Ozone Oil Pills or Capsules

At a Glance:

• Ozone oil pills are the most effective way to ingest ozone oil.
• Ozone oil pills and capsules are a potent antiseptic and stimulate healing in the stomach lining.
• Ozone oil pills are not the same as ozone therapy — they are used specifically for stomach infections, parasites, ulcers, or gut issues. Some animal evidence suggests that they may also help alleviate metabolic issues and fatty liver disease.
• There is minimal clinical evidence for the use of oral ozone oil, although it has long been used to treat parasites and other gut issues in Cuba. The clinical dose, as reported in a Cuban study, is 1 g one hour before meals, three to four times daily. Animal studies, however, seem to use much higher doses.
• The best ozone oil pills are produced by companies that ozonate the oil in a temperature-controlled environment. Oil ozonation generates heat, which can create harmful compounds in the ozonated oils. Most ozone oil vendors and home oil ozonation do not have a way to keep the oil cool during ozonation.

What Are Ozone Oil Pills?

Ozone oil pills are small capsules filled with ozone oil that you can swallow with plenty of water. 

Ozone oil is created by infusing ozone gas into a base oil, such as olive oil. This creates peroxides which have antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. The peroxides in the oil also promote healing in the tissue by stimulating growth factors.

Ozone oil can be used on the skin, in the mouth, and taken orally, rectally, or vaginally. It smells like rancid oil, and its taste may be unpleasant for many. 

If you ingest ozonated oil, it’s best to take it in capsule form. In this article, I will cover orally consumed ozone oil pills. 

You can read about ozone oil for skin or ozone suppositories for lower gut/vaginal use.

Why Ozone Oil Pills Are Not a Replacement for Ozone Therapy

There is considerable confusion, and even misleading claims, surrounding the benefits of ozone oil pills.

Ozone oils are a known antiseptic. They also stimulate growth factors to promote healing. Dr. Velio Bocci wrote the following about the topical (on the skin) use of ozone oil:

"I would like to predict that the application of ozonated oil, a simple and inexpensive remedy, will become far more useful than expensive pharmaceutical creams and will herald a medical revolution for topical treatment..."

While ozone oil for the skin is well-documented with proven benefits, its oral use only has a few small but positive clinical studies  for stomach infections, ulcers, and certain parasitic infections. However, the lack of proof is not proof against its potential effectiveness.

Anecdotal reports suggest that it may assist with gut issues (such as candida and leaky gut), but this remains largely unknown. However, ozone oil pills are not a replacement for ozone therapy. They do not perform the same function and likely do not offer systemic benefits. 

When I say ozone therapy, I’m referring to the application of medical-grade ozone gas into the body, such as into the rectum, vagina, or applied to the blood outside the body.

Ozone therapy has demonstrated tremendous benefits. However, ozone oil pills have an entirely different effect and mechanism of action. None of the scientific literature suggests that ozone oil pills are comparable to ozone therapy.

Ozone Oil Pills and Capsules taken orally

What Happens When You Consume Ozone Oil Capsules?

There are very few clinical trials available; however, we can draw on information from animal studies to gain insight into how oral ozone oils deliver health benefits.

In an animal study, 24 Wistar rats consumed ozonized sunflower oil (OSO) and ozonized triglycerides (triolein and trilinolein). The researchers analyzed the rat’s urine using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which found [1]:

• Dicarboxylic acids (azelaic and pimelic acid) were the primary excreted byproducts.
• Elevated azelaic acid levels (69 mg/mg creatinine), suggesting that ozonized lipids undergo systemic oxidation and produce bioactive lipid derivatives.
• Presence of octenedioic, decenedioic, and dodecenedioic acids, major byproducts of fatty acid oxidation. These are two-end fatty acids that are possibly created from the oxidation of fatty acids.

