Chlorella is a green freshwater algae that recently appeared on the natural food market in Europe. Chlorella has now become a popular dietary supplement. Chlorella has many health-promoting properties. Chlorella supplements are a good addition to detoxify the body. Chlorella contains many vitamins and minerals, including an important source of vitamin B12.
Chlorella
Chlorella is the richest source of chlorophyll available. For example, chlorella contains 50 times as much chlorophyll as alfalfa. The name chlorella comes from the high chlorophyll content. Chlorella has survived on Earth for more than 2 1/2 billion years. The fact that chlorella has survived for such a long time is due to its strong cell wall and an unusually effective DNA repair mechanism. Although chlorella has been known since 1890, scientists only succeeded in 1977 in finding a method that ‘cracks’ the hard cell wall. Since that time, chlorella has made enormous progress as a natural food product. Chlorella is the best-selling dietary supplement in Japan.
Composition of chlorella
Chlorella consists of approximately 60% protein (soybeans contain “only” 30% protein). The protein in chlorella contains 19 amino acids, including all essential amino acids. This fact means that chlorella is equivalent to animal protein, except that it contains less methionine. However, the latter can be beneficial as some forms of cancer depend on methionine for their growth.The four main components to which chlorella owes its health-promoting properties are:
- Chlorophyll
- Beta-carotene
- Chlorella growth factor (CGF)
- The cell wall
Proteins in chlorella
Chlorella is especially rich in lysine, lysine is lacking in a diet rich in wheat. Due to the quality of the protein in chlorella and the fact that chlorella contains all essential amino acids, chlorella is now widely used as a protein-rich supplement for weight management.
Vitamins and minerals in chlorella
Chlorella also contains more than 20 different vitamins and minerals. Chlorella, for example, contains a lot of beta-carotene. Chlorella also contains significant amounts of iron, iodine, zinc and cobalt.
Vitamin B12
Chlorella even contains more vitamin B12 than beef liver. Vitamin B12 is often the vitamin that vegetarians are deficient in, so vegetarians would do well to use chlorella as a supplement to their diet to prevent deficiencies. In addition to chlorella being the richest natural source of chlorophyll, chlorella is also the richest natural source of DNA.
Chlorella vs Spirulina
There are significant differences between the effects of chlorella and Spirulina, which is also a green algae. Chlorella contains four times as much chlorophyll as spirulina and ten times as much iron as spirulina[, but that’s not all. Chlorella offers many more factors, such as CGF and the special cell wall. Spirulina is actually a much more primitive organism than chlorella, and lacks a true nucleus. The result is a higher quality of DNA and RNA in chlorella.
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is an interesting substance with various commercial and therapeutic applications. For example, it is used as a coloring agent in foods and cosmetics. The chemical structure of chlorophyll is similar to that of hemoglobin (red blood cells), which is responsible for the transport of oxygen in our body. Chlorophyll promotes the production of new red blood cells and is an effective supplement for anemia.Chlorophyll also promotes the excretion of free cholesterol from the body, which explains why chlorella has a cholesterol-lowering effect. Chlorophyll also has a strong detoxifying effect on the body.
Chlorella and cancer
The immune system defends our body against foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses and pollutants. The inactivation or detoxification of these substances is done by special white blood cells, by B cells from the bone marrow, which form antibodies and fight bacteria, by T cells from the thymus, which fight viruses, and by macrophages, which destroy harmful ‘phagocytic’ (eat and kill) substances and cancer cells. One way to fight cancer is to stimulate macrophage production. Interferon, a substance produced by immune cells, stimulates the production of macrophages and therefore has a strong antiviral and anti-cancer effect, and chlorella is known to stimulate interferon production.A glycoprotein extracted from chlorella showed antitumor activity against sarcoma 180 (a type of cancer that occurs in the muscles or bones). These anti-tumor properties were also seen in in vitro testing against leukemia in mice. Hot water extracts of chlorella further inhibited the growth of certain induced cancers (fibrosarcomas) in mice when injected into the tumor or surrounding tissue. Other studies of chlorella have shown that it can prevent breast and liver cancer in mice when given orally or injected into the stomach.
Cleanse the body with chlorella
The elimination of toxins from the body is of paramount importance for the prevention of disease, and chlorella possesses remarkable detoxifying properties thanks to its unique cell wall. A very effective method for cleansing and rejuvenating the body is chlorella fasting. With its toxin-absorbing properties, chlorella can promote the cleansing effects of fasting. As a low-calorie food, chlorella can be safely used in crash diets or fasting regimens for weight loss.
Chlorella blood pressure
Chlorella is also useful against increased blood pressure and fatigue. In many cases, hypertension symptoms disappeared after taking chlorella for a period of 3 to 12 months. The chlorophyll in chlorella also provides relief from chronic constipation and intestinal gas in approximately 85% of those tested.
Use of chlorella
Chlorella can be taken on its own or with medication. Sometimes intestinal gas is produced as a result of more effective intestinal function, but this ends once the intestines have been cleaned. The stool may turn a greenish color, this is due to the excess chlorophyll being excreted, this is quite normal. Chlorella is not poisonous. Excessive intake (300 tablets per day or 60 grams) over a period of many months can cause vitamin A poisoning.