Healthy shopping: Where to buy DMSO

Wondering where you can get DMSO? Joanna Evans tracks down pharmaceutical-grade products

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a sulfurous byproduct of wood processing with extraordinary healing powers, from relieving pain to easing the side effects of chemotherapy.

It’s best to consult with a qualified practitioner if you’d like to try it for yourself, but here’s a quick guide to what to look for when buying DMSO, plus some pure DMSO products available online in the US and UK. Just keep in mind that DMSO is not approved for general therapeutic use in either country, so it’s sold by these companies for solvent purposes only.

What to look for

Pharmaceutical-grade purity. DMSO should be 99.9 percent pure or greater. Make sure it’s been filtered and purified for human medical applications. Industrial-grade DMSO may contain impurities not safe for human use.

Glass packaging. As plastics chemicals can leach from packaging into the product inside, a glass bottle is best.

No added ingredients. If you want a pure, undiluted DMSO product, make sure it’s just DMSO on the label and nothing else. If you’d prefer a ready-to-use diluted product, check there are no unnecessary ingredients added, like fragrances or colorings. Ready-to-use formulas are often diluted with distilled water or aloe vera.

Products to try

US

Biogenic Foods
Highest Purity Grade DMSO, $27.99 (4 oz)
biogenicfoods.com

This pharmaceutical-grade DMSO, manufactured in the USA, is 99.999 percent pure, which means it has less than 0.001 percent contaminants and moisture. It’s available in five sizes; the largest comes in a jug made of high-density polyethylene (a plastic that won’t leach into it), but the rest are sold in amber glass bottles.

UK

Regency Organics
Super Pure DMSO, £10.99 (50 mL)
regencyorganics.co.uk

Claimed to be the best DMSO currently available in the UK—and recommended by WDDTY editorial panel member Dr Sarah Myhill—this pure DMSO is made to exacting standards and is mainly used in the manufacture of medicines. It has a guaranteed purity of over 99.9 percent and is available in various-sized amber glass bottles (as well as high-density polyethylene for larger sizes).

DMSO gels, made with remineralized water and/or aloe vera, and ready-to-use (prediluted) DMSO liquid products are also available from Regency Organics.

US and UK

Dr. Moran’s
DMSO Pharmaceutical Grade, $32.90/£27.99 (8.45 oz / 250 mL)
drmorans.com

Made in Germany in line with high safety standards, this pharmaceutical-grade DMSO is 99.9 percent pure according to the European Pharmacopoeia. It comes in an amber glass bottle to prevent damage from sunlight. But note that it has a Teflon-lined plastic cap.

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