These rat findings explain how ozone oil capsules work biochemically in the body:

1. Azelaic Acid Production: Azelaic acid is a well-known anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent, commonly used in dermatology and antimicrobial applications [2]. 
2. Lipid Metabolism: The oxidative breakdown of triglycerides into smaller bioactive lipids might enhance certain cellular signaling and immune modulation pathways.
3. No Significant Toxicity: The rats had no adverse metabolic markers after consuming ozone oil capsules, confirming that the oral ozone oils at indicated doses are very safe.

While human trials are still needed, these findings support the idea that ozonated oils are not merely inert carriers of ozone but also carry various biochemical byproducts that may have some health effects.

Benefits of Ozone Oil Pills

Ozone oil has a twofold effect when it is applied to the body — it’s an antiseptic and stimulates healing:

1. Ozone oil is a strong antiseptic [3], capable of eliminating pathogens by oxidizing them. 
2. Ozone oil can accelerate wound healing [4], which could have a positive effect on a damaged stomach or gut lining.

How to Take Ozone Oil Capsules

This human dose is derived from limited available clinical evidence, primarily from parasite treatments in Cuba [5]. Most animal studies use much higher doses. 

Currently, there’s not enough clinical data to determine whether humans also need high doses for benefits like resolving fatty liver disease, stomach ulcers, or other conditions.

Start with 1 capsule one hour before meals once a day. If after the first 1 - 2 days, there are no adverse effects, you can increase the frequency to 1 capsule 1 hour before each of the three meals. It may also be taken three hours after your last meal of the day. 

Are ozone oil capsules safe? A recent clinical study tested up to 12 g of high-ozonide oil ingestion, which was safe in two healthy 55-year-old male subjects, and 12.5 g in brain cancer patients [6]. The study found some reduction in macrophage activity, but no other changes in these men’s biochemistry. 

In cases of parasitic infections, some practitioners find planning the treatment to coincide with the full moon or taking the capsules in cycles to be beneficial. See the clinical trial under the Parasitic Infections section below. 

Potential Adverse Effects of Consuming Ozone Oil Capsules

Although most practitioners deem it safe to consume ozone oil pills, there isn’t a lot of research about the potential side effects of consuming ozone oil itself. Here are some possible side effects.

• Stomach discomfort
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Burping
• Diarrhea
• Malaise and fatigue, which may arise from Herxheimer reactions

The best approach is to start with a small dose and gradually increase it if necessary. 

What Do Ozone Oil Pills Help With?

Currently, the only published clinical evidence I’ve seen for oral ozone oil is its use in treating giardiasis and Helicobacter pylori. Other conditions are all studied in animals or cells, which are informative, but this means these uses are only experimental in humans. 

Here, I include the research results along with the converted doses to humans, but it is not a suggestion to take such high doses. These dose conversion formulas often overestimate human doses.

Parasitic Infections

In some countries, such as Cuba, ozonated olive oil is the mainstream treatment for parasitic infections. In the US, however, metronidazole is the most commonly prescribed first-line treatment for parasitic infections. 

Ozonated oils have minimal systemic toxicity, while metronidazole can cause neurological, hepatic, and gastrointestinal side effects. Metronidazole is contraindicated in patients with liver problems or alcohol in their system.

A clinical trial examined 108 adults diagnosed with giardiasis to determine the effectiveness of an orally administered ozonated oil product, compared to conventional drug therapy [5]. Giardia is a single-celled parasite that can be particularly refractory to treatments.

The participants were randomly assigned to two groups, each comprising 54 patients. They received either:

• Ozone oil — 20 drops or 1 mL, one hour before breakfast and three hours after the last meal for 10 days, followed by a seven-day rest period, and then another 10-day course.
• Metronidazole — one tablet every eight hours for 10 days, followed by a seven-day rest period, then another 10-day course.

Treatment with ozone oil showed significantly faster symptom resolution. One hundred percent of the ozone oil group recovered after the second cycle, compared to 83.3% of the control group showed full symptom resolution (p < 0.05).

This study suggests that ozone oil capsules could serve as a superior, safer, and better-tolerated alternative for treating parasitic infections, such as giardiasis. However, larger-scale studies are needed to further validate these findings.

