Monograph: |
METHYL-SULFONYL-METHANE (M.S.M.)
Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane (M.S.M.) is an organic sulfur
compound which is a metabolite of dimethyl-
sulfoxide (D.M.S.O.). It is a white, odorless, slightly
bitter tasting, crystalline substance, which
contains 34 percent elemental sulfur. It is easily soluble
in water. Its chemical formula is (DH3)2S02.
It has been suggested by Lovelock and his associate's that
M.S.M. and its related compounds
D.M.S.O. and D.M.S.(dimethyl-sulfide) provide 85 percent of
the sulfur found in all living organisms.
The cycle of these naturally occurring sulfur compounds
begins in the ocean where microscopic
plankton release sulfur compounds called dimethyl-sulfonium
salts. These salts are transformed in
the ocean into the very volatile compound D.M.S. which
escapes from the water as a gas which
rises into the upper atmosphere. Exposed to ozone and high
energy ultraviolet light the D.M.S. is
converted to D.M.S.O. and M.S.M. Both the D.M.S.O. and
M.S.M. are very soluble in water and
they return to the surface of the earth in rain water.
Plants then take up the two compounds into
their root systems concentrating them up to one hundred
fold. M.S.M. (sulfur) is incorporated into
the plant structure. Through the process of plant metabolism
the M.S.M., along with the other
sulfur compounds it has spawned, are ultimately mineralized
and transported back to the ocean
and the sulfur cycle begins again.
M.S.M. is found naturally in the human body. It occurs in
the blood and in other organs and has
been detected in normal human urine. The level of M.S.M. in
the circulatory system of an adult
human male is about 0.2 parts per million. Normal human
adults excrete from four to eleven
milligrams M.S.M. per day in their urine. Experiments using
radiolabled sulfur (S35) in M.S.M.
have shown that after ingestion the sulfur in M.S.M. helps
form the essential amino acids methionine
and cysteine.
M.S.M. is rated as one of the least toxic substances in
biology, similar in toxicity to water. The
lethal dose (LD50) of M.S.M. for mice is over 20 grams per
kilogram of body weight. Hundreds of
patients have been treated at the Oregon Health Sciences
University with oral M.S.M. at levels
above two grams daily for many years without serious
toxicity. Since sulfur is found to be needed
for the formation of connective tissue, M.S.M. has been
studied for its use in treating arthritis of
various types. Sulfur concentration in arthritic cartilage
has been shown to be about one-third
the level compared to normal cartilage. in addition, the
amino acid cystine has been noted to be
diminished in arthritic patients.
Personal communication with Stanley Jacob, M.D., Gerlinger
Professor, Department of Surgery,
Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon,
substantiated his personal experiences us-
ing M.S.M. in the treatment of patients with degenerative
(osteoarthritis) arthritis.
Dosage
Patients were instructed to take two capsules on an empty stomach
in the A.M. after arising and
one capsule before lunch. This constituted a 2250 milligram dose
of LIGNISUL msm daily.
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