Nascent Iodine in Vegetable Glycerin vs. Nascent Iodine in Alcohol

There’s been much discussion lately regarding the best form of nascent iodine — glycerin based or alcohol based? Because it’s not practical or safe to simply consume pure iodine in its elemental form, it needs to be stabilized into a extraction medium. The medium may either be alcohol or vegetable glycerin.

What’s the Difference?

The alcohol used in alcohol based nascent iodine products is simply ethanol, or grain alcohol, the same alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It needs to be remembered that alcohol is an intoxicant and may not be appropriate for everyone, especially children, recovering alcoholics or pets. Also it is important to note that most alcohol is produced from genetically modified corn.

Conversely, glycerin, also known as glycerine, glycerol, and glycerite, is commonly derived from animals. Safer, vegetable based glycerin can be derived from palm, GMO or non-GMO soy,  GMO or non-GMO corn, or other safe or potentially toxic sources. [1] It’s [amazon asin=B003I0HNCW&template=*lrc ad (left)]safe, gentle, and a very effective preservation medium that does not present any of the problems associated with alcohol consumption. When using vegetable glycerin for nascent iodine production it should be certified organic or USP grade/kosher certified.

A Brief History of Glycerin

Glycerin was first produced in the late 1700’s. Made from the saponification of fats and oils, it’s an odorless, colorless, syrupy liquid with a sweet taste. Although it has an oily texture, it’s not an oil or sugar, but in fact a triatomic alcohol. [2] One of the first things to understand is that glycerin is a fantastic moisturizer and began to be used medically around 1844 for skin diseases. Beginning in the [amazon asin=B006NCE8IE&template=*lrc ad (right)]1840′s it was used as a meat preservative. By the 1850′s it had gained recognition as one of the best general solvents and extraction mediums in existence. [2]

At a Glance: The Benefits of Vegetable Glycerin

Glycerin is a remarkable substance. It does not evaporate in air, it absorbs moisture when exposed. It does not spoil. It has an antiseptic effect on organic materials. For these reasons, it was used in the 1800′s to prevent pills from drying and becoming hard. Glycerin does not irritate the skin; conversely, it moisturizes very effectively. When applied to burns, it soothes discomfort and penetrates to deliver moisture. It’s an excellent wound dressing and was used in the 1800’s to discourage gangrene. Glycerin is a [amazon asin=0966088239&template=*lrc ad (left)]terrific emollient, and used in many bath and body products to soften the skin. When taken internally, it’s gentle and even comfortable enough to provide delivery of ulcer medications. [3]

Is Alcohol Toxic to the Body?

Alcohol provides no nutritional benefit whatsoever. In fact, research proves quite the opposite.

  • Alcohol concentrates, and is attracted to, cell membranes. When it concentrates within nerve cells it can change their function. The change in behavior is called intoxication. Intoxication comes from the latin word intoxicare, which means “to Poison”. [4]
  • The British Medical Journal published a study that linked alcohol consumption to at least 13,000 cancer cases a year in the UK. [amazon asin=098603200X&template=*lrc ad (right)][5]
  • According to BMC Immunology, alcohol impairs the body’s ability to counteract viral infections. [6]
  • Once in the body, alcohol is broken down into acetaldehyde, which is toxic and damaging to DNA. [7]
  • The Lancet published a study by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs that discovered that alcohol is three times more harmful than tobacco or cocaine and more damaging than crack or heroin. [8]

Vegetable Glycerin and Nascent Iodine

Vegetable glycerin is an extremely effective medium to hold iodine. One of the primary benefits of vegetable glycerin based nascent [amazon asin=B005S28ZES&template=*lrc ad (left)]iodine is that it takes advantage of iodine’s ability to hold an electromagnetic charge. Using a proprietary process, a mixture of glycerol-iodine is “blasted” with a pressure sensitive, high-energy, thermodynamic, electro-sound pulse — similar to a “sonic boom”. This breaks the diatomic bond of the iodine and each atom retains an electron, giving it an electromagnetic charge.

Nascent iodine is the form of iodine most easily used and absorbed by the human body and vegetable glycerin is the medium that encourages absorption the most. Using energy to break the diatomic form to create monatomic “nascent” iodine is a primary difference between nascent iodine and diatomic, or iodine/iodide products such as Lugol’s.

The benefits of monatomic nascent iodine are well known. As far back as 1926, iodine in its atomic state was called “atomodine” and accepted to be exceedingly beneficial and safe.

      “The lethal dose of Atomidine (1926 to 1935) in animals is very large, which accounts for the absence of untoward effects in clinical use. Due probably to its rapid absorption and its ready combination with harmless protein or other organic compounds in the body, iodism very rarely occurs even in sensitive persons.”

Schieffelin and Company, 1930′s

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