Where does MSM come from?
MSM is a naturally occurring, sulfur containing organic compound found primarily in fresh fruits and vegetables and in every cell of the human body. MSM is found in raw vegetables including broccoli, peppers, Brussels sprouts, onions, asparagus and cabbage. The highest natural concentration of MSM is found in mammal’s milk. MSM is an organic compound and commercial MSM is a pure, simple molecule that is indistinguishable from a molecule of MSM found in nature. MSM is derived from DMSO. MSM occurs when DMSO is oxidized. MSM is a naturally occurring compound found in significant amounts in nerve tissue, skin, hair and joints. 3.
MSM originates in the oceans where microscopic plankton release sulfur compounds into seawater, which is quickly converted to DMS, a volatile sulfur compound that escapes into the atmosphere. In this suspended, gaseous state, the DMS reacts with ozone and ultraviolet sunlight to create DMSO and DMSO2, known as MSM. MSM then falls to the earth with the rain, where it is collected and concentrated in plants. Although MSM is abundant in nature, even the richest natural sources only provide MSM in the level of several parts per million. Commercial extraction of MSM from trees is not possible. MSM is produced by oxidizing DMSO. This process parallels the natural oxidation of DMSO to MSM that occurs in the marine atmosphere and produces MSM that is chemically identical to that found in nature.
