Hydrogen peroxide is a clear, odorless, and colorless liquid consisting of hydrogen and oxygen. It’s available in dilutions ranging from 3–90%, some of which are sometimes used as an alternative health remedy.

Advocates suggest that drinking a few drops of hydrogen peroxide diluted in water may help treat a range of illnesses, including diabetes and even some forms of cancer.

Hydrogen peroxide is a clear, odorless, and colorless liquid consisting of hydrogen and oxygen. It’s available in dilutions ranging from 3–90%, some of which are sometimes used as an alternative health remedy.

Advocates suggest that drinking a few drops of hydrogen peroxide diluted in water may help treat a range of illnesses, including diabetes and even some forms of cancer.

Despite the purported benefits of drinking hydrogen peroxide, research and medical experts agree that drinking this compound can have serious side effects.

When drunk, hydrogen peroxide reacts with a natural enzyme in your body, producing very high amounts of oxygen.

When the amount of oxygen produced is too high to physically burp out, it can cross over from your gut into your blood vessels, leading to potential complications, such as heart attacks or stroke.

The severity of complications depends on the volume and concentration of the hydrogen peroxide that was ingested.

For instance, accidentally swallowing a small amount of household 3% hydrogen peroxide usually causes minor symptoms, such as bloating, mild stomach pain, and in some cases, vomiting.

However, ingesting larger amounts or higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide can cause ulcers, a perforated gut, and mouth, throat, and stomach burns. In severe cases, it may result in breathing problems, fainting.

Food grade hydrogen peroxide is over 10 times more concentrated than the household variety. Moreover, instructions on how to dilute it vary from one seller to another, and its safety hasn’t been evaluated.

Therefore, using food grade hydrogen peroxide to make your own dilutions increases the risk you’ll consume a higher concentration, and as a result, experience its more severe side effects.

Drinking hydrogen peroxide can have many side effects, including gut irritation or perforation, breathing problems, and even death. The severity of these effects depends on the quantity and concentration of the hydrogen peroxide consumed.