Spirulina Information

Spirulina has been used for thousands of years in China, the Orient at large, and now in the western world.

What is is? It comes from the ocean, lakes, and ponds and is a small, single-celled microorganism rich in the plant pigment chlorophyll, thus giving it its blue-greenish color.

Like with many Asian medicines and foods from China, Korea, and Japan, spirulina has been touted as a miracle cure and as a complete, nutrient rich "food."

It is very popular, even in the eminently practical West and is now available in many forms, e.g., powder, liquid, capsule, tablet, and as part of the ever-growing green drink craze.

What are the proclaimed benefits of this nutrient?

As mentioned, it is seen almost as a cure-all and has been used as a therapeutic agent in Asian medicine for multiple millennia. Its proclaimed benefits are increases energy, suppresses AIDS, wards off coronary disease and cancer, helps curb bad breath, help treat thyroid problems, etc.

Undoubtedly, the proclaimed benefits of algae are impressive, but are they legitimate?

And if so, why haven't we heard more about the benefits of algae-spirulina? Let's see if we can't discuss that more in depth in the next section.  

Facts vs. Fiction

While it is true that spirulina is rich in chlorophyll and in iodine, both of which have strong health implications for the human body. Chlorophyll is the main ingredient in wheat grass and is a proven, well researched to have many health benefits, chief of which may be that it promotes longevity and cleans the blood.

In a very real way, the health of your blood stream is how healthy you are overall.

So, while chlorophyll is a proven health food nutrient, more research needs to be done on algae-spirulina to validate its claim to being a wonder food.

You may have heard the claim that one of the chief benefits of it is that is has every vitamin, mineral, amino acid, and enzyme necessary to sustain life (including trace and rare nutrients as well).

That appears to be so, which is one of the reasons why it has grown so in popularity among health seekers. However, spirulina's purported claims that it cures everything from cancer to increasing the sex drive to fighting coronary disease is at this point in time unwarranted and pure speculation. More clinical studies need to be done and are ongoing.

Pecautions & Guidelines About Spirulina

Quite frankly, spirulina tastes horrible. If you take it, take it with other food to not only mask the taste, but to lessen the possibility of nausea and stomach upset.

If you do believe in algae-spirulina's nutritional capability, Some also have hypersensitivity to iodine and could possibly develop an enlarged thyroid gland.

This is a small percentage, though. To be safe, pregnant and/or nursing mothers should always consult with a doctor before beginning any new supplement.

Those taking thyroid medications as well for it could provide excessive doses of iodine and amplify the desired effect. This could lead to the swollen thyroid gland condition we mentioned. If you do take this supplement, make sure it is contaminant free.

Incidentally, don't just take seaweed off the beach or even from the ocean directly yourself as ocean pollutants are common. Good spirulina must be decontaminated and prepared first before being sold.

Recommendation

At this juncture, there are just too many unknowns about algae. Like many health foods, there is unwarranted speculation as to its abilities. It does appear to be safe in usage, however, except for the possibility of getting an enlarged thyroid gland.

If you're interested in taking a multivitamin that has every vitamin, mineral, amino acid, and enzyme necessary to sustain life, that is actually pharmaceutical-grade quality, bee pollen supplements are an excellent alternative.

I take a bee pollen supplement that was made by a New Zealand company that makes nutritional supplements that actually exceed the US FDA requirements for prescription medications.

Lastly, not only does this bee pollen supplement they have everything that spirulina has, but bee pollen has also been extremely well researched and has proven athletic enhancement capabilities.

It is also safer. For more information on Bee Pollen, click here on this Bee Pollen link.

I hope this spirulina web page has been useful to you.

Yours in health, hope, and harmony,
Nutritional-Supplement-Bible.com