Yaeyama Chlorella
Chlorella is densely packed with nutrients, containing an astonishing 60% protein (including all essential amino acids) as well as high levels of vitamins A, B1, C, E and K and the carotenoids beta carotene and lutein.
Yaeyama Chlorella is a superior strain of Chlorella Vulgaris, which is high in quality and especially abundant in chlorophyll and carotenoids. We believe it is the most nutritious, fresh-tasting Chlorella on the market.
What is Chlorella?
Chlorella is a single-cell green algae, about the size of a human red blood cell, which is cultivated in large man-made freshwater ponds under artificially-controlled conditions. It has been grown in the Pacific Rim for over 25 years.
This single-celled organism is densely packed with nutrients. It contains an astonishing 60% protein, including all essential amino acids, as well as high levels of vitamins B1, C, E and K and the carotenoids beta carotene and lutein. Beta carotene is a precursor of Vitamin A – essential for good vision, healthy immune function and skin health. Lutein is an antioxidant concentrated in the macula (a small area of the retina responsible for central vision). Research shows a high intake of Lutein is likely to be associated with a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration – a leading cause of blindness in older adults. Our Yaeyama strain of Chlorella Vulgaris contains 50 times as much lutein as spinach. Chlorella has the highest known concentration of chlorophyll in any edible plant (2-3%). Chlorophyll inhibits dioxin absorption (dioxins are environmental pollutants, which enter the population almost exclusively from the ingestion of food). Dioxins are likely carcinogens and also threaten reproductive health, immune defenses and sexual development.
What is in Chlorella?
Alpha Carotene, Beta Carotene, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B6, Niacin. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Copper, Zinc, Iodine, Cobalt, Calcium, Iron.
It also contains the following amino acids (protein): Arginine, Lysine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Methionine, Valine, Alanine, Glycine, Proline, Glutamic Acid, Serine, Threonine, Aspartic acid, Tryptophan and Cystine.
It also contains all digestive enzymes including chloropyllase, pepsin and lipoic acid.
See the Yaeyama Chlorella Nutritional Profile and Analyses for more information.
Why Choose Yaeyama Chlorella?
There is Chlorella, and then there is Yaeyama Chlorella
There are two species of Chlorella that are most commonly used in food supplements: Chlorella Vulgaris and Chlorella Pyrenoidosa. Yaeyama is a strain of Vulgaris. Vulgaris and Pyrenoidosa are similarly packed full of essential nutrients. In fact, a recent research paper discussing the two species concluded that “according to the latest findings, there is no species “Chlorella pyrenoidosa”. Rather this is an outdated term under which species and strains of various algal groups were recorded”1. It seems that the Pyrenoidosa species were actually part of the Vulgaris family.
We have chosen to sell the Yaeyama strain for several reasons. Yaeyama Chlorella strain is cultivated in the sun-drenched sub-tropical climate of Ishigaki Island, located at the southern tip of the Japanese archipelago. It is cultivated in huge outdoor pools using only the suns natural energy. Chlorella that is produced indoors contains much lower levels of chlorophyll and CGF, (CGF is a nutrient dense liquid extract from the algae cell).
The strain was chosen for its high quality. It has high photosynthesis and multiplication potential and is especially abundant in chlorophyll and carotenoids, whilst being lower in pheophorbides, said to cause skin allergies in some people.
The Alfa-Laval Company who harvest, separate and process our Yaeyama Chlorella uphold the highest standards in hygiene, safety and quality control under the strict regulation of Food Hygiene Law and Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food Association. Ishigaki Island is home to everything from culturing to tableting to minimise the possibility of degradation or contamination and ensure the maximum potency in the finished product.
We, like many others believe it to be the most nutritious fresh tasting Chlorella on the market.
1. Ullmann, Jorg The difference between Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Diplom-Biologe; 2006. Algomed Publications
Why buy from Chlorella World?
