Think of chlorella as a potent detoxification compound. It has many other health benefits too, and it’s the topic of today’s article. Full disclosure, there is a full dose of chlorella in my delicious, patented superfood drink mix Yummy Greens®
This article was published in Nutrients (September 2020) and it’s entitled: Potential of Chlorella as a Dietary Supplement to Promote Human Health.
Most people do not let their home get filthy and disgusting, we clean it up from time to time, right? We throw out used paper towels, do the dishes, we dust and vacuum and keep our homes as clean as we can. Why could be doing that with our bodies too.
Why do so many of us let toxins build up and get nasty inside of us? We certainly have options to “clean up” and detoxify. Sweating is one easy way, that’s why exercise is useful. It also moves our lymph and that alone is huge in terms of “cleaning” us up.
Saunas are useful if you are sedentary and can’t exercise well due to injuries or your individual physical limitations. You may be thinking that this doesn’t apply to you but if you eat and drink (by drink, I mean water, but you can certainly insert “alcohol” in there if you want), then you are making your body dirty by spawning free radicals from the toxins you’ve just encountered. Our planet keeps getting dirtier and dirtier each year. We have chemicals and pesticides that flow through our bodies, and our babies are born with many chemicals, according to umbilical cord studies!
The Environmental Working Group found that newborns could be exposed to numerous chemicals in utero, but the exact number and effect of these chemicals can vary. Then we hit them hard within days with about dozens of shots for immunizations. Within days when their kidney and liver function isn’t up to par.
Their liver isn’t even functioning perfectly yet. As the child grows into an adult, it will encounter countless medications for this and that. At some point, all those medications do their work and break down into smaller metabolites or by-products, and then those have to be “cleansed” from our system.
Pathogens in Our Gut
What about microorganisms that are dangerous? There are pathogens that invade our gut and if this doesn’t freak you out, I don’t know what will, but there’s more of them than us! By that, I mean more microbes and pathogens than our own blood cells.
This is the unfortunate truth. A tuna fish sandwich using canned white or albacore contains 0.32 parts per million of mercury. Depending on whose rule you want to follow, kids under 6 should theoretically eat one only tuna fish sandwich (the equivalent of a 3-ounce portion) per month!
What does that tell you? Canned tuna is really high in mercury, and yet, it’s part of kids’ diets all around the world and they are eating it more than once a month. The same guideline says that adults can “safely” eat it 3 times a month, but no more than that is recommended.
It takes you about a year to clear one tuna fish sandwich, so if you eat it more than annually, it is going to keep building up. I’m not saying NOT to eat it, you can certainly enjoy what you want, I just want you to know that you may think you don’t get into “stuff” but you do. You most certainly get into all sorts of toxic metals, poisons, weird man-made chemicals in your makeup, the medicine you take, and the air you breathe.
Just consider what I’m about to tell you. The first signs of toxicity include problems galore, headaches, pain, and emotional disturbances that vary. The brain is fatty, and so is the spinal cord. Most toxins and heavy metals are attracted to fat so your brain and spinal cord will take a hard hit. So will your pancreas, liver, and heart, also fatty tissue.
Is it Toxic Overload?
The following symptoms could be toxic overload, as well as other medical conditions. I’ve written about each of these symptoms in length, so use my search box if you want to learn more about something listed here:
Fatigue or easy exhaustion
Shortness of breath
Stomach upset and intestinal permeability
Diarrhea or constipation
Depression
Anxiety
Insomnia
Obesity
HYPOTHYROIDISM
Acne or eczema
Inability to lose weight
Hormonal or cyclical changes
Heavy periods and cramps
Blood sugar abnormalities (hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia)
Impaired fertility
Frequent Infections
Let’s all clean up!
One way to detoxify is with natural chlorella. Have you heard of this? It’s a single cell microalgae that has a super tiny molecular structure. Chlorella is very popular in Eastern cultures, so much so, that it outsells Vitamin C, the classic detox nutrient.
Chlorella has natural cleaning abilities, it’s like a wet sponge ready to soak up dirt that is stuck inside your gut. It literally bonds to metals, toxic chemicals and some pesticides that we swallow from eating and drinking normal, typical foods. These poisons just stick to, or hide inside the folds of your intestines and rot.
Chlorella is one of several natural supplements that can get it out due to its special sponge-like superpowers. I love this stuff and even include it in one of my own supplements, actually.
Chlorella for Blood Sugar
It is possible that it might help reduce the percentage of body fat, at least according to one Asian study, and that means it could be useful to people who have blood sugar problems, or those who struggle with cravings. It supports your liver and studies on chlorella show it contains 50% plant-based protein and a lot of amino acids. It even has some natural B12 in it. There’s not enough to fully supplement a vegan diet, but it’s a start.
Chlorella works well because it is rich in chlorophyll, which is the green pigment in plants. In the fall when the chlorophyll dies, all the leaves turn gold, red, and brown (it’s the chlorophyll leaving the leaf that makes the color change).
