The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
H2O2 Side Effects
Posted by Everett (Orlando, Fl Usa) on 06/30/2012

I started taking h2o2 4 mos ago. Started with 3 drops in 8 oz distilled water, and built up to 25 drops 2 x daily. I continue to take the 25 drops 2xdaily. I am 74 years old, 5' 10", 155 lbs, non smoker, work out every day, eat healthy, and on no prescription medication. I have fought cancer since '01 with diet, exercise, and rife machines, also had tuberculosis in '62 with moderate advanced case, hospitalized 4 months, was completely cured and no relapses.
Since taking HP for approx 4 months total, I have had painful boils, and cold and flu like symptoms, but the symptoms have escalated in the last 9 days. I have developed a deep cough, sore throat, very low energy almost like I have a virus or flu bug and can do very little work which I'm normally pretty high energy.
I do not throw up or have any intestinal discomfort. I have no fever, no sinus irritation. But a terrible nagging cough for 9 days. I purchased a Vicks Warm Mist humidifier yesterday to see if it will make me feel better, and stop the coughing, return my energy level.
Do I have a toxic build up? What would you suggest to get my energy back??
Everett
Cancer
Posted by Lou (Aransas Pass, Tx) on 03/27/2012
Hi. I started with the max dose for the first 3 weeks, remember that I was told I had very little time left so I do not advise this for most people as it can make you very sick. But right after that, I took 5 drops in 6 ounces of distilled water 3 times a day. Every day add one more drop. Do not eat anything for 2 hours before you take it or one hour after, it can cause nausea. After 2 months you can cut it down if you want to 1 or 2 times a week, depends on how you feel. I could not find it in my area so I order it from ebay, I ordered the 17 percent, it can be sent it regular mail. Hope I answered your questions, if not email again. I'm feeling better, even my sinus is not as bad as it has been in the last 8 years. Good luck! Lou
Cancer
Posted by Bugginout (Akron, Oh) on 05/24/2012
Hi all, I was going through the many posts regarding food grade hydrogen peroxide H2O2. I found a site called "Educate - Yourself" at
http://educate-yourself.org/cancer/benefitsofhydrogenperozide17jul03.shtml
There is additional useful information there some written by a Dr. David G. Williams. It gives the exact instructions, warnings, and dosages, etc. for taking the food grade hydrogen peroxide. Best of luck to everyone and good health!
Arthritis
Posted by Ken (Illinois) on 07/02/2020
H2O2 Side Effects
Posted by Sunny (Chennai, India) on 09/24/2010

Hi Ted
This is Sunny from India. I am a 35 year old woman with two kids aged 7 and 31/2 years. After my second son is born I got severe hyper pigmentation and Melasma and also my immunity came down and I put on 10 kg s of weight. I get frequent colds and cough which are so severe that I used to be on bed for at least two days a week. Then I saw Earth clinic and started Food Grade H2O2 therapy and also Baking Soda. I am using right now from past four months and I want to stop now as my sicknesses came down drastically. But one side effect is that my face and neck has turned to almost black after I started using H2O2 and Baking Soda. In a country where skin color and complexion is given predominant importance I am not even able to step out of the house. I tried many cosmetic treatments like laser, peels which only further aggravated my problem. They told me to avoid working with computer as it sends UV rays and increases pigmentation. They gave me many suggestions to avoid sun through windows also at home, avoid going out in the car too in daylight even with sunscreen. These are so impractical for my lifestyle and anyhow I am avoiding direct sun exposure. My rest of the body is a shade better as usual but it is also darkened a little after using H2O2. Only my face, neck and feet are very hyper pigmentated. So my now only hope is alternative and folk remedies. So Ted please help me why all this happened. Does H2O2 aggravate hyper pigmentation? Now my only help is YOU. So please reply at your earliest convenience. Thank you
Kind Regards
Sunny
Broad Benefits
Posted by Terry (Aloha, Oregon/ Usa) on 09/05/2009
★★★★★
I have had some bad breath and chronic fatigue for quite a few years. I was just trying everything I could think of . The doctors were of no use. I used a cap full of drug store hydrogen peroxide to brush my tongue. I was pleasantly surprised to find my chronic fatigue was greatly reduced in just days. I have only been using it for about three weeks. I recently got some food grade which I reduced to 3%. I am going to start taking it by spray since I have asthma. The asthma seems a bit better just from the little bit I have used to brush my tongue. Oh yeah , the first night It was hard to go to sleep. I didn't know that this is a common effect.
