What Is It?
And Where Does It Come From?
Chlorophyll (also known as Chlorella and Wheat Grass) is chemical relative of vitamin B12 and is found in the leaves of plants. Chlorophyll allows plants to use sunlight for energy and it gives plant leaves their green color.
Many people believe that Chlorophyll contains chlorine, but this is a myth. There is no chlorine in chlorophyll - the term Chloro derives from the Greek and means "yellowish green."
Dietary sources of chlorophyll include dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and romaine lettuce, and vegetables like broccoli and asparagus.
What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?
Plants use chlorophyll to derive energy from sunlight through a complex series of chemical reactions, and animals need chlorophyll to help digest food and absorb minerals from their diet.
Its benefits include:
- Build your immune system
- Detoxify heavy metals and pesticides from your body
- Improve your digestive system
- Help you focus clearly and longer
- Improve your energy level
- Balance your body’s pH
- Normalize your blood sugar and blood pressure
- Eliminate bad breath
- Fight cancer
Chlorophyll is a powerful
antioxidant3 and has been used as a system detoxifier. It may purify the blood, heal tissues and prevent cancer by scavenging for cancerous free-radicals.
1,2 It may also help the liver build red blood cells.
Research on the health benefits of chlorophyll has focused on the area of cancer (including treatment and prevention). This research got underway when damage to genes (or more precisely, to the genes' DNA) by carcinogenic substances called aflatoxins (or more precisely aflatoxin B1, or AFB1), was found to be prevented by chlorophyllin.
Chlorophyllin is a derivative of chlorophyll in which the magnesium in its center is removed (usually by placing it in an acid bath in a science lab) and replaced with copper.
Research studies in humans have found that damage to DNA by aflatoxin can be decreased as much as 55% through supplementation with chlorophyllin at 100 milligrams, three times a day, for four months. This amount of chlorophyllin, 300 milligrams per day, is the same amount of chlorophyll found in one weighted ounce of spinach (a little over 1/2 cup of chopped raw spinach). Although research is still in the early stage, prevention and treatment of liver cancer, skin cancer, and colon cancer are all being investigated in relationship to intake of chlorophyll-containing vegetables and supplementation with chlorophyllin.
In addition to its cancer fighting abilities, chlorophyll has been used to destroy harmful bacteria and is routinely added to chewing gums for its ability to prevent bad breath.
Chlorophyll has long been known to alleviate gastric distress, including indigestion and constipation.
Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?
Everyone can benefit from chlorophyll supplementation.
You are susceptible to pollution and the stresses of fast paced life if you live in a major city. Chlorophyll may scavenge your system for harmful free radicals and protect you from the damage that they can do to your muscles and cells.
What's more, if you have a tissue injury that is healing, chlorophyll may speed healing because of its ability to kill bacteria. In this way, chlorophyll may play a role in preventing infections.
If your immune system is depressed because of ageing or medical history, chlorophyll may help to boost its function. Maintaining healthy muscles is important for immune-system health. Free radicals and bacteria can damage crucial muscle mass, leaving you at a risk for infection and illness.
Its ability to stimulate red blood cell production may aid in the building of muscle tissue, and chlorophyll is thus ideal for the hard training athlete.
Anabolic steroids act to increase protein synthesis via an increase in red blood cell production, and this may be responsible for increases in muscle tissue.
Chlorophyll's ability to protect the immune system make it an ideal supplement pre and post workout. Muscle tissue is most vulnerable to exercise-induced oxidative damage post-workout, and muscular repair cannot occur in the presence of free radicals. As a free
antioxidant, chlorophyll will scavenge your system for free-radicals, ensuring that you grow as much as possible from your workout.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Chlorophyll and chlorophyllin are contraindicated in those who are hypersensitive to any component in a chlorophyll-containing or chlorophyllin-containing preparation.
PRECAUTIONS
Supplemental chlorophyll and supplemental chlorophyllin should be avoided by pregnant women and nursing mothers.
ADVERSE REACTIONS
Use of chlorophyll and chlorophyllin supplements may cause discoloration of the urine (green urine), the feces (green stool) and the tongue (yellow to black tongue). There are occasional reports of diarrhea with use of these substances.
INTERACTIONS
In a mouse model, chlorophyllin ameliorated some of the side effects of cyclophosphamide.
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
There are a few chlorophyll and chlorophyllin nutritional supplements. Chlorophyllin is available as a liquid supplement. A typical dose is 100 mg daily. Those who use chlorophyllin to reduce fecal odor due to incontinence or to reduce odor from a colostomy or ileostomy typically take 100 mg daily.
Overdosage
No reports of overdosage.
REFERENCES http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sout...hlorophyll.htm www.life-enthusiast.com/index/Ingredients/Plants/Chlorella http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/n...chl_0069.shtml