Spirulina - Opinions?

What do you guys think of Spirulina? I've read some pretty wild claims about what it can do for health.

scottyc33 - It's great stuff. I've seen some really ill patients get better numbers using Spirulina.

It's one of the very best super foods on the planet. In fact, if I had to pick one food to exist on, this would be completely self sustaining.

IH-
I've read from various sources on the net that if you ingest too much spirulina you can OD on vitamin A, but then other sources say you get eat the stuff till your full and not have any worries. Do you know which is true?

I've been taking a tablespoon of the stuff after workouts in the hopes in will help build muscle(if you can't OD on vitamin A with it then i'll be taking a lot more). Also is spirulina the best vegan protein for building muscle?

Btw just a side note Spirulina/wheat grass/barley grass has been very helpful in totally clearing up all my back acne, that and of course a fair amount of sun exposure on my back, plus heavily cutting out all white refined bread and other garbage.

Silverlin wrote:IH-
I've read from various sources on the net that if you ingest too much spirulina you can OD on vitamin A, but then other sources say you get eat the stuff till your full and not have any worries. Do you know which is true?

I've been taking a tablespoon of the stuff after workouts in the hopes in will help build muscle(if you can't OD on vitamin A with it then i'll be taking a lot more). Also is spirulina the best vegan protein for building muscle?

Btw just a side note Spirulina/wheat grass/barley grass has been very helpful in totally clearing up all my back acne, that and of course a fair amount of sun exposure on my back, plus heavily cutting out all white refined bread and other garbage.

Silverlin - why/how do you think these things have helped with your bacne?

Spirulina is truly amazing for hair, teeth and nails. It's a immune system booster as well. I've been taking 10-15 tablets a day for close to 2 years and I haven't been sick once - my energy level is always high. It's great in a hair pack and also on your face. Here are a few recipes - http://www.australianspirulina.com.au/spirulina/alternative%20ways.htm

btw- I recommended spirulina to 2 friends who were suffering from chronic fatigue and guess what? After a few months the problem was solved. They take spirulina religiously.

I agree completely with everything positive said about spirulina--it is my new fave superfood, and i see myself taking it for life. It also seems to be the one superfood that can directly benefit hair.

In addition to what has already been said, I have found it to support colon health and dramatically improve my digestion. Unlike a green drink, which passes through quickly, this stuff is entirely used by the body. truly awesome IMO.

Why doesn't chlorella get any love here?

scottyc33 wrote:
Silverlin - why/how do you think these things have helped with your bacne?

Scottyc33 I always just assumed the main reasons were...Alkalizing the pH of the body, plus chlorophyll content removing toxins and clearing up the liver. I think the liver has a massive role in acne, (you'll need to get IH to back all this speculation up). Also I was taking freshly squeezed grapefruit juice(suppose to be a great liver detoxifier) and that helped significantly aswell. I also take chlorella every other day that I don't take spirulina. As you all know chlorella is a great detoxifier, even more so then spirulina I believe. Except I take more spirulina because of its higher protein content, as I want to help build muscle!

Also if you get a loofer and scrub your back till pink(but not too much)that will help fuck off the bacne. I am 100% bacne free, except for when im slack on diet and exercise, then i get the odd few that pop up.

Is the brand name important when buying spirulina ?

Name brand can matter with spirulina. I've used some that didn't seem to work (no cleansing effect). Earthrise is a good brand.

There is no danger of Vitamin A toxicity with Spirulina, it is entirely pro-vitamin A, so the body can convert as much of it as it needs.

Silverlin wrote:

scottyc33 wrote:
Silverlin - why/how do you think these things have helped with your bacne?

Scottyc33 I always just assumed the main reasons were...Alkalizing the pH of the body, plus chlorophyll content removing toxins and clearing up the liver. I think the liver has a massive role in acne, (you'll need to get IH to back all this speculation up). Also I was taking freshly squeezed grapefruit juice(suppose to be a great liver detoxifier) and that helped significantly aswell. I also take chlorella every other day that I don't take spirulina. As you all know chlorella is a great detoxifier, even more so then spirulina I believe. Except I take more spirulina because of its higher protein content, as I want to help build muscle!

Also if you get a loofer and scrub your back till pink(but not too much)that will help fuck off the bacne. I am 100% bacne free, except for when im slack on diet and exercise, then i get the odd few that pop up.

Yeah I think my liver may be the underlying cause to my bacne. I've always been acne prone, but my face cleared up once I cleaned up my diet. However, I haven't been able to conquer this damn bacne.

BUT, my bacne has been getting better ever since I:

1) started using 2.5% BP and AHA lotion daily
2) started taking olive leaf extract and oregano oil once per day
3) started using Aubrey Organics Seabuckthorn soap
4) started taking 1 tbs of ACV 3-4x per day

So, unfortunately I'm not exactly sure which of the 4 above is most responsible for the clearing, but I'm happy with my progress nonetheless.

I think I am going to try some Spirulina / Chlorella and also try some Liv.52 to strengthen/repair my liver.

I was a heavy drinker for 10+ years, and my diet was crap for the same period of time, so I think my liver probably needs some TLC.