Dental Care
Posted by Mel (Garner, NC) on 08/01/2008
★★★★★
I have been brushing my teeth with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda for years, especially since new information is out about the harmful effects of flouride.
For those who have been warning that hydrogen peroxide should not be taken orally, why is it that so many over-the-counter toothpastes now advertise hydrogen peroxide as a beneficial ingredient?
Keep up the good work EC!
Wounds
Posted by Zo (Pattaya, Chonburi) on 06/24/2022
★★★★★
I don't believe in changing guidelines. Thank God old remedies that have been proved to be successful are still in use. Family history tells me HP is a potent tool in healthcare. I don't trust any industry driven decisions.
Candida
Posted by Chw777 (Atlanta, GA) on 04/06/2014
No, no, no. You do not dilute the 35% down to 3%. You dilute the 35% by putting drops into 6 ounces of water. THe 3% is only for the spray method that Bill Munroe does.
Ear and Sinus Issues
Posted by Anonymous (USA) on 09/25/2007
★★★★★
Just wanted to let you know that I started the H202, treatments tonight. I have been told that I have COPD. I have so many medicines around the house it is depressing. But this is about my ears. Since March I have been dealing with a hyper sensitivity to sound, smells etc. This manifested itself in the form of my entire body vibrating in response to noise. After days of the vibrating for 24 hrs a day for 6 days I was on the edge of sanity. I thought I was reacting to an external source, like a generator or something like that. I met with some friends and I was telling them about what was happening. One of them asked if I might have an inner ear infection. WOW, I never would have guess that. As it turns out, I do have an infection in the left ear canal. I was trying to find something on vibrating when I saw something on HP. I went to your site and read most of the responses. I was in such bad shape and I couldn't get in to see the doctor and no money for an emergency room visit, so, I decided to "go for it".
First I created a bowl of water, mixed 3%, over the counter peroxide in, then I used the cap to pour it up my nose. It burned since I didn't have distilled water at that time. Using the distilled water won't sting. Within 5 mins. the vibrations had stopped. I was able to breathe through my left nostril for the first time in months. Then I pored some in my left ear. I experienced vertigo, never had that before. But, it did tell me I was dealing with an ear infection. The vibrations stopped. It has been 24 hrs since I started the treatments. When the vibrating starts, I know it's time for another dose.
I also created the spray for my throat and added some to my water. It is amazing how much clearer my airways are. I can also see a very small improvement in my vision. I've been told that I need cataract surgery. Hopefully all of this will help that clear up some too. And! I have had a hugh reduction in my desire for a cigarette. I've smoked 15 cigs. today, whereas I normally smoke 2 packs. I just haven't wanted one. Amazing. I believe the infection is coming from a tooth, so I've also started rising my mouth with HP. At least it is giving me some relief until I can get to the doctor. I will continue use and I will keep you posted. I'm also passing your web address to family and friends. Hopefully they will check you out. Thank you so much for your site and I am so grateful for all the people who have taken the time to share the experiences.
Bad Breath
Posted by Jean (Los Angeles, Calif) on 07/09/2007
★★★★★
I use drug store hydrogen peroxide full strength as a mouth wash to fight bacteria......cavities.
Sun Spots
Posted by Janine (Atlanta, GA) on 07/01/2007
★★★★☆
I have started to use H202 on the brown sun spots on my left cheek after reading on Earth Clinic that it would fade them. Last night was the 2nd night. I took a cotton ball and soaked it in h202 and then held it to the area for about 15 minutes. Can report that after 2 nights they look like they are fading. Will report back.
Broad Benefits
Posted by BERNADETTE (ROCKWOOD, MICHIGAN) on 03/21/2007
★★★★★
I use the 3% peroxide in my humidifier, which keeps it clean and perhaps improves the air. Also I have been using it in my ears for years.When my ears are bothering me, I get dizzy, this takes it away. I asked the pharmicist years ago if I could drink a little and he said a quarter cap, there was nothing in it to harm you. A half cap causes a little headache for a minute. I taste it in my coffee (decaf). I put some in my dad's water with some aloe vera juice and he drank it. He sure felt better.He was very ill, and is perking up, so I am going to keep it up.
