Spirulina the Superfood: The Amazing Health Benefits

Although spirulina is classified as a "blue green algae," it is actually a microscopically small plant found growing naturally in warm-water volcanic ponds. Spirulina is extremely high in protein that is easy to digest and also contains over 100 vitamins and minerals(!), which is why it's regularly dubbed a "superfood." Taking spirulina will provide a person with plenty of natural energy and also help clean out their body while stimulating their metabolism.

Specifically, the protein that spirulina contains is made up of eighteen amino acids - the essentials, plus most of the nonessentials the human body does not make on its own. The actual protein content registers as high as 65 to 70 percent(!), making spirulina about 10 to 15 times more potent than steak, with the added benefit that its protein is much easier on the digestive system than any type of meat product.

But high protein content is not the only health benefit of spirulina; it also helps with weight loss, controls certain allergy reactions, balances carbohydrate levels in the body, helps with anemia problems and vision disorders, and also alleviates other abnormal conditions of the body.

Studies at the National Cancer Institute found that adding spirulina to test tubes containing the AIDS virus showed spirulina to be highly combative against AIDS cells. Also experiments with mice and chickens proved that spirulina increases strength of the immune system, helps fight various diseases, and generally acts as a "probiotic" agent. Scientists in Russia even received a patent for spirulina's ability to fight symptoms of radiation infection from people exposed at Chernobyl! Spirulina is truly an amazing supplement.

"Why is spirulina so green?" folks have often wondered. It comes from spirulina's abundance of chlorophyll (one of the richest sources on the planet), and also that it contains carotenoids and phycocyanin, all of which are known to collect energy from the sun. In particular, phycocyanin is a potent super-antioxidant that strengthens the immune system, while chlorophyl is known to have many health benefits for humans. Spirulina also contains more beta carotene than any other known food item, which is known for reducing certain health risks.

When it comes to iron, you won't need to consume any extra when supplementing with spirulina. Spinach is known as a high iron source, but spirulina contains about 58 times more than spinach!

Another rare ingredient found in spirulina is "superoxide dismutase," which is a highly potent enzyme that functions as an antioxidant to detoxify the human body - and spirulina has over 2000 more life-enhancing enzymes as well!

A vitamin called GLA which is abundant in breast-feeding mothers to help their babies stay healthy is also found in spirulina. Miraculously, this is the only known food source that contains GLA! Vitamin B12 is in abundance too, along with many trace minerals (96 of them!) that help keep the body in balance.

When boosting the immune system, spirulina specifically helps the body to grow new blood cells and bone marrow, and it also stimulates t-cell growth and microflora in the intestines, which improves weight loss due to speeding up the digestive process. Also, if you are an athlete or if you lift weights regularly, spirulina can help fight the effects of overtraining since it strengthens the immune system.

So it appears that spirulina is indeed a superfood in every sense of the word. Personally, I am going to begin supplementing with it as soon as possible. And I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know.

Sources

1. Detoxification, Spirulina Facts, http://www.detoxification.ws/spirulina.htm

2. Wikipedia, Spirulina, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirulina_(dietary_supplement)

3. Bodybuilding.com, Spirulina Info, http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/spirulina.html