A confusing aspects to this has to do with there being several forms & blends of iodine. But once we see the commonly used forms laid out together, I think the situation becomes pretty simple. If these (KI) and (I2) labels are confusing or overwhelming, just skip past them for now or try to remember them by the sound they make etc. We don’t need to know these details, but being aware of the different forms and names makes learning other aspects to iodine much easier.
There are two main “raw” forms of iodine used for health. Potassium Iodide(KI) and elemental iodine(I2). Any of the forms we want to use for healing are going to contain either or both of these along with distilled water. There are forms of iodine with alcohol instead of water that we don’t want to use for this purpose.
Elemental Iodine(I2)
The term “iodine” is sometimes used to refer to any of the many forms of iodine, which adds to the confusion.
But iodine is an element, and technically iodine is I2 which is two molecules of the element I which has an atomic number of 53 on the periodic table.
Then if we cause the proper chemical reaction involving potassium, we can make Potassium Iodide(KI).
Potassium Iodide(KI) and SSKI
Potassium Iodide is elemental iodine bound with potassium. This just happens to be a stable form that iodine can hang out in, and our body can utilize.
SSKI is Super Saturated Potassium Iodide and is just a mixture of water and enough Potassium Iodide(KI) to keep the water suspended with as much of this stuff as possible. The amount that can be suspended by water depends on room temperature, but we shouldn’t have to worry about that unless the temperature its stored in changes rapidly.
Forms of iodine commonly used
- Lugols liquid
- Lugols pills
- SSKI
- Nascent
- Kelp
Lugols Liquid
- First blended by a guy named Jean Guillaume Auguste Lugol in 1829
- The most commonly recommended and used form of iodine
- 1 part Elemental Iodine, 2 parts Potassium Iodide and distilled water
- Contains both forms of iodine our body prefers. Some organs require one of these two forms
- Can stain most surfaces and can usually be removed with vitamin C
- Has an orange-brownish color that increases with the strength
- The strength of the solution is adjusted with the amount of water vs total iodines
- Should not be mixed directly with vitamin C
- Usually the most economical form
- Easily calculated at http://dropulator.com/
Lugol’s Pills
- Same ingredients as Lugols Liquid without the water. 1 part Elemental Iodine, 2 parts Potassium Iodide
- In a pressed pill form, which can be convenient to transport and consume
- Bypasses our throat, tissue around thyroid, and our stomach. This can be slightly beneficial at first, but these important cells do not have enough access to iodine
- Some people with poor digestion pass the pill completely undigested or absorbed which means we are not able to absorb as much as liquid
- Usually one of the more expensive forms
- Only available in 12.5mg or 50mg
- Difficult to regulate small starting dose
SSKI Liquid
- Approximately 50mg per drop, which makes it very economical
- Yellowish, but clear on the skin compared to Lugols
- Only contains one form of iodine compared to Lugols
- Commonly used to avoid radioactive fallout in pill form
Nascent Liquid
- Claims to be better by being “Activated”
- Can be good for getting started due to being weaker
- Only has one form of iodine
- Usually has fillers or additives
- 2-3 times as expensive as Lugols
- Does not have any science to show benefits over other forms of iodine
Kelp
Not a form of iodine, but a common supplement with iodine, so I’ve included it.
- People claim its toxic, apparently forgetting which planet we live on, where everything is toxic anymore
- Has small amounts of iodine, which are handy for getting started
- Has small amounts of various nutrients, making it easier than jumping right into the whole iodine protocol
Other forms of iodine
There are a few random types of iodine with 150-250mcg or so of either or both forms of iodine. As long as they don’t have flavoring and odd fillers, they can work out well as we’re getting started. It’s best if they have both iodine and potassium iodide. This like ammonium and sodium iodide should probably be avoided. Once we have replenished our iodine levels over the course of several years, we might be able to use small amounts of these to force iodine into different places, but we should avoid them for the bulk of what we are doing.
Unacceptable forms
At some point I may cover some of the forms that we don’t want to use. Povidone is an example that has a (natural)plastic added to it so it sticks to our skin better. This polymer has connections to increased cancer incidence in mouse studies. I’ll link it here the next time I see it, but it’s out there somewhere. Imo there is no need to include a polymer with iodine. This would be like adding glue to our engine oil because its leaking/burning. Just add some more for now and fix the issue at hand. Povidone is commonly available to doctors which is most likely the only reason its ever mentioned.
