DIY Iodized Oil

[Captain_Coconut]

I am sharing this here because I could not find the information anywhere on the net.

I received elemental iodine today. I went ahead and started to experiment to see how I could make iodized oil. After playing around for a while the best method I could come up with is as follows:

1 tbsp rice bran oil
300mg elemental iodine
1 microwave safe mug you don’t mind staining

Combine oil and iodine in mug, cover mug with paper towel. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Take out and stir. (Be safe it is very hot, use hot mits.) The oil will become dark black, and then later a clear light amber. You may need to microwave for longer, if so put back in for 1 minute, then take out and examine. If it is still dark black you likely haven’t heated it enough yet.

The oil needs to reach around 170 celsius, at which point the iodine should attach to the double bonds in the oil to create a iodolipid / iodostearic acid.

Once it is done, allow to cool. The end product should be tasteless. If you taste iodine it has not been done completely.

I attempted to do 1 gram of iodine in 2 tbsp oil, but did not have luck. For some reason 300mg and 1 tbsp was the sweet spot I found, which produces a very clear end product. I am not sure why full saturation is not possible with this method, doing this outside of a lab has it’s limits. The iodized oil on the market all has been combined with ethyl esters of pufa in some process which allows full saturation, which I think entails allowing the iodine to enter it’s gas phase before it is passed through the oil. Or they do a sort of process where Lugol’s is mixed in, and then the potassium iodate is somehow filtered out.

I also tried my DIY method with extra virgin olive oil but the oil started smoking before the iodine could reach the needed temperature.

I am planning to supplement this oil in the equiv of 1 gram iodine every three months or so. I am convinced from various literature that it is far safer and more effective than Lugol’s mega dosing.

I consumed 300mg iodine this way a couple hours ago, feeling very fine at the moment. I will report back with my findings in the months to come.

 

[Makrosky]

Could you please share your basis for saying it is safer than Lugol? I-m always interested in anything related to iodine.

Why do you think lugol is not safe and the oil is?

Btw did you know that the more potassium iodide you take, the more elemental iodine you can take without having detox reactions?

I.e. You can have 200mg (not mcg) of I2 without any detox reaction if you also take 600mg of KI.

I have taken 1gr KI and 200mg of I2 daily for weeks with no detox reactions. Only I think I started to get estrogen/stress reaction because at that time I didn't know RP and I didn't know that ramping up the metabolism needs lots of fuel. Btw such high doses are not needed. I think if one follows RP lifestyle you won't need big doses.

I want to start using iodine again when I'm back home.

 

[Ras]

I have iodized vitamin e mixed with olive oil by mixing it with iodine trichloride dissolved in water and shaking vigorously many times; it becomes black. I want to try iodizing vitamin e alone - I wonder if it will have curious effects.

 

[Doublecapricorn]

Where to you buy the elemental iodine?

 

[Captain_Coconut]

Where to you buy the elemental iodine?

Amazon

 

[Captain_Coconut]

Could you please share your basis for saying it is safer than Lugol? I-m always interested in anything related to iodine.

Why do you think lugol is not safe and the oil is?

Btw did you know that the more potassium iodide you take, the more elemental iodine you can take without having detox reactions?

I.e. You can have 200mg (not mcg) of I2 without any detox reaction if you also take 600mg of KI.

I have taken 1gr KI and 200mg of I2 daily for weeks with no detox reactions. Only I think I started to get estrogen/stress reaction because at that time I didn't know RP and I didn't know that ramping up the metabolism needs lots of fuel. Btw such high doses are not needed. I think if one follows RP lifestyle you won't need big doses.

I want to start using iodine again when I'm back home.

It is like taking in the storage form of iodine. You can take a large dose but it is not all released right away, it instead goes to the cell walls where it is slowly released - more on an as needed basis. The biologocal half life may be around 6 months. Lugol's half life is around 2 days. I theorize that taking iodized oil corrects iodine deficiency in a matter of days, where as daily Lugol’s can take many months to correct.

 

[Pointless]

So have you noticed any effects within a few days of starting the iodized oil?

 

[Captain_Coconut]

So have you noticed any effects within a few days of starting the iodized oil?

It gave me a runny nose for a few hours the following day after taking the 300mg in iodized oil form. However I was having trouble breathing through my nose for a few days previous to this. Since then I have been breathing better through my nose. Otherwise I feel normal, temperature is 98.6 most of the day.

 

[Pointless]

Interesting. Please keep us updated.

 

[Makrosky]

I see a problem with that approach... how are you going to manage the l-selenomethionine intake (200-400mcg daily) that is mandatory for iodine supplementation?