Yes, absolutely, brand name can matter and the country of origin. Unfortunately I was suckered into buying Australian made (not grown) spirulina. These were of Chinese/Taiwan origin and they gave me severe headaches along with a metal toxin like sickness. Essentially cheap Asia spirulina is grown in sea ports near industrial pollution/fallout - hence heavy metals contaminate the spirulina. That is not to say some Asian countries don't grow some nice spirulina in remote mountainous areas away from toxic pollution.

Life Stream Bioactive Spirulina or Australian spirulina are the superior to another brands ( if you are in the US Australia grown spirulina is a now a cheap option because our Australia dollar is well down now)

Here are some good buying tips from Australian spirulina:

http://www.australianspirulina.com.au/index.html

1. Buy a product from a company you know. The company should have a local contact number or service.

Buying a product with a good brand name to give you more confidence in what you are purchasing. You will have more protection when anything goes wrong. No local contact details means no guarantees at all.
2. Label that provides only little information; don't buy it!

If a producer provides little information then how can you determine that its products are reliable?

3. Too good a price : don't buy!

There is no company that can produce Spirulina cheaper than others, unless their Spirulina is not pure. Otherwise, they source and use the Spirulina from some other countries which don't have strict regulations for human consumption. It might be impure, have high levels of bacterial contamination and a higher content of heavy metals.

4 . Check product's color ( powder or tablet)

The colour of pure and fresh Spirulina should remain dark and green. If a product comes with some tiny spots or dull colour, these are not good products. ( click here to learn how to compare)

5. Smell and taste Spirulina products ( tablet or powder)

Spirulina comes with a natural sea weed smell. It's normal. But if a product contains other wild algae, it will have a different smell.

Taste some spirulina (powder or tablets). If it tastes too sweet, sour or strange, then It is not good Spirulina.

6. Moisture

Good quality Spirulina should retain a softness like fresh flour and has low levels of moisture. If it is already wet or sticky as dough, please discard it immediately.

Based on the reviews, i ordered this one and have been pleased with it.

http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=783&at=0

popping in the realm of thirty kicks in the appetite control effect, as the stuff really thoroughly used as food.

these bars are also pretty rad:
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=YK-1005

This powder, while a nightmare to take, is far superior to the Now tabs I had: this is what turned me on to spirulina in the first place:

http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=-2351898718559230901&at=0

Gibson how many servings do you take per day ?

I don't have a specified dosage yet--seems like a couple teaspoons am and afternoon would keep you alkaline and energized for the day.

I normally do 1tablespoon in the morning and evening as well as other green powders. I always take it (w/ other things) after I work out to help provide protein and mineralize my body at the same time.

I'm taking 3 tablespoons spirulina, plus tablespoon of maca and a tablespoon of brewers yeast mixed together(I blend this up really well coz I find its easier to take that way). Its healthy as fuck and a great protein source, infact that smoothie constitues my whole breakfast, other then some nuts. Been doing this for 4 weeks and my hair is feeling great(looks and feels heathier) and just overall well being is better. All I've been doing is waking up taking lugol's mixed in water with apple cider vinegar, working out then having the smoothie, and don't supp till lunch and dinner.

(I'm not sure) But I think it is possible to OD on spirulina from ingesting too much protein and not burning it up. I took it for 3 days at 30grams without working out and felt a tiny bit 'feverish', but subsided after I started working out. There could be a chance though that this was all in my head...IH do you know whether spirulina could produce a fever if too much is ingested without burning off the protein content?

Silverlin - It the fever is too high definitely reduce the amount. This can happen.

IH(legend) - Thanks for confirming that!
Just from my own experience I wouldn't recommend taking more then 10grams a day of spirulina unless working out, and when working out no more then 30 grams 5 days a week.

Silverin--
i understand your specific experience; however, that dosage protocol is way off in my opinion. There is far more empirical evidence that 10 plus grams provides positive therapeutic results. I'd be more concerned about the taxing the kidneys with daily consumption of a processed high protein bar. If anything, spirulina supports the major organs. personally, the more i eat, the whiter my eyes get. Consider that the lasting energy it provides is a sign that it is not taxing your organs; otherwise you would crash shortly after consuming it.

If you are using quality spirulina, you may get an overwhelming detox effect, which could cause a slight fever.

Gibson -

Thanks for bringing this up! I'm totally with you on the potein bars and what not thats why im using spirulina as my source of protein. The detoxing effect I forgot to take into consideration, that could have very well been my case. Except the only reason I associated it with too much protein was the fact that once i started working out again the 'ever so slight fever' totally subsided, but i guess that could also be that exercise reduces the effects of the detoxing?

Anyway Im kinda conflicted because IH confirmed that having too much protein without burning it up could cause a fever, but yet Gibs you totally make sense about it being a detox effect!

IH Does Gibs make you stand corrected on this?

Silverlin - Fever is actually common in Spirulina use when used in large amounts. It's not harmful per se, but if the fever is too high then reducing is a good idea. A slight fever if tolerable is okay. Exercise will help burn off the protein so not a huge issue. Eventually you can increase the "tolerance level." of Spirulina. Personally I take the stuff like mad sometimes--but I can get a little carried away with it.

IH - Thanks for ellaborating!

So as I understand it, it can be both a detox effect and excess protein.

silverin--

Both points are valid. I just thought your recommended dosage was off compared to most anecdotal reports, including my own.