Much of the information regarding the efficacy of MSM is in anecdotal form. This article will review available scientific information on this product including background, chemical activity, dosage and toxicity levels, and currently known applications. Found extensively in nature, DMSO has analgesic properties, works as an anti-inflammatory, stimulates synthesis of growth hormone, and also has a bacteriostatic effect 7 . MSM is an odorless, virtually tasteless, white crystalline substance. The important portion of MSM is the sulfur component.
Sulfur is necessary for the proper formation of proteins.
One of the essential components in all life forms, sulfur is involved in amino acid production, connective tissue, hair, hide and hooves, enzymes, hormones and immunoglobulins 4 . For example, though present in measurable quantities in alfalfa, legume forage, it is almost non-detectable in dried hay 5,13 . The major difference between suggesting supplementation with methionine or MSM is that methionine has well-defined toxicity levels, while MSM has been compared to water regarding toxic levels. This will be discussed further along in this article. The effects of MSM are thought to be from the intact molecule, acting as a sulfur donor to repair and restore damaged covalent disulfide bonds and in sulfhydral groups that are part of enzymes 5 .