Use of DMSO in medicine dates from around 1963, when a University of Oregon Medical School team, headed by Stanley Jacob, discovered it could penetrate the skin and other membranes without damaging them and could carry other compounds into a biological system. Some people report an onion- or garlic-like taste after touching DMSO. This effect is likely due to catabolic processes that reduce DMSO to dimethyl sulfide. In the medical field DMSO is predominantly used as a topical analgesic, a vehicle for topical application of pharmaceuticals, as an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It has been examined for the treatment of numerous conditions and ailments. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved DMSO usage only for the palliative treatment of interstitial cystitis. Also, DMSO is commonly used in the veterinary field as a liniment for horses.

Because DMSO increases the rate of absorption of some compounds through organic tissues including skin, it can be used as a drug delivery system.

Dimethyl sulfoxide dissolves a variety of organic substances, including carbohydrates, polymers, peptides, as well as many inorganic salts and gases. Loading levels of 50-60 wt. % are often observed vs 10-20 wt. % with typical solvents. For this reason DMSO plays a role in sample management and High-throughput screening operations in drug design [3].

Det er et ret almindeligt opløsningsmiddel... Jeg mener at hvis du får noget på fingrene kan du smage det på tungen bagefter... Har dog ikke prøvet det selv.