What is Spirulina?

Spirulina is a single-celled blue-green algae shaped like tiny green spiral coils. These coils harvest the energy of the sun, growing a treasure-trove of nutrients. Spirulina is believed to be the first photosynthetic life form, designed by nature 3.6 billion years ago. Blue-green algae is what initially produced oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere, allowing all higher life forms to evolve. It contained (and still does) everything life needed to evolve into the rich diversity it is today.

What are the Benefits?

The foods we eat are the first line of defense from the negative effects of lifestyle stress, pollution, radiation and toxic chemicals. Yet so many processed foods are nutritionally empty. They leave us vulnerable to poor health and low energy. The good news is many essential nutrients recommended by experts to help protect our bodies are concentrated in Spirulina.

Click on any link for more in-depth information!

• High content of easy-to-digest protein
• Contains Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA), which helps cells breathe
• High in minerals that are easier to digest than when isolated and put in pill-form
• Provides several vitamins essential for healthy metabolism
• Contains enzymatic pigments for maintenance and cleansing
  

High Protein Content

Spirulina contains over 60% protein, higher than any other food and Spirulina's rapid growth means it yields 20 times more protein per acre than soybeans, 40 times more than corn, and over 200 times more than beef.

People are eating less meat and dairy protein because they want to lower fat, cholesterol, and chemicals in their diet. Spirulina is the highest protein food that still has all the essential amino acids. It is free of the cholesterol, heavy fats and possible toxins and hormones that are found in meat.

The cell wall of spirulina is soft and easy for our bodies to break down, therefore the protein of spirulina is many times more easily digested than the protein of meat.

Contains Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA)

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an omega-6 Essential Fatty Acid (EFA), found mostly in plant oils. EFAs are involved in respiration in all the cells and are especially important to oxygen transport. They are not dangerous fat but are absolutely vital to health.

EFAs play an integral part in normal brain function, growth and development, bone health, stimulation of skin and hair growth, regulation of metabolism, and maintenance of reproductive processes. EFAs cannot be made in the body. The body can get GLA through conversion of other acids or directly from food. Studies show that nutritional deficiencies can block GLA conversion in the body, so a good dietary source of GLA is important.

High Content of Easy-to-Digest Minerals

Minerals in spirulina are easier for our bodies to assimilate. As spirulina integrates minerals into itself, it transforms the minerals by causing them to become chelated, or bonded with amino acids. Minerals taken in pill form are often ineffective because our bodies don’t know how to break them down. Our bodies do not have this problem with chelated minerals.

These are the minerals that can be found in spirulina:

POTASSIUM: A crucial mineral that regulates body electrolyte balance. Deficiency can cause heart arrest, hypertension, adrenal exhaustion and muscular collapse.

CALCIUM: The most abundant mineral in the body, it is especially important to bone and dental health, but is also involved in neural transmissions to the muscles. Spirulina supplies about as much calcium, gram for gram, as milk.

ZINC: The pivot point of over thirty vital enzymatic reactions, with profound effects on mental health, skin tone, prostate function and healing capacity.

MAGNESIUM: Deficiency can lead to spasmodic muscle disorders, including cardiac irregularities. Helps assimilation of vitamin C, B vitamins and protein.

MANGANESE: Activates enzyme systems, along with zinc. Promotes activity of neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and helps stabilize blood sugar.

SELENIUM: Originally believed to be a toxic heavy metal, but now known to be necessary for health. It retards aging, harmful oxidation and free radical formation, reduces the toxic effect of carcinogens, and improves cardiac efficiency.

IRON: Promotes formation of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying blood pigment found in healthy red blood cells. Iron deficiency is most common among women in their reproductive years.

PHOSPHORUS: The second most abundant mineral in the human body, it is found in practically every cell. Functions with calcium to maintain bone density. Helps to digest carbohydrates and the B vitamins niacin and riboflavin.

Vitamins for Healthy Metabolism

Spirulina supplies several of the vitamins that all living beings need to carry on metabolic processes:

PYRIDOXINE or B6: Involved in breakdown and assimilation of protein. Protects cardiac health, reduces edema and stabilizes female hormone levels.

BIOTIN: An enzyme that involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Also acts as a co-enzyme in the assimilation of other B-complex vitamins. Biotin is destroyed by eating raw egg whites and some kinds of raw fish.

COBALAMIN or B12: The most difficult of all vitamins to obtain from vegetable sources. Spirulina is extremely rich in this rare vitamin, containing 250 percent more than beef liver, previously thought to be nature's richest source. A B12 deficiency results in anemia, nerve degeneration, senility, pronounced fatigue and mental illnesses resembling schizophrenia.

PANTOTHENIC ACID: The "stress" vitamin, used by the adrenal glands, along with cholesterol and vitamin C, to manufacture cortisone and other steroids in response to physical and mental stress. Deficiency encourages sensitivity to allergy, infection and degenerative diseases such as arthritis and rheumatism. Ulcers and hypoglycemia have also been associated with shortage of this vitamin.

FOLIC ACID: Essential to proper hemoglobin formation in red blood cells. Deficiency results in anemia, poor growth, skin pigmentation disorders and premature graying of the hair.