Fountain of Youth
Posted by Rhonda (San Antonio, TX) on 03/11/2007
★★★★★
Many years ago I met a man whom I mistook for a high school boy, he was actually in his 40's. He told me about a 6% hydrogen peroxide solution he made by mixing food grade hydrogen peroxide with aloe very gel. He told me how to mix it (I don't remember now) and to rub it onto the entire body (except face) 20 or 30 min before shower, daily. I did this for a while and noticed many improvements in my appearance as well as energy levels, however I got busy with life and forgot after a while. Now I'm told by the local health food store where I once bought it that they no longer sell the food grade hydrogen peroxide because it is illegal now? Is this true or is there still places this food grade peroxide can be purchased?
Emphysema
Posted by S (Los Angeles, CA) on 11/28/2006
★★★★★
Hydrogen peroxide diluted with water and also the inhaling method cured my emphysema; wow what a difference in an hour and half or so... very chronic for about week, could hardly breath.
Gingivitis
Posted by Samuel (Florissant, MO) on 11/27/2006
★★★★★
I have used hydrogen peroxide for more than 40 years. My first encounter was from my dentist. I had the trench mouth and he told me to gargle with hydrogen peroxide. I have been using ever since. I would really like more information on hydrogen peroxide uses.
EC: Trench mouth is a painful form of gingivitis. The term "trench mouth" comes from WWI, when painful bacterial infection and ulceration of the gums was common among soldiers.
Earth Clinic Report
Posted by Baynurse (Sausalito) on 01/27/2017
Maybe she used chlorinated water instead of distilled. Chloride and peroxide are no Bueno! it causes a bad reaction, like bleach n ammonia!
Earth Clinic Report
Posted by Mahatma Muhjesbude (Wisconsin) on 02/18/2018
Straight 35% food grade h202 that you can only get delivered by UPS because it's considered a hazardous oxidizer as in 'rocket fuel' so the post office won't handle it... could kill you if you tried to drink a glass full of it. And would certainly put you in the hospital for a while with a burned throat and who knows what else internal organs?
If you buy a bottle of 35% food grade (the least tainted with other chemical additives made for different industrial uses) if you take a drop right out of the bottle and drop it on the top of your skin on your hand, it will turn white and begin to 'burn' the skin into a blister and then a wound, which will heal cleanly at least.
I believe there are some topical applications, for some kinds of warts or skin diseases/cancers where full 35% concentration is used... but NOT for ingestion.
You take a couple drops of the 35% right out of the bottle and into your glass of purified drinking water, stir it up and that should be a daily o2 bloodstream oxygen maintainer if you use the finger oxygen/pulse meter. Then for sicknesses, you work it up adding a drop a day until you reach about 25 drops which you stay on for a few days and then reverse the sequence cutting back slowly.
By then you should be feeling (they have a clinical name for this) a little tired and maybe flu-like for a few days which will be the dead illness bacteria cells/virus toxins being eliminated and flushed from your system.
Toothache and Tooth Abcess
Posted by Carolyn (Tx) on 01/13/2015
★★★★★
Use only 3%. Dilute by adding 5 tablespoons to 1 quart or 32 oz of distilled water. It works wonders for just about everything that ails you.
It cured my cat with feline aids.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Ricardo (Denver, CO)
★★★★★
I've been using hydrogen peroxide for oral hygiene my entire adult life with no mouth disease, cavities, and sparkling clean teeth. I was concerned because I was feeling a pain in my left ventricle (I think), perhaps from stress and/or lifelong consumption of animal fat although I'm in pretty good shape for 45 yrs old. I felt that 3% store grade was ok and began inhaling it using an old perfume spray bottle. After only one week of therapy, the pain in my heart has gone away, my joints feel better, my muscles aren't sore anymore, and I don't feel like taking a nap during the day.
Warnings
Posted by Susan (USA)
FOOD GRADE WARNINGS:
04/18/2006: John from Sault Ste Marie, MI writes, "I'd be very wary of recommending that anyone use 35% hydrogen peroxide unless they've had HAZMAT training or the equivalent. At that concentration H2O2 is extremely corrosive and causes severe burns; in other words, it's a very hazardous chemical that even professional chemists (and I am one) must handle using appropriate safety equipment (rubber gloves, safety goggles, protective lab coat). I know this from experience because I was badly burned by 35% H2O2 while carrying out chemistry research. It's irresponsible to imply that this stuff is harmless and to recommend it to people who have no experience handling hazardous materials."
04/10/2009: David from Tampa, FL writes, "I have used food grade H2O for years and if you do spill it on yourself just rinse with water for a few minutes - it will turn your skin white and it is temporary and there is no prolonged damage. Yes, you do have to be careful but not afraid."
