Chlorella - Natural Medicinal Algae

"Detoxification refers to the removal of toxic substances from the body. These substances are either poisons that have entered from outside of the person as occurs in pesticide poisoning or may occur from within the body e.g. when the colon contains bacteria that produce toxic substances or as a result of inefficient metabolism of the body as a whole. The detoxification capability of Chlorella is due to its unique cell wall and the material associated with it. The cell walls of Chlorella have been shown to have three layers of which the thicker middle layer contains cellulose microfibrils. Atkinson et al found a 14nm thick trilaminar layer outside the cell wall proper which was extremely resistant to breakage and thought to be composed of a polymerised carotene like material.....Laboratory studies showed that there were two active absorbing substances - sporopollenin (a naturally occurring carotene like polymer which is resistant to degradation) and the algae cell walls." - Dr David Steenblock,B.S.,M.Sc.,D.O.

Chlorella - The Sun-Powered Supernutrient Properties

"In Japan, interest in Chlorella has focused largely on its detoxifying properties--its ability to neutralize or remove poisonous substances from the body. Japan, with the earliest and most catastrophic experience with nuclear by-products and growing problem of industrial pollution, as exemplified in the outbreak of the mercury-caused Minimata disease, has a special concern with environmental contamination, and paid immediate attention to early medical journal reports of Chlorella's effect on pollutants.

One such test in the United States involved the administration of the poisonous hydrocarbon chlordecone to animals, which were then fed Chlorella. The Chlorella interrupted the recirculation of the chlordecone and eliminated it from the animal's bodies. The researchers concluded that Chlorella was potentially effective as a detoxifier for not only chlordecone but for compounds with similar properties, such as dioxin and PCBs.

The presence of such contaminants in the food supply and atmosphere was already seen as a problem requiring solution, and such reports encouraged research in Japan, but it was the studies indicating Chlorella's effectiveness against radioactive contamination that really stimulated Chlorella production in that country. As early as 1950 a paper in Experientia reported that guinea pigs on a diet rich in chlorophyll showed increased resistance to lethal X-rays; the U.S. Army repeated the experiment, with the same results.

A Japanese study of heavy metal poisoning with cadmium revealed that when 8 grams of Chlorella were administered to test animals daily, cadmium excretion increased threefold in the stool and sevenfold in the urine.

A 1986 Scottish study reported that cadmium is accumulated internally in algae as a result of a two-phase uptake process. The first phase involves a rapid physiochemical absorption of cadmium onto cell wall binding sites, which are probably protein and/or polysaccharides, followed by a slow, steady intracellular uptake.
Another example of Chlorella's ability to detoxify was shown in a study in which a culture of brewer's yeast was given a lethal dose of four highly toxic substances, mercury, copper, cadmium and PCB. When Chlorella extract was added to a mixture of these poisons, the brewers yeast remained alive. Chlorella can also detoxify uranium and lead. Many more studies substantiate the ability of Chlorella to remove poisonous materials from the body. It appears the detoxification effect is due both to the chlorophyll content of Chlorella and to the composition of its cell walls. This is the reason that cell walls are included when Chlorella is prepared for sale.
The cell walls of Chlorella have three layers, of which the thicker middle layer contains cellulose microfibrils, and the outer layer a polymerized carotenoid material. It is this cellular material which first binds the toxic material and then removes it from the body. - William H. Lee,R.Ph., Ph.D. and Michael Rosenbaum, M.D.

Chlorella, Jewel of the Far East

"The thick cell wall, which so effectively protects the Chlorella cells' ingredients, can be broken down either mechanically or chemically to increase digestibility. In fact, the cell wall itself has a beneficial effect. When Chlorella is used as a food, fragments of the cell wall adhere to and remove heavy metals like cadmium, lead and mercury from the body....Dr Liang-Pin Lin of National Taiwan University said - "We can do experiments to show that Chlorella absorbs heavy metals from water. So if you use Chlorella as a nutritional supplement it will remove heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium from the body". - Dr Bernard Jensen,D.O.,Ph.D.

Chlorella & Science

"Chlorella binds strongly to cadmium and will not give it up to the body. Dr T.Nagano at Shizuoka College of Pharmacy in Japan did a study a study in which rats were given Chlorella that contained cadmium to determine whether the cadmium would be absorbed from the Chlorella into the rats. In rats given only cadmium (without Chlorella), growth retardation was noted, while no problem with growth was seen in those given Chlorella containing cadmium. Blood levels of cadmium were determined and demonstrated that the cadmium that was bound to the Chlorella was not absorbed into the rats' bodies.

Chlorella has been used to detoxify people suffering from P.C.B. (polychlorobiphenyl) exposure. Dr Ueda of the Kitakyushu City Institute for Environmental Pollution Research gave 30 patients who suffered from P.C.B. exposure daily doses of 4-6 grams of Chlorella for one year. Almost all improved being less tired, with better digestion and normal bowel movements. Chlordecone (kepone) another very harmful chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, has been shown to be removed more than twice as fast from the body when Chlorella is taken by mouth. Dr S Pore of the School of Medicine, West Virginia University did a study in which Chlorella given to rats speeded up the detoxification of this toxin, decreasing the half-life of the toxin from 40 days to 19 days.

Drs D Lorch and A Weber reported that Chlorella walls absorb and hang onto lead. In 1979 a study done by Dr Horikoshi showed that the cell components extracted from Chlorella even bind uranium.

Chlorella's ability to detoxify the body is very significant because of the large amount of chemicals we are exposed to in today's modern world. This ability to detoxify chemicals is also one of the important differences between Chlorella and other "green" products." - Health World Magazine 1989