INOSITOL: Vital lipotropic nutrient that sustains liver health and helps detoxify carcinogens, particularly excess female hormones. Helps normalize blood cholesterol levels.

NIACIN: Niacin is essential to mental health. Dr. Abram Hoffer, a renowned pioneer in orthomolecular psychiatry, has completely relieved schizophrenic symptoms using niacin. The Physicians' Desk Reference, a pharmaceutical text used by doctors when prescribing medication, recognizes niacin as an effective cholesterol lowering agent.

RIBOFLAVIN or B2: The most common vitamin deficiency is that of riboflavin and results in cataracts, failing vision, watery eyes and uncontrollable eczema.

THIAMINE or B1: A co-enzyme in the breakdown of dietary carbohydrate. Maintains levels of glucose in the blood. Deficiency results in weakness, cardiac damage, abdominal distention and poor oxygenation. Severe shortage results in death; critical toxemia develops from unmetabolized carbohydrate fragments.

TOCOPHEROL or vitamin E: Spirulina contains more vitamin E per gram than pure wheat germ. This nutrient protects heart and vascular health, promotes oxygenation of cells, and retards aging.

Enzymatic Pigments for Maintenance and Cleansing

While the protein, mineral and vitamin value of Spirulina is impressive, this minute organism is also rich in pigments that are bio-chemically important to life. Without pigments, organisms could not synthesize many of the enzymes necessary for balancing metabolism.

Chlorophyll

The most visible pigment in Spirulina is chlorophyll, a green molecule common to plants. It releases ions when struck by the energy of sunlight. These free ions proceed to stimulate the biochemical reactions that form proteins, vitamins and sugars.

Chlorophyll has many positive benefits to the body. It increases peristaltic action (movement of food through intestines with cilia and contraction) and thus relieves constipation. Chlorophyll normalizes the secretion of digestive acids and also soothes and reduces inflammation from excess pepsin secretion associated with gastric ulcers. In addition, chlorophyll soothes swelling and promotes granulation (regeneration of new tissue over injuries).

Chlorophyll appears to promote regeneration of damaged liver cells, and also increases circulation to all the organs by dilating blood vessels. In the heart, chlorophyll aids in transmission of nerve impulses that control contraction. The heart rate is slowed, yet each contraction is increased in power, thus improving the overall efficiency of cardiac work.

Chlorophyll is a natural cleanser and is often referred to as nature's green magic.

Phycocyanin

The pigment which gives Spirulina its blue cast is phycocyanin which is important to healthy liver function and digestion of amino acids.

Carotenoids

Some substances in plant foods are not true vitamins, but provide the precursors from which the body can then synthesize the appropriate vitamins. The carotenoid compounds of Spirulina are of this nature, since they are used to produce vitamin A.

True vitamin A is found in the pre-formed state only in animal sources, such as liver. This is the form of vitamin A sometimes associated with toxicity and overdose, since it is fat-soluble and is not readily excreted from the body.

In contrast, the carotenoid complexes found in vegetable foods are converted to vitamin A only as it is needed, thus minimizing the dangers of toxicity. Spirulina is a primary source of vitamin A precursors - it is from algae carotenoids that fish livers derive and concentrate vitamin A.

Spirulina contains a variety of carotenoids which work in synergy as antioxidants, protecting our cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. The carotenoids in Spirulina are ten times more concentrated than in carrots. Vitamin A can be made from the yellow/orange pigments cryptoxanthine and beta-carotene.

• Alpha-carotene
• Beta-carotene (promotes cellular health)
• Xanthophylis
• Cryptoxanthine
• Echinenone
• Zeaxanthin (promotes eye health)
• Lutein

Even if you don't eat the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, you can get your natural beta carotene insurance from spirulina to help support your body's defenses!

These and several lesser pigments such as phycoerythrin, tetrapyrrole, phytonadione and the carotenoids are not just the "color" of living organisms, but are used to carry on metabolic processes throughout the body. Without them, enzymatic reactions would be reduced until cellular disintegration occurred.

Is Spirulina Production Safe for the Environment?

Microalgae, like Spirulina, deliver food and biochemicals efficiently, without destroying valuable resources.

Spirulina uses less water per kilo of protein than other foods. Spirulina protein uses 25% of the amount of water soy requires, 17% corn requires and only 2% the water required for beef protein. Spirulina prefers brackish water over valuable fresh water and can be grown on non-fertile land that cannot be used by other crops. It can produce 20 times more protein per acre than soybeans.

Spirulina also requires less energy input per kilo than soy, corn or beef, including solar and generated energy. Its energy efficiency (energy output per kg / energy input per kg) is 5 times higher than soy, 2 times higher than corn, and over 100 times higher than grain fed beef.

If we can use unusable resources and a negligible amount of water and energy to grow one of the healthiest, most healing foods on Earth, we can help stop the destruction of Earth’s last primordial forests and jungles. By bringing spirulina into our personal lives, we become part of the solution to improve the health of our planet. Not only is it safe to produce, it helps counter the destruction of our home!