Spirulina and how it can help you

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Is Spirulina the future miracle food that can possibly provide amazing amounts of protein, or was it the miracle food that was known as manna in the Bible? Could it possible that it is the same and we are just now discovering its many wonderful benefits.

While the protein, vitamin, and mineral content of this potential miracle food is almost beyond comparison, this very small organism could very possibly be more important because of its richness in enzymatic pigments more than any other quality... Read More...

Spirulina - A General Overview

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Spirulina is a dietary supplement. It is grown all around the world and comes in three different forms - tablet, flake and powder. As well as being a dietary supplement for humans, it can also be given to pets such as cats and dogs.

In the past spirulina is thought to have been used by the ancient Aztecs in the 16th century in what is now known as Mexico. They called it Tecuitlatl, or stone’s excrement. The first major spirulina plant was set up in the 1970s at Lake Texoco, the place where it was first found in abundance.

Although it is now grown worldwide, the main providers of spirulina are America, Thailand, India, Taiwan, China and Myanmar.

As a dietary supplement, it has some definite health benefits. It contains lots of protein, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids. It contains a wide range of vitamins including B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cyanocobalamin), and vitamins C, D and E. It also contains a whole host of minerals including potassium, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium, sodium and zinc. It makes vitamin A available to use in the body. Vitamin A is needed to keep eyes, teeth and the immune system functioning properly.

Research on animals has shown that spirulina can help to reduce strokes and improves recovery from strokes, reverses age-related memory loss and both treats and prevents hay fever. In addition, it is also used to treat arthritis, increase energy levels, improve the functioning of the liver, make the body more resistant to disease and improve overall health. There are several side effects to spirulina including dry fever and sickness.

Spirulina is not just available for human consumption. You can also buy it to give to your pets and it is perfectly safe to do so. It is used in certain dental products, which are aimed at cats and dogs.

Go here for more information on Spirulina. You might be surprised just how popular this algae is becoming.

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Spirulina - The Oldest Food on Earth

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Spirulina is the oldest food on Earth, being the first plant life, unchanged for eons. It is arguably the most nutritious plant life on Earth as well.

A simple, one-cell organism - Green Algae - soaks up sunlight (solar energy) and converts it to Chlorophyll, at twice the strength found in Wheatgrass or Green Barley. It also contains very high concentrations of minerals and trace elements, notably Iron. It is 58 times richer in Bio-available Iron than Spinach. Spirulina is high in essential Amino Acids (an egg has all 8 Amino Acids, but Spirulina is even better than eggs).

It is very rich in Vitamins, and in Spirulina, they are all Bio-available, i.e., the body can absorb them all, unlike synthetic Vitamins. Bioflavenoids provide the Anti-oxidants, GLA and Arachidonic Acids - the Low Fats, and it is rich in easily digestible Carbohydrates and Essential Fatty Acids.

Its Proteins include Isoleucine (Growth, Intelligence, Nitrogen equilibrium) and natural Phenylalanine (not to be confused with the synthetic poison in artificial sweeteners). It is 65 to 71 percent complete protein, with all essential amino acids in perfect balance. In comparison, beef is only 22 percent protein. Spirulina has a photosynthetic conversion rate of 8 to 10 percent, compared to only 3 percent in such land-growing plants as soybeans.

In addition, Spirulina is one of the few plant sources of vitamin B12, usually found only in animal tissues. A teaspoon of Spirulina supplies 2 1/2 times the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin B12 and contains over twice the amount of this vitamin found in an equivalent serving of liver. It is highly recommended for vegetarians.

(This Article based mainly on a Lecture on Spirulina, by Dr Ranganath Nayak, Leadership Seminar at Cidade de Goa Resort, Goa, India, October 2005. Dr Nayak is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, as well as an expert in Nutrition, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Reiner Hoyer
http://www.healthyforever.ca

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