In an animal study conducted to evaluate the anti-giardiasis effect of oral ozonized sunflower oil, Mongolian gerbils were treated with either ozone oil (0.3 mL/animal or 3.6 mL human equivalent dose [7]), non-ozonized sunflower oil, metronidazole, or left untreated for 10 days after giardia infection [8]. 

Ozone-oil-treated groups showed:

• Significant reduction in parasite load — 97.2% reduction in trophozoites by the sixth day of treatment.
• Results comparable to those achieved with metronidazole.
• Significant reductions in intestinal inflammation and infection intensity.

Thus, ozonized sunflower oil could be an effective natural alternative to conventional antiparasitic drugs, particularly in cases where drug resistance, contraindications, or adverse reactions limit treatment options.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

In a crossover animal study, two groups of mice — normal C57BL/6J and obese db/db — were fed ozonated olive oil to evaluate the oil’s effects on lipid metabolism and liver health.

Normal mice were fed a control diet (0.5% olive oil), and obese mice were fed a diet with 0.5% ozonated olive oil for four weeks. For the next four weeks, diets were swapped — obese mice ingested a normal diet while normal mice ingested ozone olive oil [9].

The study found that the non-obese mice consuming both 0.5% olive oil and ozonated olive oil experienced no adverse effects.

After eight weeks, the obese mice that consumed ozonated olive oil had:

• Significantly reduced insulin and liver fat compared to the control. The enzyme alkaline phosphatase also decreased, but not significantly.
• Suppressed genes involved in fatty acid synthesis (e.g., Fasn, ACC1, ACC2, SCD1), but no significant effect on genes that regulate fat burning for energy.
• Lower TNF-α (35% reduction) and MCP-1 expression, indicating reduced inflammatory stress in the liver.

This study suggests that ozonated olive oil could be a potential dietary intervention for managing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome by reducing liver fat accumulation and inflammation.

Cancer

A recent Italian study evaluated the effects of high-ozonide oils on cancer cells. In cell studies, 700 and 1100 ozonide oils seem to kill cancer cells by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent apoptosis but not healthy keratinocytes.

The researchers also evaluated the effects of 12–12.5 mL daily oral ozone oils in 115 cancer patients and two healthy subjects. Based on this trial, consuming ozone oil orally appeared to be beneficial in cases where the cancer resisted treatment or recurred despite conventional radiotherapy. 

This ozone oil ingestion appears to decrease overall antioxidant levels and increase oxidative stress in the patients’ blood. This may somewhat weaken the cancer cells’ defense against the cancer treatments. While this was not a blinded randomized controlled trial, this study found that ozone oil ingestion delivered clinically meaningful improvements to the patients’ prognosis.

Cardiovascular Health

Animal studies suggest that oral ozonated oils may offer cardiovascular benefits, such as reducing cholesterol without any side effects. 

A study investigated the effects of ozonated sunflower oil on various health parameters in Sprague-Dawley rats. For four weeks, rats were administered the ozonated oil (3 g/kg body weight per day, or human equivalent dosage of 18.6 g/kg [7]) [10]. 

The ozone oil supplementation resulted in:

• No adverse effects observed on the rats' hematological and biochemical profiles.
• A significant reduction in interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, indicating potential anti-inflammatory properties.
• Lower low-density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and enhanced HDL (“good”) functionality.
• Increased antioxidant markers, including ferric ion reduction ability (FRA) and sulfhydryl content.

Ozonated sunflower oil may offer cardiovascular benefits by enhancing antioxidant capacity, reducing inflammation, and improving lipid profiles. However, further research, including human clinical trials, is necessary to confirm these findings and establish appropriate dosing protocols.

Gut Health

A test tube study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of an ozone oil with stable ozonides on human colonic epithelial cells (HT-29) and monocytic (immune) cells (THP-1) stimulated with the bacterial toxin called lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation [11].

Cells were pre-treated with varying concentrations of ozone oil (0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/mL) for 30 minutes, followed by stimulation with LPS (1 µg/mL) for four hours.