Chlorophyll (Found in Chlorella) Has Benefits
Purify the bloodstream
Grab onto certain molds that may be lurking in your gut
Neutralize inhaled toxins
Promote repair and growth of your tissue
Help you oxygenate your tissue
Clean house – your blood, liver and digestive tract
What Else Can It Do
Boost immunity*
Freshen breath*
Support already healthy blood pressure and glucose levels*
Improve gut transit, which means help if you’re constipated*
Chlorella for Constipation
That last one is really important. I bet you never thought about it this way but if you’re constipated, you are not clean. You are holding toxins, they are stuck in you. One of the best ways to feel better fast, is to get those bowels moving.
For some of you, being hypothyroid will cause constipation. This is very common, and overlooked by physicians. They just keep giving you drugs for your gut, but until you take thyroid medicine or supplements and get your thyroxine and T3 levels up to normal, you will stay constipated, and you will keep having to buy laxative pills and suppositories.
I hate to bring up the Russians during this time because it’s all I hear on the news lately but we have to talk about the Russians right now. They did a test, it was a double-blind clinical trial on humans conducted over 3 years (so pretty tight).
Chlorella was tested and combined with cilantro extract, and researchers found that it reduced heavy metal burden. It grabbed onto some lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. Interested in more information about CILANTRO?
Chlorella supplements have to be chosen wisely. Their culturing, sourcing and purity is at stake. Make sure you find a good brand of plain chlorella or one of those superfood green drink mixes that contains chlorella. If you have thyroid or “female” problems, I’d recommend a goitrogen-free blend of greens or just plain chlorella.
To understand the harm that goitrogenic greens can do to you, especially with a thyroid disorder, please consider reading, Be Aware Of Thyroid Risks: 6 Goitrogenic Medications To Understand.
Start with a very low dose. If you take a whole scoop, or a bunch of tablets all at once and have a bad reaction (for example, vomiting or diarrhea) this could be a sign that you are harboring mold from a prior mold exposure, or it could be a sign of intestinal infection or permeability problems.
Many of you take greens already and definitely notice that you feel better taking these types of supplements, and experience more energy or enjoy a ‘lighter’ sense of well-being to your day.
Maybe you can do more, and feel calmer for some reason but you’re not sure why. Good things can happen to you within the first week of starting.
But then, there are other individuals who need to go more slowly when taking a potent detoxifier.
Remember, poisons, synthetic compounds from vaccines and medications, and xenoestrogens as well as millions of unfriendly bacteria, yeast and viruses have been stuck in your beautiful body for months, if not years and decades.
Taking a detox supplement in a high dose all at once can sometimes be too much, so slow and steady wins the race.
These things have taken up residence for a long time. You can’t get fabulous results overnight. Sometimes you have to sneak up on the junk and un-glue it little by little.
Go Slowly: Start with Less than a Scoop
So as a blanket rule, I suggest that when first starting out on chlorella-based supplements or green superfood drink mixes… or when starting after you’ve been sick for a long time, you should go slowly and take one quarter or one half the dose recommended on the label.
If you have a bad reaction to chlorella, and it’s really bad, then do not take it again. Never make yourself uncomfortable because you read an article on the Internet. Just avoid the formula.
It is likely that your body has experienced a sensitivity and doesn’t like the chlorella or some other detoxifier, fruit or vegetable within the formula. Just like with medications, I say the same thing about supplements, any supplement. I always recommend taking very small doses of things to start with.
With green drinks or chlorella supplements, this is important because it is a powerful binding tool, and you have to clean (detoxify) slowly and methodically to get optimal results.
It Can Flood Your System as Methylation Opens Up
These types of supplements unlock blocked pathways, including the methylation pathway and so that’s another reason to go slowly and start with low doses and work up day by day to the full recommended panel dose. You wouldn’t clean your house with a bulldozer, you’d do so one room at a time, or maybe you’d dust all at once, then vacuum all at once. It’s the same with detoxification in the human body. Go slowly and consider chlorella as one of your tools.
Methylation is important – not sure what it is? READ THIS.
Greens and chlorella contain a lot of natural iron and this could cause stomach upset at first, but over time could breathe life into you if you feel tired, pale and short of breath. It could be a pleasant “side effect” of the supplement. So many of us are tired and worn out, greens provide ‘oxygen’ by raising ferritin and iron levels gently, much more comfortably than an iron supplement which can cause all sorts of problems. If you have taken iron supplements, you know exactly what I mean.
Final Thoughts
Even if you live in a city with low pollution and eat right, it may still be difficult to avoid the water, the pesticides and herbicides in our food as it’s grown, and spraying of compounds for pest-management and other man-made chemicals and personal care products.
Sometimes you just have to install a mechanism to defend yourself and maintain your good health. To me, these types of natural supplements are important. I’ve taken them on and off for 20 years and they give me energy right before Zumba, they keep my hair shiny, and my nails strong! Most taste gross, that’s why I made Yummy Greens!
Everything in your body runs smoother without glitchy bugs and toxins. Don’t let your body accumulate “dirt” to dangerous levels, it’s easier to keep it clean in the first place. Let me know what you try, and how it works. I wish you well.
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