When you buy Chlorella you need to look at more than just the tablet or capsule count. When you buy online or from a catalogue you may not be told the weight of actual chlorella in the product even if you are told the weight of the tablet or capsule.
Some producers do not have the capability to tablet pure chlorella, so binding agents are included in the tablet weight. With capsules both the weight of the capsule and any anti-caking chemicals may be included in the weight of the capsule.
This is why many purists, who do not want additives in their supplements, resort to Chlorella powder. Unfortunately, even then, you cannot always guarantee that your Chlorella is free from contamination with herbicides, pesticides, bacteria and other types of algae.
If you are buying Chlorella you need to know that you are buying Chlorella and not Chlorella plus a mixture of contaminants and additives.
Our Yaeyama Chlorella is 100% pure unadulterated Chlorella. Nothing else. There are no binding agents or additives. It is free from herbicides, pesticides, bacteria and other types of algae. Our tablets are hand-sieved and hand-packaged to minimise dust and prevent broken tablets. You can trust our Chlorella to be of the highest quality and the maximum potency.
Isn’t it hard to digest Chlorella?
Humans cannot digest Chlorella’s tough cell wall. To enable Chlorella to be digested and therefore release its abundant nutrients, the cell wall of our Chlorella is cracked by an exclusive three-step process:
1. Steamed under pressure for sterilisation, cell dilation and cell wall cracking.
2. Heated air applied within the Spray Dryer for further cell wall cracking.
3. Jet Spray system for smashing at high impact velocity.
This results in more than 80% digestibility of Yaeyama Chlorella – more than many other brands on the market.
Read more about the cultivation process: Link to Japanese Yaeyama Chlorella Production Process
Should I choose Powder or Tablets?
We stock both Yaeyama Chlorella Powder and Tablets.
With Yaeyama Chlorella there is no purity advantage of powder over tablets, as our tablets are 100% pure Chlorella, with no fillers, binders or other additives. Chlorella Powder is the better way to take Chlorella because it is assimilated more quickly. However, some people do not find it particularly palatable. If you prefer to take tablets you can still be assured of the same pure and nutrient dense product.
How should I take Chlorella?
Chlorella is a food substance. As Hippocrates said: “Let your medicine be your food and food be your medicine.”
Chlorella may be a perfect food.
Unlike with medications there is not a specific dose that is prescribed. Instead, we recommend introducing Chlorella into your diet gradually and monitoring your stools (it can cause transient mild diarrhoea in some). Your body adapts over a period of a few weeks allowing you to take more. Most research, nutritionists and other websites recommend between 3 and 10g a day. Usually people start with 2g and work up to around 5g, using the higher dose during periods of illness or stress. There is no upper limit.
Suggested regimes
Chlorella tablets (250mg): Take 6 tablets, twice daily, with water or other fluid.
Chlorella powder: Take one or two teaspoons in water, milk or yogurt and stir well (one spoonful = 2.0g to 3.0g). If you find this unpalatable try mixing with a little warm water and downing in one shot. It can also be used as a poultice, a dressing on a wound or ulcer or mixed with cream
When to Take Chlorella
Chlorella World recommends that your Chlorella intake be divided up during the day.
There is no proven effective dose for Chlorella. However, the following regimes have been suggested:
• Chlorella as a food supplement: take with your meals and snacks, just like any other food.
• For best detoxification effect: take Chlorella about 30 minutes before a meal. This means that the Chlorella will be in the digestive tract ahead of the secretion of bile. Toxins recirculate in bile allowing Chlorella to bind to the maximum amount of toxin for excretion.
• For appetite suppression: take Chlorella about an hour before a meal. This highly nutritious “pre-meal” can curb your appetite, reduce snacking between meals and reduce cravings. (Cravings are your body’s way of trying to obtain the nutrients it needs). Improving your diet with nutrient-rich foods reduces these.
• To assist the body’s regeneration cycle: take Chlorella before bed.The body cleanses, repairs and regenerates during sleep. Taking Chlorella at bedtime helps provide the body with the resources for this.
