Chlorella - Great Green Wonder

Chlorella is a fresh water, single-celled algae of the genus Chlorella that gets its green colour from both chlorophyll -a and -b. Chlorella gets it's name from the Greek "chloros" or "green" and the Latin suffix "ella" or "small". In our house, chlorella has earned the nickname "greenies" because, well, it's green.

Chlorella only needs sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and a small quantity of minerals for photosynthesis and reproduction. Since it requires very little to grow, it can be found almost anywhere...including, to the dismay of many hobbyists, fish tanks.

Chlorella is grown for market mainly in large, open, circular tanks of pure water that have been supplemented with nutrients. A small amount of chlorella is then put in the tanks and allowed to grow and reproduce under the sun. The chlorella is then removed, drained and dried at low temperatures to enable it's cell wall to crack without destroying the nutrients. The cell wall of chlorella is hard which can make for difficult absorption by the body so it's a good idea to make sure you look for broken cell wall chlorella.

Chlorella has come a long way from it's humble beginnings as a first and simplest life-form in the pre-Cambrian period. The earth and it's atmosphere went through a lot of changes from events such as volcanic eruptions spewing all kinds of dangerous gasses into the air. Organisms such as chlorella cleaned up the environment and made it livable so that bigger and more complex organisms could thrive.

Being among the lowest organisms on the food chain, chlorella has always worked its way onto our plates but it wasn't until the early 1900s that it started being explored as a food on its own. It was first identified under microscope in the 1890s by a Dutch scientist and grown in Holland since the late 1800s. When German scientists discovered in the early 1900s that chlorella has a high protein content, interest in it as a food source sky-rocketed.

Research into the various properties of chlorella took a back-seat during the world wars. After the wars, several countries started exploring uses for the little organism. NASA and the USSR explored the idea of using it as a food for their astronauts and Japan considered it to alleviate some of the concerns over post-war food shortages, Research at the time didn't go too far due to the high cost of mass producing and it's low digestibility due to its strong cell wall. In the 1970s a way to get past the cell wall problem was discovered and patented. From there, interest in chlorella has exploded.

Today chlorella is used as a supplement, a whole food, in treatments, as a biofuel and in anti-aging skin treatments.

Chlorella is a very nutritious food all on its own. Chlorella is very high in protein and contains anywhere from 2 to 3 times that of beef, chicken or fish. It's low in fat, high in amino acids, and has many vitamins and minerals including (but not limited to) A, B, biotin, C, folic acid, niacin, calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium and zinc. It is also very high in chlorophyll which can help move oxygen within the body.

Chlorella is wonderful in detoxification. It binds to toxic metals that can damage your nervous system and helps the body eliminate them. When the body is free of those metals, general health improves. Chlorella can also promote peristalsis (the waves in the ducts that move materials) in the colon. When mixed with cilantro, chlorella can help release toxic metals from the nervous system and bones.

Skin can also receive benefits from chlorella. It is being studied for its ability to improve micro-circulation, reducing the appearance of spider veins. Chlorella can improve skin elasticity preventing or reducing wrinkles and helping to repair stretch marks. Chlorella is also being studied for its ability to protect the skin from UV radiation.

Chlorella is used to improve a number of conditions. It improves the immune system and helps fight infection. It is a common part of the protocols many Lyme Disease patients follow and has been said to improve the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, ulcers, Crohn's Disease and liver damage. It is also helpful in eliminating the toxins from cancer treatments and possibly destroying some cancers.

Please research to find out the best quantity of chlorella for you. Too much and you can cause abdominal pain, bloating or diarrhea. If it's bothersome, you may be a little low in the enzyme cellulase, which can be taken by supplement but please check for dosage first. Also please note that when buying chlorella, make sure you get "broken cell-wall" to help your body get the most nutritional benefit.

Chlorella has other uses too and is currently being researched as a biofuel. Chlorella has a high oil content that can be harvested and converted to fuel. Requiring little more than sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and a few minerals, chlorella is easy to grow just about anywhere. It can make great use of our waste water or other water for whatever reason is not safe for consumption. Currently, the only thing holding it back is the costs associated with growing it on a scale large enough to sustain our fuel needs.

If you really enjoyed this lens, please consider donating a dollar. Half of all donations will go to LymeAid 4 Kids LymeAid 4 Kids info page ...the other half will go to my child's Lyme treatment. Thank you for reading this lens and be well.