How Hydrogen Gas Therapy Began: From 1790s Pioneers to Modern Medicine
The Early History of Hydrogen and Other Gases in Respiration and Biological Systems: Revisiting Beddoes, Cavallo, and Davy
Research hubs: Respiratory System · Brain & Nervous System
- Authors
- John T. Hancock, Tyler W. LeBaron
- Journal
- Oxygen
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.3390/oxygen3010008
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Health Condition
- Neurodegenerative Disease
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Scientists have been experimenting with hydrogen gas as a medicine since the 1700s, way before it became a hot research topic again in 2007! Today, doctors and researchers are exploring whether breathing hydrogen or drinking hydrogen-infused water could help treat things like brain diseases and sports injuries — and it turns out this "new" idea is actually pretty old.
Key Finding
Scientific interest in hydrogen gas for medical use dates back to the late 1700s, predating the current research boom by more than two centuries.
Summary
This paper is a historical review, not a new experiment. It looks back at some of the earliest scientific investigations into hydrogen gas and breathing, conducted by researchers named Beddoes (1793), Cavallo (1798), and Davy (1800). The author connects this early work to the modern wave of hydrogen research that took off after a landmark 2007 study, noting that methods like hydrogen-rich water and hydrogen inhalation are now being studied for conditions ranging from brain diseases to sports injuries.
Practical Takeaway
This is a historical review with no new experimental data, so it does not directly inform decisions about hydrogen water use. It does provide useful context suggesting that curiosity about hydrogen's biological effects is not new, and that the field has a longer scientific lineage than most people realize.
Abstract (excerpt)
In 2007 a paper in Nature Medicine sparked a new wave of interest in the use of molecular hydrogen (H2) for medical treatments. Since then there has been a flurry of papers looking at a range of medical aspects, from neurodegenerative disease to sports injuries. Several methods of application have…