Note: Some sources advise you not to take Vitamin C at the same time as Chlorella. If you are taking both Chlorella and Vitamin C it may be beneficial to take Chlorella half an hour before meals and your Vitamin C with or after your meal.
Chlorella ~ Pregnant & Nursing Mothers
We do not advise women to begin a new health regime during these times. We recommend you should consult your medical practitioner.
What are the benefits of taking Chlorella?
We sell Chlorella as a food supplement for a healthy diet. We provide the following information for educational and interest purposes only. Remember the ancient Chinese proverb “he that takes medicine and neglects diet wastes the skill of the physician”.
There has been much research into the health benefits of Chlorella. Much of the evidence is based on small animal studies. Much more research into this amazing single cell of nutritious goodness is required. We have presented some scientific data below but we welcome anecdotal and personal experiences from you. Please join the discussions on the forum to add to the mounting evidence for Chlorella’s health benefits.
What is absolutely clear is that in Chlorella Mother Nature has provided a unique health supplement – one tiny single cell packed full of so many nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Chlorella is high in Lutein which may help to prevent age-related blindness.
Lutein is a yellowish pigment found in egg yolk, some algae, and in many plants. It is found in the retina of the eye and at particularly high concentrations in the macular region of the retina. The macula is responsible for detailed central vision. As we get older, the cells with retinal pigment become less efficient, the membrane degenerates, some cells atrophy, waste products build up, and central vision is gradually lost. That process is age-related macular degeneration. It is the leading causes of blindness in older adults, causing significant visual impairment of 2% of those aged>65 in the UK.
Early studies have shown promise for dietary Lutein supplements in helping to prevent and slow down this terrible disease. Yaeyama Chlorella is packed full of Lutein – it contains 50% more Lutein than spinach – see table 1. In addition, evidence is also mounting for the role of antioxidants in preventing macular degeneration. Chlorella is also packed full of antioxidants.
Table 1: The following figures show lutein content:
Note: Yaeyama Chlorella contains 50 times as much lutein as spinach.
To read more about the amazing power of Lutein log onto http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band123/b123-2.html http://www.macular.org/nutrition/lutein.html
Chlorella is high in Chlorophyll
Chlorella contains more chlorophyll per gram than any other algae or plant (2-3%). It is to Chlorella’s high chlorophyll content that many researchers and enthusiastic users attribute its health benefits.
Chlorophyll is the substance that gives plants their green pigmentation. Chlorophyll absorbs energy from the sun to facilitate photosynthesis in plants. It is vital for many metabolic functions of plants, including respiration and growth. Chlorophyll is chemically similar to haem, a complex of molecules which make up human red blood cells. In chlorophyll the central molecule is magnesium whereas in haem it is iron. Some studies suggest these two chemicals may be similar in properties.
Green leafy plants are the only obvious source of Chlorophyll. Consumption of leafy vegetables rich in chlorophyll is associated with a reduction in certain types of cancers induced by free radicals. Much chlorophyll g ot;plugins/editors/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js" type="text/javascript"> oodness is lost in cooking but Chlorella provides us with a naturally occurring no-cooking-needed nutritious supplement.
Chlorophyll inhibits dioxin absorption (dioxins are environmental pollutants, which enter the population almost exclusively from the ingestion of food). Dioxins are likely carcinogens and also threaten reproductive health, immune defenses and sexual development.
A recent Japenese study showed that levels of dioxins (PCDD and PCDF congeners) in rats were remarkably decreased along with the increasing dietary chlorophyll1. These findings suggest that chlorophyll is effective for preventing dioxin absorption via foods. Chlorophyllin, a water soluble form of chlorophyll has been shown to be an effective anticarcinogen in experimental models, including aflatoxin-induced hepatocarcinogenesis2. It is thought to form molecular complexes with carcinogens, thereby blocking their bioavailability.
