Methylene Blue: What The Deal With This Viral Substance?

Is it really to Dye for? Some science, pros, and cons with MB.

Introduction

With Joe Rogan mentioning methylene blue during his podcast with Mel Gibson a few months back, and then RFK Jr. seen squirting some droppers of the blue liquid into a glass of water during a flight, methylene blue has become a viral sensation on the internet.

What’s the hype over this substance? Is there any research to back it up? And what can it do for the human brain and body? Within this article we will dive into these questions, discussing what it can do, what it can’t do, and the cautions to keep in mind with methylene blue.

Click image to view Conscious Strength Methylene Blue

Discovering Methylene Blue

I first heard about methylene blue (MB) in January 2024 while speaking at the Badlands Media “Great American Restoration Tour” conference in Irvine, California. An attendee approached and, knowing I am interested in health related topics and own a health/supplement brand, asked me if I had ever heard of methylene blue.

I’ve been in the supplements and general wellness industry for about 15 years now, and have come across many obscure herbs and compounds - but this one was surprisingly new to me.

She explained the basics of methylene blue and told me that this particular dye is far different than the synthetic food dyes out there, so not to be scared by that. I was intrigued, so I purchased a bottle to give it a shot.

My Personal Experience Using It

The bottle sat in my supplement cupboard for a few months - I wanted to have the time to get into a consistent routine with my dieting and supplementation where the MB was the only addition I was making, thus able to tell whether it was working or not.

I finally cracked open the bottle and gave it a whirl. For my first dose, I only did 5 drops. The serving size on the bottle said 20 drops, which would have equaled a 10mg dosage of Methylene Blue, but I wanted to start easy with it.

Some people put the drops into water or juice and ingest it through the drink to make it more palatable, but I’m not one who is too concerned about the taste of whatever I’m taking. I put those drops in the back of my throat and swallowed down.

Note - the taste is a little funky, it doesn’t bother me, but it does bother some people out there, so the water/juice method may be better for them. Also, it is a HIGHLY staining substance. If taking straight, it’s best to get those drops as far back in the throat as possible, for it will cause your tongue to turn blue for a little while. Definitely try not to get the drops on your teeth. And DON’T for the life of you spill any drops of MB on your clothes or countertops!

Effects I Felt

I was impressed, within an hour or two I felt a noticeable difference in mental energy and vitality. Not a caffeine-like energy, but an overall increase in cognitive speed and thought clarity. And yes, it did turn my pee blue/green.

It’s NOT For Everyone

When used at proper doses, methylene blue is generally safe, but it can have side effects like blue skin discoloration (cyanosis), nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and in rare cases, can cause serotonin syndrome if combined with certain antidepressants due to its weak MAO inhibitor properties.

If one is using medication that targets Serotonin or Dopamine receptors in the brain (this could include supplements or herbs, along with pharmaceutical medication), I would urge extra caution and research to determine whether methylene blue is right for you. I would suggest against using MB if taking anti-depressants or other neuro-chemical targeting medication.

And if you are a first time user, I would suggest starting light, maybe 5-6 drops (which would equal about 2-3mg of MB) or even less, for starting out. From personal experience, I have come across hundreds of people who take or have taken MB, and have heard of maybe two or three people who didn’t like it, about 1-2%.

I don’t take it everyday myself, only on long days where I know I’ll need the extra mental energy. So maybe 2 or 3 days out of the week - although everyone is different with different needs, wants, and tolerances.

Methylene Blue Backstory

Methylene blue is a synthetic compound with a variety of uses in medicine, biology, and chemistry. Methylene blue was first synthesized all the way back in 1876 by Heinrich Caro, often said to be one of the first synthetic medicines made by man, and has since found numerous applications beyond its initial use in textiles. It is on World Health Organization’s “List of Essential Medicines”.

The proper chemical name is methylthioninium chloride, formula C16H18ClN3S, and is a dark green, odorless powder that dissolves in water to form a blue solution, hence its name.

In medicine, it's used as a stain in medical laboratories for examining cells or tissues under a microscope, helping to differentiate between living and dead cells or to highlight specific structures within cells, and aids in the diagnosis of various diseases.

Other Applications

Methylene blue is used as an antidote in cases of methemoglobinemia, where hemoglobin is oxidized to methemoglobin, which cannot effectively bind oxygen. Methylene blue converts methemoglobin back into hemoglobin, thus restoring oxygen-carrying capacity.

Historically, it was used for its antimalarial properties, though it's less common now due to better alternatives.

There's emerging research on methylene blue's potential benefits in neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease due to its ability to reduce tau protein aggregation and enhance mitochondrial function.

It's also used in aquariums to treat fungal infections, parasites, and as an antiseptic.

Sciencey Stuff About How MB Works For Our Health

Pubmed has some fairly intriguing studies explaining more in depth about how Methylene Blue works in the body to enhance our cells use of electrons for energy, leading to it’s antioxidant potential and support for brain health.

“Such characteristics allow MB to work as a catalytic redox cycler in mitochondria, promoting cytochrome oxidase activity and ATP production. MB also decreases the production of ROS via bypassing Complex I/III activity. MB receives electrons from NADH through Complex I, converting to leucoMB. LeucoMB can directly transfer these electrons to cytochrome c, re-oxidized to MB. Therefore, MB has the potential to protect cells against oxidative stress under pathological conditions.”

“One of these studies showed that brain cytochrome oxidase activity after MB treatment was about 70% higher than in the control group, and the overall mnemonic capacity during discrimination learning was improved. These effects were accompanied by long-lasting mitochondrial respiratory function. Another study showed that MB could prevent memory impairment in rats with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. With functional imaging in the human brain, it was shown that MB could modulate task-related and resting-state neural networks. Therefore, MB has the potential to protect cognition against accelerated aging.”

"Interestingly, when MB was compared with common antioxidants used in skincare, including vitamin C and retinol (vitamin A), MB-treated skin cells outperformed both of them significantly in terms of promoting cell proliferation and reducing age-related markers…..MB can facilitate wound healing. During aging, the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts are often decreased, and collagen and elastin in the ECM are degraded. Therefore, the repair capabilities of the skin decline due to structural and functional changes. Our study indicated that MB treatment could promote fibroblast migration and proliferation in the wound healing process.”

Basically, it looks like MB helps our cells burn electrons more efficiently to create ATP - the fuel our mitochondria burns as energy - and since MB can cross the blood brain barrier, it can help the cells in our brain and nervous system enhance their ATP production.

Conclusion

Methylene blue shows incredible potential for brain health, antioxidant capacity, and anti-aging purposes, though it’s not a “necessary” nutritional supplement, but an addition that may or may not be helpful. Further research may be needed to make sure it’s right for you, and if deciding to take it, ease into it slowly and carefully. Myself and many others have found that it helps with our mental energy and focus, and some have found that it works very well for use on the skin, as well.

Methylene blue is not something I suggest as a cure all, magic product, or end-all-be-all for someone’s health regimen, BUT I do think it could offer great benefit for some people.

It’s fairly interesting how long methylene blue has been around the healthcare industry, but only until recently did people realize that it can be purchased as a supplement and experimented with for personal wellness use.

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