In Japan, a small unicellular microalgae known as chlorella was cultivated and popularised in the 1950s, recognised for it’s extremely high nutritional content, namely protein, chlorophyll, dietary fibre and abundant vitamins and minerals. What chlorella lacks in size, it does double duty for, boasting an impressive plethora of vitamins and minerals including: B Vitamins, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, provitamin A, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron and Potassium. Notably, one of the richest sources of chlorophyll comes from chlorella, extremely beneficial to purify the blood, liver and bowels and to help the body process more oxygen.
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Chlorophyll in Chlorella

Naturally rich in chlorophyll, chlorella is said to contain higher levels of chlorophyll than most commercially available chlorophyll-containing supplements. In some studies researching the activity of chlorophyll and chlorophyllin (a semi-synthetic version of chlorophyll used mainly in liquid chlorophyll supplements), showed evidence for the prevention of uptake of certain cancer-causing toxins, and protection against toxin-induced DNA damage, particularly in the liver and colon.
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This is relevant for diets high in red meat and low in green vegetables, as cooked red meat releases a chemical called haem, which can lead to cancer-causing metabolic changes in the cells of the colon. Chlorophyll, however, shows preventive effects against such toxic changes, by binding to potentially-harmful toxins in the bowels and protecting cells from toxicity.
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It should be noted that chlorophyll undergoes structural changes in temperatures exceeding 60°C, undergoing conversion into the compound pheophytin. Interestingly, this compound, pheophytin, found in green tea, also has protective effects against toxic damage to genes and may be protective against skin cancers.
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Chlorella Micronutrients & Actions

Within the tough cell wall of the microalgae known as chlorella, are a vast array of different micronutrients and chemical constituents, which greatly benefit the human body. To access these beneficial nutrients, the cell wall must be broken, either through a process known as ‘cracked cell wall’ processing or pulverization, and to a lesser degree through the process of fermentation, although this is less common. It appears that ‘cracked cell wall’ and pulverized methods obtain the greatest nutritional yield from the chlorella.
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Chlorella contains around 59% protein based on dry weight, with all essential amino acids and three non-essential amino acids present ‘in substantial concentrations’. 
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Importantly, one special feature of sunlight-grown chlorella is the presence of a group of compounds known collectively as Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF), found unique to chlorella and is described by Dr Jockers as:

‘CGF is a concentration of amino acids, glycoproteins, B vitamins and other nutrients.  These nutrients work synergistically to boost tissue growth, healing & repair.  Some experts believe CGF to be the healthiest substance known in nutritional science.’

Additional to this CGF are other important nutrients for health, such as Vitamins E and K as well as the antioxidants lutein, beta-carotene (provitamin A) and zeaxanthin, which greatly benefit eye health.
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There may or may not be iodine present in chlorella, as one study showed an absence of iodine in 13 commercially tested chlorella samples, while one commercially available product lists iodine present at 6 micrograms (mcg) for every 3 grams of chlorella, so it appears the iodine content may vary depending on the manufacturer.
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Chlorella appears to have detoxification capabilities, and may help to remove the toxic compound dioxin, which can be transferred from mother to infant via the placenta or via breast milk, as well as binding to dioxins present in food sources and preventing their absorption from the gastrointestinal tract.
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Chlorella also seems to boost the immune system, increasing ‘natural killer’ cell activity, which are immune white blood cells, and immunoglobulin A levels, an extremely important immune protein which protects all the mucosal tissues of your body.
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Sourcing Chlorella

It does seem prudent to discuss where to find high quality chlorella, due to the fact that it is grown outdoors in freshwater ponds. The least contaminated outdoor grown chlorella seems to come from Japan and Taiwan, with chlorella from China showing the highest level of contamination. It would then be important to know where exactly your chlorella is sourced from, which should be labelled on the packaging. This article is well worth a read explaining what to look out for when purchasing chlorella.

It is important to note that sunlight grown chlorella produces the highest amount of chlorella growth factor, as compared with fermented chlorella which is grown indoors in complete darkness. There are also two main varieties of chlorella, c. pyrenoidosa (also known as c. sorokiniana) and c. vulgaris, and both seem to act in the same way. Chlorella is available in powder form or as pressed tablets.
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Some Cautions

While chlorella is considered beneficial for most, there are some conditions where chlorella may be potentially harmful or unhelpful, particularly in auto-immune disease, iodine-sensitive thyroid disorders, iodine allergy, in post-menopausal women and in men (amount-related due to the iron content), those on Warfarin or other blood-thinning medications or those with clotting disorders (due to the Vitamin K content), and in some very rare cases an allergy to chlorella itself. Wellness Mama does an article on this outlining some of the things to look out for.

It may be prudent to start with a very small amount, less than a pinch with some water, and waiting a few hours just to rule out any allergy, before proceeding safely with chlorella. There may also be an adjustment period when starting on chlorella, mainly as the gastrointestinal tract adjusts and may be related to how much chlorella is taken, which is described in this article here.

Another really important aspect of chlorella is it’s potential for detoxification, and the harmful effects that can occur when the removal of body toxins exceeds the body’s capacity to safely excrete them from the body, thus causing severe and potentially dangerous health reactions, often seen when ‘detoxing agents’ are taken in too large doses too quickly, or in those with compromised detoxification pathways, or those with preexisting large toxic bioloads. It really is better to be safe than sorry and to seek high quality nutritional and functional medical advice if you have concerns or more serious health problems. This is a serious topic since a lot of modern day health issues can be linked back to toxic bioloads, in part due to improper diet and lifestyle choices, but also because of corrupt medical “health” interventions and the deliberate environmental toxification of our soil, air and oceans.

One way to approach supplements or foods that promote detoxification is to start lower-than-low, as well as proceeding going slower-than-slow and noting how the processes of your body respond. While I am not a medical practitioner, going low and slow seems a best approach for something like chlorella, due to the nature of it’s actions and effects.

Remember, you want to support and enhance your natural detoxification processes, not overwhelm them.

 

A Note on ‘Detox’

I always believe that ‘detox’ should be a natural, unforced and easy process, a way of life, whereby healthy diet and lifestyle choices naturally move the body towards health and away from dis-ease. In saying that, however, due to many factors, starting even from infancy, much has been directed towards us to rapidly bring our bodies into an unnatural state of biotoxicity and un-wellness, thus necessitating proper understanding of our body’s biochemistry and perhaps more specialised approaches for more serious health conditions. It is not a ‘one size fits all’, as what works for some may not work for others.

I also believe, however, that we are entering into an age where rapid and easily accessible healing protocols which have little-to-no side effects will be the norm, with the total reversal and eradication of things such as cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other such things, with Ivermectin being an excellent and extremely promising example of this.

Complete and lasting healing will be the norm, not the exception.