EARTH CLINIC'S ADDITIONAL WARNING NOTE:
Please be very careful when transporting food grade hydrogen peroxide after the bottle has been opened. Make sure you keep the bottle upright. Once the seal has been removed upon opening, these caps can leak. Food grade will cause the skin to burn and turn white. Yes, we learned the hard way! Luckily, skin will return to normal after 30 minutes or less if you rinse off the peroxide quickly. By the way, the same whitening of skin effect happens when you dip your fingertips in drugstore 3% H202 for a minute or more. It too goes away within 30 minutes...
Warnings
Posted by Maria (London, Uk) on 04/24/2012
I would recommend to take enormous amounts of a wide spectrum of probiotics daily when taking something that kills off bacteria in the gut.
A low gut flora, or an imbalanced gut flora can cause pretty much any health problem you can imagine. I just finished reading a book about it, written by a professor in Immunology at University of Michigan Department of Immunology (top 10). It's called The Probiotic Revolution. Author Dr. Huggnagel. It makes you never want to take antibiotics ever again, unless it's a matter of life and death.
Since hydrogen peroxide kills off your gut flora, it could cause horrific problems, especially if you had a vulnerable gut flora to begin with.
Always take probiotics 2 hours after taking something that kills your intestinal good bacteria.
Warnings
Posted by Swhit (Los Angeles, Ca) on 06/04/2012
To Yannick, This site
http://drinkh2o2.com/ has very good info about H202 and will explain what is going on.
Warnings
Posted by Kate (Raleigh, Nc) on 06/17/2012 6 posts
Yannick: Were you using 35% Food Grade H2O2 in your water? I'm 5' 2 1/2" and weigh 113 pounds. I'm taking 35% Food Grade H2O2 in an 8oz glass of water three times a day. Today, I reached 18 drops of 35% Food Grade H2O2 in a glass of water. I got pretty queasy for about 45 minutes after my first glass this morning. It was really uncomfortable, but after 45 minutes, I felt perfectly fine. The second glass I had today didn't make me feel quite so queasy although it was still uncomfortable. Again, though, I felt perfectly fine after 45 minutes. So, I wonder what kind of H2O2 you're using. Please let us know.
Warnings
Posted by Christine (British Columbia) on 02/05/2017
Hi Kate...when you take it 3 times a day, is it on an empty stomach? I am going to put a few drops into the water bowl for my dog, Zeus. He has lumps throughout his body. I've been treating him with Stem Cell supplements with some success, but want to try the food grade H2O2 in his water (well water). I am going to start taking it as well as my body hurts from arthritis. Any suggestions from you or anyone please?
Christine
Warnings
Posted by Larry (Fairfax, Va) on 01/06/2016
Food grade hydrogen peroxide is available at 3% concentration; it is certainly much safer to handle than the 35% version. Some health food stores carry it, including Whole Foods - DS
H2O2 Side Effects
Posted by Art (California) on 02/18/2023 2715 posts
Diane,
Regarding your question of whether inhalation of hydrogen peroxide(HP) can cause opacities of the lungs, the answer is yes, HP inhalation can cause them as outlined in the following research paper link below. I know it is not a popular opinion on EC and I have not previously brought it up for that reason, but you specifically asked the question and HP is a potent oxidant and when inhaled, it can do damage and much more than just opacities as further described in this 2019 research link about case reports :
https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/global-literature-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/resource/pt/covidwho-1277219
Here is a relevant quote :
' Chronic inhalation of hydrogen peroxide is described in case reports as causing interstitial lung disease with radiographic images demonstrating septal line thickening, honeycombing, and traction bronchiectasis with associated ground glass opacification. '
I think it is important not to use too strong of a percent of HP solution and not to do it for too long because of the potent oxidative potential of HP. In the case report described, the patient had only used the HP inhalation for about a week.
Art
Colds and Flu
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 04/10/2021
Hydrogen Peroxide Tips
Posted by Barb (Canada) on 04/05/2015
★★★★★
Hydrogen Peroxide must be taken on an empty stomach. Take 1 hour before you eat..
Allergies
Posted by Joanvirginia (Chantilly, Va) on 11/04/2014
★★★★★
I read somewhere that hydrogen peroxide helps seasonal allergies. When my ears get plugged or my nose gets stuffy in the change of seasons, I put a drop of H2O2 in a glass of water, three times a day. I increase it by a drop until I'm taking 3 drops 3 times a day. It's amazing and prevents me from needing OTC decongestants.