After last month’s confirmation hearings, sleuths on X spotted our new Secretary of Health and Human Services on an airplane adding a hefty dose of some mysterious blue tonic to his drink.

What strange concoction was Mr. Kennedy consuming in the video that has since gone viral? Though it might seem foreign to most, those in the know quickly recognized the cloudy turquoise liquid as methylene blue, a trendy supplement gaining popularity in online alternative health communities.

Methylene blue is a synthetic compound sold in both topical and oral droplet forms, and the health influencers increasingly promoting the stuff make a wide variety of claims about its benefits. This individual with over 100k followers on X, for instance, claims it’s a powerful antidepressant. This one describes it as “a miracle anti-aging drug.” This one says it is “literally the strongest legal performance enhancer.” A potential reason for these claims? According to health.com, the compound is an antioxidant that “appears to improve the function of mitochondria” and can boost an enzyme associated with “brain energy production.”

But worth noting in all of this is the fact that methylene blue is… commonly used as a fish tank cleaner.

Yes. You read that right. The supplement now being promoted as a wonder drug online is also widely used as both a textile dye and an antifungal disinfectant in household fish tanks.

Now, drinking the thing that cleans little Bubbles the Goldfish’s house might sound absolutely insane to most people. But then again, so does “put your bare feet in the mud, it’s healthy”...and as I noted in my recent piece for Pirate Wires on grounding (literally, touching grass), that strange-sounding health practice turned out to actually have some solid scientific evidence.

So can the same be said for methylene blue? Does this crazy-sounding social media trend also have worthwhile health benefits? Should I go out and chug some on an airplane like RFK Jr.?

[Editor’s Note: Nobody working at Pirate Wires has anything close to a medical degree. The following is not medical advice. Please do not sue us.]

The answer appears to be…complicated. On the one hand, evidence suggests methylene blue might improve cognitive functions like memory and attention. It’s also being researched as a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s, and is already FDA-approved to treat a rare blood condition called methemoglobinemia.

However, on the other hand, methylene blue can also cause a number of nasty gastrointestinal side effects like vomiting and diarrhea. One study done in 2020 showed anemia as another common side effect. But hey — this is just what mainstream science has to say on the matter. And after mainstream science also told us men can get pregnant and COVID came from a pangolin (as opposed to the literal COVID-making factory down the street in Wuhan), people are naturally a little skeptical of the answers that the “experts” give us these days. Understandable.

So don’t take their word for it, then. Perhaps more illuminating, many critics of methylene blue aren’t mainstream scientists at the NIH, but rather are themselves online Health Twitter “bro scientists” who hold plenty of unorthodox health positions.

Exhibit A? “Nutrition Detective” Garrett Smith, a popular online health persona with over 30K followers on X. Far from some normie doctor at the Mayo Clinic, Smith routinely muses on alternative health topics like mewing, Wim Hof breathing, and ball sunning. But when it comes to methylene blue? He’s not convinced.

“Anemia is a known side effect of the toxic synthetic dye known as methylene blue,” Smith posted recently, highlighting the aforementioned 2020 study. “The victims will continue piling up as long as people keep taking it.”

Elsewhere, Paul Saladino — a somewhat revered figure in the alternative health community, who’s appeared on podcasts with well-known figures like Jake Paul and Patrick Bet-David — also came out strongly against its use as an everyday health supplement.

“I want people to understand this is not a healthy thing for humans,” Saladino recently remarked on the Radical Health Radio podcast when asked about the health trend he’d most like to see go by the wayside. “A healthy human is not benefitting from methylene blue — get rid of it.”

All of this isn’t to completely dismiss methylene blue users out there. Again — not a health professional here! If you feel drinking this stuff is improving your health in some capacity, by all means, knock yourself out.

But the fact that both mainstream science and elements of the online alternative health community are waving the caution flag here feels significant. Perhaps it’s a sign that maybe — just maybe — taking a swig of synthetic aquarium chemicals isn’t some health cheat code, but rather something that is…exactly as crazy as it sounds (sorry, RFK).

To be sure, the erosion of trust in our health institutions over the last decade has made this a difficult space to navigate. And amidst this decline, it’s no wonder bizarre “miracle drugs” like methylene blue have become more prominent, filling the void that was created when we realized our lab-coat-adorning “experts” have a habit of being liars/hucksters/possible criminals.

The important thing in all of this appears to be exercising a bit of good old-fashioned critical thinking, and being willing to adapt in the face of new evidence (as opposed to blindly trusting anyone on matters of health, whether it be the WHO or someone touting blue dye).

And if new evidence emerges vindicating those blueheads?

I’ll be the first in line to join them. Pour me up a giga-dose, RFK — let that sweet fish tank juice work its magic.

—Riley Nork