What is Spirulina?
Spirulina is one of the blue-green algae (single-celled plants); it is named for its spiral shape. Algae are incredibly old life forms, responsible for producing and sustaining our oxygenated atmosphere. They are the basis of the food chain and the primary source of food for the great baleen whales. Spirulina is not a salt-water algae; it grows in fresh and brackish inland waters. Because it is so low on the food chain it has to be packed with nutrients and energy--and it is!

Spirulina as Food
Spirulina is a simply amazing food source that has been consumed variously throughout history by many human cultures. The current state of food production practices and environmental degradation makes it ideal for our own culture. It can be grown almost anywhere, in water supplies that are not suitable for drinking (inland in brackish and fresh water ponds), and in existing desert areas without cutting down trees to make room. It does not require incredible amounts of grain to produce (cows), does not produce methane (cows), but life sustaining oxygen instead, does not have to be fertilized with growth hormones (cows), has never been known to kill children with e-coli (cows again), and nobody has ever been guilty of treating algae in an inhumane manner.

Spirulina is a Concentrated Food
Spirulina yields 20 times more protein per acre than soybeans! It consists of 70 percent protein (compare to beef's 22 percent), 5 percent fat (good fats), and no cholesterol (it's a plant). Spirulina contains an impressive array of vitamins and minerals, including the essential B-12, which vegetarians must seek. This wonder food contains 8 essential amino acids (plus 10 of the 12 non-essential amino acids), fatty acids (including the heart-healthy GLA), digestive enzymes, and the pigments chlorophyll, porphyrin and phycocyanin--beneficial to the liver. Best of all, 10 grams of spirulina has only 36 calories, making it a perfect diet food.

Which Minerals are found in Spirulina?
Spirulina contains chelated versions of potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, phosphorous, and iron. In addition to these beneficial minerals, you can get your B-complex, A and E vitamins from spirulina.

Adding spirulina to cultured immune system cells significantly increases the production of infection fighting cytokines, say immunologists at UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. Their finding is published in the Fall issue of the Journal of Medicinal Foods.

A number of animal studies have shown spirulina to be an effective immunomodulator (an agent that can effect the behavior of immune cells.) In rats spirulina inhibited allergic reactions by suppressing the release of histamine in a dose-dependent fashion. In cats, spirulina enhanced the ability of macrophages to engulf bacteria, and in chickens spirulina increased antibody responses and the activity of natural killer cells, which destroy infected and cancerous cells in the body.

"We found that nutrient-rich spirulina is a potent inducer of interferon-gamma (13.6-fold increase) and a moderate stimulator of both interleukin-4 and interleukin-1beta (3.3-fold increase)," says Eric Gershwin, professor and chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology at UC Davis. "Together, increases in these cytokines suggest that spirulina is a strong proponent for protecting against intracellular pathogens and parasites and can potentially increase the expression of agents that stimulate inflammation, which also helps to protect the body against infectious and potentially harmful micro-organisms. Additional studies with individuals consuming spirulina are needed to determine whether these dramatic effects extend beyond the laboratory."