NAC 500 mg by Thorne

If you’re after a practical NAC supplement for lungs and liver, this 500 mg capsule fits adults who want maintenance support. It’s useful if you deal with thick mucus during cold season, have frequent pollution or wildfire smoke exposure, or your clinician is watching liver enzymes like ALT and AST. It also suits people focused on antioxidant status, especially if your glutathione test is low or your hs-CRP (a general inflammation marker) runs high despite basics like sleep and diet.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a cysteine donor that cells use to make glutathione, the main inside-the-cell antioxidant that helps neutralize oxidative stress and process toxins in the liver through conjugation (binding and excreting). In the airways, NAC breaks disulfide bonds in mucus proteins, which makes mucus less sticky and easier to clear. In clinical use, these actions can modestly lower hs-CRP in some responders and help normalize liver enzymes when lifestyle is addressed alongside it.

Take one capsule daily as Thorne suggests, with food if you’re prone to nausea. This is a maintenance dose; trials targeting respiratory symptoms or glutathione repletion often use 600–1,200 mg per day in divided doses. Most people notice easier mucus clearance within 1–2 weeks, while changes in hs-CRP or ALT typically show up over 4–12 weeks. If you need more than 500 mg, splitting doses morning and afternoon improves tolerance.

Skip NAC if you use nitroglycerin or isosorbide for chest pain, because NAC can amplify the blood pressure drop and headache from these drugs. Use caution if you’re on blood thinners like warfarin or clopidogrel, as NAC has mild antiplatelet effects (it can reduce clot stickiness). Oral NAC is generally fine for asthma, but if you’ve had bronchospasm with inhaled NAC, discuss first. Pregnancy and breastfeeding: safety data are limited, so avoid unless your clinician recommends it.