotonergic medications or supplements (like SSRIs or 5HTP). Also, I’ll be cycling to prevent bioaccumulation.
“So far, most of what’s known about the substance’s effects on the brain comes from studies in rats and in cells grown in a lab dish – not in people.”
I know nothing about this substance, but the proceeding statement is just plain STUPID (urinalists).
To it I say DUH!
That’s how studies are DONE! Maybe the writer should volunteer to be the human Guinee Pig for this product.
are you sure about that???????
they can give a blue injection that is Gadolinium based.
no one said anything to me about this being injected into me when I had an MRI and then had a bad reaction to it.
“Methylene blue inhibits a molecule called monoamine oxidase”
You have to be careful with MAO inhibitors. A while back I read about the wonders of Ecklonia cava extract and gave it a try.
It made me feel horrible. As it turns out Ecklonia phlorotannins are MAO inhibitors, so if in doubt ask a doctor or pharmacist.
You have to be careful with MAO inhibitors.
Limitless?
I read that it is used every day for MRIs. Thanks, I’ll ask what they used on me. I’ve had two MRIs with no ill effects.
I am in spring shape which means I took months off of training during the winter. I started Methylene Blue about 5 weeks ago.
With just a couple of workouts I was able to do 25 pullups, which before my best was 17.
Using Strava I hit the trails near my house and was able to break a 15 year record. Again I don’t expect to do such things until September or so after a good season.
My allergies are usually really bad this time of year and the first few rides lay me out for a couple of weeks after a ride. This year they are not a problem.
Also at 70 my skin is thinning so I take collagen. I still do but since the MB it is working GREAT.
Most people I’ve talked to don’t have such results with MB, but I’d like to find out if others have seen similar results...
Gadolinium issues can be cumulative. It is well known that it accumulates in your body. What is disputed is whether those deposits can cause you harm.
I suspect genetics plays a role in it.
Before your next MRI you should thoroughly research it. Make a determination if you really need the contrast. And then see what you might take to mitigate any damage.
Heisenberg?
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