Ozone oil treatment resulted in:

• Colon Cells:
  
  • Reduced LPS-induced inflammation (TNF-α and IL-1β) in a dose-dependent manner (80% decrease in 1 mg/mL).
  • Inhibited LPS-induced expression of inflammatory proteins, while enhancing the expression of antioxidant proteins Nrf2 and SOD2.
• Immune Cells:
  
  • Counteracted cytokine release, restoring the expression levels to those similar to control cells.

These findings suggest that ozone oil, when applied to the gut lining, may have therapeutic potential for managing intestinal inflammatory conditions. However, further in vivo studies are necessary to confirm its efficacy and safety in clinical settings.

An animal study evaluated the protective effects of ozone oil in an experimental model of colitis in rats [12]. 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfuric acid (DNBS) was instilled intracolonically at a dose of 15 mg/rat to induce colonic inflammation. Rats were then treated with olive oil, ozone olive oil at 3 mg/kg orally (human equivalent dosage of 18.6 mg/kg [7]), or no treatment for seven days. 

Ozone olive oil treatment resulted in: 

• Significantly reduced macroscopic and microscopic damage scores.

• Significantly increased antioxidant enzyme activity compared to untreated inflamed rats. These included superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase.

The study suggests that ozonated olive oil may help protect against colonic inflammation and oxidative stress, making it a promising candidate for managing symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

An animal study investigating the effects of ozonized sunflower oil on gastric mucosal injury induced by indomethacin (NSAID drug) in rats [13].

Indomethacin (20 mg/kg, dissolved in 0.5% sodium bicarbonate) was administered to induce stomach lining injury and ulcers. Rats were then treated with ozonated sunflower oil (4, 12, or 24 mg/kg: human equivalent dosages of 24.8, 74.7, and 148.8 mg/kg [7]), cimetidine (a standard ulcer treatment at 25 mg/kg), or no treatment. 

Ozone sunflower oil treatment resulted in:

• Significantly lowered gastric ulcer scores, demonstrating protective effects against indomethacin-induced injury. These changes were comparable to those observed with cimetidine, a stomach acid blocker.

• Significantly decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentration, a measure of oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation.

• Significantly increased antioxidant (superoxide dismutase) activity, but no change in catalase activity.

The study shows that ozonated sunflower oil may protect the stomach lining from damage caused by NSAID painkiller drugs, partly by improving the antioxidant responses.

Sulfamerazine is bacteriostatic, meaning it prevents bacterial growth but does not directly neutralize toxins or inflammation. Ozone oils may work differently, potentially disrupting bacterial cell walls, neutralizing the inflammatory response, stimulating the appropriate immune responses, and mitigating oxidative stress in the gut.

An animal study examined the efficacy of ozone sunflower oil as an oral treatment in 40 rabbits diagnosed with diarrhea [14]. Rabbits received ozone sunflower oil (50 mg/kg: human equivalent dosage of 155 mg/kg [7]) orally or sulfamerazine (11.3 mg/kg: human equivalent dosage of 35.03 mg/kg), a sulfonamide-based antibiotic, for three days. 

Ozone sunflower oil had no adverse effects and was equally effective as sulfamerazine in resolving diarrheal symptoms at a 100% treatment rate.

This study supports the use of ozonated sunflower oil as a viable natural option for treating diarrheal infections, with potential applications for other gastrointestinal conditions. However, further research is needed to confirm its efficacy in different animal models and human clinical trials.

Other anecdotal reports suggest that ozone oil capsules help with:

• Candida overgrowth
• Leaky gut
• Gut dysbiosis
• Food sensitivities

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Where to Buy Ozone Oil Pills (Capsules)

The industry offers a wide range of options in terms of ozone oil production, oil types, and the amount of peroxides. 

With that in mind, here are a few key factors to consider when evaluating ozone oil capsules. 

• Known potency of the oil. This is measured in peroxide value.
• Ultra-pure oil. Certain oils have an inflammatory effect on the body. You want a pure oil that does not elicit this type of response.
• Cold (refrigeration) technology as the oil is being ozonated. Allowing the oil to heat up alters the base oil and creates harmful compounds.

