John Myers
The microalgae chlorella and spirulina are excellent for detoxification and can reduce the harmful effects of the toxic heavy metals that affect our bodies every day. The pollutants are now ubiquitous and enter our organisms through food, water, the air, or through clothing, furniture, and cosmetics.
Not a day without poison
Poisons, chemicals, and pollutants are now part of everyday life for most people. In very few cases are the toxins perceived consciously? They are eaten involuntarily, but quite automatically with meals, inhaled with the air, drunk with water, and absorbed through the skin. They are now ubiquitous in the environment.
Personal toxic exposure can be reduced by giving preference to organic food, harmless dental fillings, natural body care products, etc. Nevertheless, the last decades of the industrial age have left their first indelible traces, so everyone has to reckon with a certain residual burden.
The consequences of chronic pollution
Heavy metals are not metabolized in the organism and often cannot be completely eliminated by our body’s own detoxification systems (liver, kidneys, lymph, intestine). They, therefore, accumulate in the body. As soon as a correspondingly high load is reached, symptoms can now appear. The consequences of such chronic pollution can be very different:
- Toxic metals adversely affect children’s development, which can result in ailments (physical or intellectual) that persist for life.
- Toxic heavy metals inhibit some enzymes and cause oxidative stress – the latter in particular is considered a contributory cause of many chronic diseases.
- People with elevated heavy metal values are more prone to diabetes, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, infertility, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS), nervous diseases (polyneuropathy), and kidney diseases as well as metabolic syndrome (overweight, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, diabetes).
- Even levels of pollutants that are labeled as low can become contributors to chronic disease, something that used to be underestimated.
- Toxic heavy metals can lead to chronic inflammatory processes in the blood vessels. As a result, more calcium is stored in the affected areas, which in turn can lead to the hardening of the vessel walls and is called arteriosclerosis – a condition that is considered to be the cause of the most common cause of death of our time: cardiovascular diseases.
- Arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead are on the WHO list of the top ten most dangerous chemicals for human health because the metals are linked to numerous diseases (see above).
Detox with Chlorella and Spirulina?
In order to prevent an accumulation of toxins, it is worthwhile regularly ensuring that the toxins ingested daily are excreted or taking measures that can reduce the harmful effects of the toxins. There are numerous natural products for this purpose.
The unicellular freshwater algae chlorella and spirulina are also frequently discussed, although spirulina is actually not an alga but belongs to the group of cyanobacteria. For the sake of simplicity, we will stick to the term “algae” in this article.
Spirulina reduces the harmful effects of heavy metals
In 2020, the Journal of Environmental Pathology, Toxicology, and Oncology read a review that said 58 preclinical studies had shown that spirulina could mitigate the toxicity of heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead, and mercury.
The metals mentioned repeatedly get into the human body via the environment. Only a few doctors regularly check their patients for possible stress, so nothing is done about it from this side. Harmful metals, however, can contribute to the development of numerous, especially chronic diseases.
It is therefore important to know the means and measures to protect yourself from heavy metals and other pollutants in the best possible way. Spirulina appears to be one such remedy. The cyanobacterium spirulina, known as blue or microalgae, showed in tests that it can reduce the toxicity of heavy metals.
The above-mentioned review examined the 58 preclinical studies mentioned, but also five clinical studies in which a protective effect of spirulina had also been shown – in relation to the toxicity of arsenic. This protective effect is explained in particular by the antioxidant activity of spirulina.
Spirulina detoxifies people, but also wastewater
According to some sources, spirulina is even said to be able to remove radioactive substances from the body in addition to mercury. If this alga is used in wastewater contaminated with heavy metals, it can remove cadmium and lead from it.
Spirulina worshiped by the Aztecs
Even the Aztecs in ancient Mexico worshiped the spirulina algae. However, they used it less for internal detoxification and more for strengthening the body. And so Spirulina not only detoxifies us, but also provides a mega dose of essential amino acids, vitamins, fatty acids, carotenes, minerals, and trace elements. Spirulina was therefore a popular dietary supplement in highly developed cultures many hundreds of years ago.
Today, however, we are more dependent than ever on the tiny algae – on the one hand, to get rid of all the industrial toxins and on the other hand to create a nutritious balance to all the usual foods lacking in vital substances.
Chlorella binds toxins and purifies the blood
While some detoxifying agents (e.g. coriander) can mobilize the pollutants that have accumulated in the body from the cells and thus release them from the tissue, chlorella is excellent for binding and discharging the now-free toxins (especially metals). Chlorella works in a similar way to spirulina, but its absorption power is even stronger.
In addition to certain proteins and peptides (short-chain proteins) that are responsible for the elimination function of chlorella, the microalgae contain enormous amounts of chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is the pigment that makes algae and plants green. It colors green, just as hemoglobin colors our blood red. Both dyes are closely related and differ only in a few details. For this reason, chlorophyll is considered a powerful blood purifier and blood builder.
At the same time, it can support the detoxification of heavy metals. Just like spirulina, chlorella is an almost inexhaustible source of valuable and energy-giving vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids and therefore provides the human body with high-quality material for all kinds of healing and regeneration processes.
Dose chlorella and spirulina appropriately
Chlorella and Spirulina can be taken in high doses for heavy metal detoxification. They are particularly effective at flushing many toxins out of the body. The side effects that otherwise often occur with detoxification can be mitigated by the freshwater microalgae.
The often-recommended dose of chlorella and spirulina for heavy metal detoxification is between 20 and 30 grams per day. Both substances can be taken together. However, you should start with an intake of 500 milligrams, i.e. 0.5 grams per day. Over time, this dose is slowly increased so that the body can get used to the effects in peace.
After a completed detox, the dose should be slowly reduced back to 3 to 6 grams per day. If it is not a specific heavy metal detoxification, such as after the removal of tooth fillings containing amalgam, then lower doses can also be taken for continuous detoxification.
Pay attention to the quality of chlorella and spirulina
Precisely due to the tendency to bind heavy metals and other toxins, chlorella and spirulina can be contaminated with heavy metals before they get into the body and thus contribute to its poisoning if they come from correspondingly polluted waters.
When buying chlorella and spirulina, you should therefore make sure that the manufacturer can guarantee the purity and optimal quality of the microalgae. The algae pellets should also be free of fillers and other additives, as they could only unnecessarily reduce the detoxifying effect of the algae.