 

[Captain_Coconut]

I see a problem with that approach... how are you going to manage the l-selenomethionine intake (200-400mcg daily) that is mandatory for iodine supplementation?

Simple. I take selenium several times a week. I took it daily for the first half of this year, it has a very long 100+ day half life.

 

[Makrosky]

Simple. I take selenium several times a week. I took it daily for the first half of this year, it has a very long 100+ day half life.

Oh ok, in that case I think is fine.

 

[Ras]

Where to you buy the elemental iodine?

I purchased iodine prills from a Chinese seller on eBay. You can find elemental iodine by searching for iodine crystals, and/or prills.

 

[Amazoniac]

Captain, I'm having a hard time understanding this and I might be wrong but it doesn't seem a good idea. The first concern is because the process requires you to use unsaturated fats. Then, you choose an oil that's 35% PUFA, heat it using high temperatures for 2 minutes just to hopefully react some iodine with it? Have you tried heating the oil alone to know what happens in terms of color without iodine? Because I would defecate my pants even more so if it darkens by itself after heat, perhaps it oxidizes before having a chance to react; or when iodine reacts, it's with degradation products.

Unrelated but might interest you regardless of your skin color:
- Determination of the Iodine Value of Selected Oils: An Experiment Combining FTIR Spectroscopy with Iodometric Titrations
- Obtaining the Iodine Value of Various Oils via Bromination with Pyridinium Tribromide

 

[Captain_Coconut]

Captain, I'm having a hard time understanding this and I might be wrong but it doesn't seem a good idea. The first concern is because the process requires you to use unsaturated fats. Then, you choose an oil that's 35% PUFA, heat it using high temperatures for 2 minutes just to hopefully react some iodine with it? Have you tried heating the oil alone to know what happens in terms of color without iodine? Because I would defecate my pants even more so if it darkens by itself after heat, perhaps it oxidizes before having a chance to react; or when iodine reacts, it's with degradation products.

Unrelated but might interest you regardless of your skin color:
- Determination of the Iodine Value of Selected Oils: An Experiment Combining FTIR Spectroscopy with Iodometric Titrations
- Obtaining the Iodine Value of Various Oils via Bromination with Pyridinium Tribromide

The rice bran oil on its own stays stable and clear at higher temps than my microwave can produce in 2 minutes. No smoke, no rancid smell, it is also high in antioxidants so it is not possible to achieve oxidation without higher heat and longer exposure. The finished oil tastes neutral. The smoke point of rice bran oil is some 100 celcius higher than what this process calls for.

 

[Amazoniac]

The rice bran oil on its own stays stable and clear at higher temps than my microwave can produce in 2 minutes. No smoke, no rancid smell, it is also high in antioxidants so it is not possible to achieve oxidation without higher heat and longer exposure. The finished oil tastes neutral.

That's still 5 g of unnecessary PUFA far from full iodine reaction with the risk of being damaged. Coconut oil for example would require at least 1 gram for that, for rice bran is 14 g, but your best results were with 0.3 g. I don't think it's worth it but I'm willing to change my mind.

 

[rei]

When i put lugol's in olive oil there is certainly some reaction taking place, a very distinct smell results that i cannot associate with something i can name.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

When i put lugol's in olive oil there is certainly some reaction taking place, a very distinct smell results that i cannot associate with something i can name.

I have noticed that smell too. Very familiar to me as well but cannot place it!

 

[Amazoniac]

In terms of degradation of PUFA, it depends on the degree of unsaturation and various other factors like antioxidant content, purity (iodine might introduce impurities), temperature, and so on. But sometimes it can be detected as soon as excitation begins.

Stability of oils heated by microwave: UV-spectrophotometric evaluation​

Even if we assume that nothing was damaged in the process, those 5-6 g of PUFA are nearly all linoleic acid and managing to use only 0.3 g when at least 14 g must be required for full saturation is not great, a lot remains unreacted. Then, with the idea that it's safer this way for being a storage form, you're essentially using linoleic acid as vehicle for poorly reacted iodine.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

In terms of degradation of PUFA, it depends on the degree of unsaturation and various other factors like antioxidant content, purity (iodine might introduce impurities), temperature, and so on. But sometimes it can be detected as soon as excitation begins.

Stability of oils heated by microwave: UV-spectrophotometric evaluation​

Even if we assume that nothing was damaged in the process, those 5-6 g of PUFA are nearly all linoleic acid and managing to use only 0.3 g when at least 14 g must be required for full saturation is not great, a lot remains unreacted. Then, with the idea that it's safer this way for being a storage form, you're essentially using linoleic acid as vehicle for poorly reacted iodine.

Yup. Unlike some here, I am not seeking total PUFA restriction. I seek out to achieve under 5 grams a day.