Conclusion

I personally feel comfortable and safe taking ozone oil pills, although research on the subject is limited. So, I would try it as a “just in case it helps” type scenario — if I were facing a stomach infection, gut dysbiosis, some gastrointestinal issue, or eating some questionable foods. 

However, I also recommend consulting a practitioner on specific protocols to treat infections — some may require higher doses, longer treatment durations, or re-testing to confirm successful treatments even after symptoms subside.
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Anecdotally, I have found that rectal ozone therapy, vaginal ozone insufflation, and intravenous ozone therapy are more effective and stimulate the pathways to long-term health — such as reduced inflammation, improved immune function, and better symptom control — whereas ozone oil pills do not seem to offer the same level of impact.

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References

1 Jardines, D., Correa, T., Ledea, O., Zamora, Z., Rosado, A. and Molerio, J. (2003) Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry profile of urinary organic acids of Wistar rats orally treated with ozonized unsaturated triglycerides and ozonized sunflower oil. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 783, 517–525 

2 Ephrem, E., Elaissari, H. and Greige-Gerges, H. (2017) Improvement of skin whitening agents efficiency through encapsulation: Current state of knowledge. Int J Pharm 526, 50–68 

3 Travagli, V., Zanardi, I., Valacchi, G. and Bocci, V. (2010) Ozone and ozonated oils in skin diseases: a review. Mediators Inflamm 2010, 610418 

4 Valacchi, G., Lim, Y., Belmonte, G., Miracco, C., Zanardi, I., Bocci, V., et al. (2011) Ozonated sesame oil enhances cutaneous wound healing in SKH1 mice. Wound Repair Regen 19, 107–115 

5 Gámez, S. G. (2015) Effectiveness of the oral Oleozon® in patients with giardiasis. MediSan 19, 958–964

6 Izzotti, A., Fracchia, E., Rosano, C., Comite, A., Belgioia, L., Sciacca, S., et al. (2022) Efficacy of high-ozonide oil in prevention of cancer relapses mechanisms and clinical evidence. Cancers (Basel) 14 

7 Conversion between animals and human https://www.targetmol.com/calculators/dosage

8 Rodríguez, Z. Z., Idavoy, D. T., Suárez, M., Hernández, D. and Rosales, F. (2006) OLEOZON oral, tratamiento efectivo en la giardiasis experimental

9 Kato, Y., Sakoh, M., Nagai, T., Yoshida, A., Ishida, H., Inoue, N., et al. (2024) Ozonated olive oil intake attenuates hepatic steatosis in obese db/db mice. J Oleo Sci 73, 231–237 

10 Cho, K.-H., Kim, J.-E., Lee, M.-S. and Bahuguna, A. (2024) Oral supplementation of ozonated sunflower oil augments plasma antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities with enhancement of high-density lipoproteins functionality in rats. Antioxidants (Basel) 13 

11 Bertuccio, M. P., Rizzo, V., Arena, S., Trainito, A., Montalto, A. S., Caccamo, D., et al. (2023) Ozoile reduces the LPS-induced inflammatory response in colonic epithelial cells and THP-1 monocytes. Current Issues in Molecular Biology, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 45, 1333–1348 

12 Abu-Gharbieh, E., Bayoumi, F. A. and Ahmed, N. G. (2014) Alleviation of antioxidant defense system by ozonized olive oil in DNBS-induced colitis in rats. Mediators Inflamm 2014, 967205 

13 Zamora, Z., González, R., Guanche, D., Merino, N., Menéndez, S., Hernández, F., et al. (2008) Ozonized sunflower oil reduces oxidative damage induced by indomethacin in rat gastric mucosa. Inflamm Res 57, 39–43 

14 Zamora Rodríguez, Z., Pérez, I. and Sosa, I. (2015) Aceite de girasol ozonizado de uso oral como tratamiento en los procesos diarreicos del conejo. Veterinaria (Montev.), Sociedad de Medicina Veterinaria del Uruguay 51, 1–1

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