In addition, chlorophyll is used in chewing gum to combat bad breath.
1. Morita K et al. Chlorophyll derived from Chlorella inhibits dioxin absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and accelerates dioxin excretion in rats. Environ Health Perspect. 2001 Mar;109(3):289-94.
2. Egner PA, Muñ oz A, Kensler TW. Chemoprevention with chlorophyllin in individuals exposed to dietary aflatoxin. Mutat Res. 2003 Feb-Mar;523-524:209-16.
Chlorella may be helpful in detoxification
Detoxification, or detox for short is the removal of toxic substances from the body. Chlorella may aid the body in getting rid of toxins in three ways.
Firstly, through the actions of chlorophyll as detailed above.
Secondly, Chlorella has been shown to interrupt the absorption of some environmental pollutants, therefore increasing their elimination in faeces. In Pore’s study, Chlorella accelerated the detoxification of poisoned rats, decreasing the half-life of the toxin from 41 to 19 days. Its detoxification was similar to that obtained by cholesty ramine – a medical drug used to remove high levels of cholesterol from the blood or stop the itching caused by high levels of bilirubin in people with liver failure1.
Thirdly, many studies have shown that Chlorella is capable of binding and removing heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and other toxins, pesticides, herbicides and PCBs from the body's tissues2-3.
Chlorella helps remove heavy metals and other environmental toxins from the body, including the brain. Chlorella's ability to detoxify the body is significant because of the vast array of chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis. A 1979 study by Dr Horikoshi showed that cell components extracted from Chlorella even bind uranium.
Heavy metals and environmental toxins in the body are known to be contributory factors in cancer, heart disease, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's and many other degenerative diseases.
1. Pore RX Detoxification of chlordecone poisoned rats with chlorella and chlorella derived sporopollenin. Drug Chem Toxicol. 1984;7(1):57-71. Pore RS.
2. Huang Z et al Growth-inhibitory and metal-binding proteins in Chlorella vulgaris exposed to cadmium or zinc. Aquat Toxicol. 2009 Jan 18;91(1):54-61.
3. Franklin N. Toxicity of metal mixtures to a tropical freshwater alga (Chlorella sp): the effect of interactions between copper, cadmium, and zinc on metal cell binding and uptake. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2002 Nov;21(11):2412-22
Chlorella is high in antioxidant properties
Some animal research have shown chlorella exhibits antioxidant activity at least as good as Vitamin C1. For more information about antioxidants click here: http://www.ific.org/publications/factsheets/antioxidantfs.cfm
1. Antioxidant and ant i-cataract effects of Chlorella on rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2003 Oct;49(5):334-9.
Chlorella is densely packed with carotenoids, including beta carotene
Carotenoids are natural fat-soluble pigments and provide the bright red, orange, or yellow colouration of many vegetables. Beta-carotene is one of the orange dyes found in most green leaves and in carrots. Beta-carotene is the most potent precursor to vitamin A (essential for healthy skin, hair, vision and immune function). About 10% of dietary carotenoids are converted to vitamin A in the body and contribute 25% of our total vitamin A. Carotenoids are antioxidants that protect cells against free radicals by neutralizing them before they cause oxidative damage. Carotenoids may inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Chlorella may help to lower cholesterol
Heart disease and strokes are the leading causes of death and disability in the Western World. Raised cholesterol, in particular low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is a major risk factor for the development of these so-called lifestyle related diseases. Several animal studies have shown that Chlorella Vulgaris lowered the cholesterol of rats that were fed on a high fat diet. The studies conclude Chlorella is a promising candidate for reducing these life-style related diseases1-3.
1. Konishi Funuko et al., Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid-enriched Chlorella vulgaris CK22 on Serum Lipids in Rats Fed a Cholesterol-Supplemented Diet. Journal of Japanese Society of Nutrition and Food Science 55(4), 215-222
2. Shibata S et al. Hypocholesterolemic effect of indigestible fraction of Chlorella regularis in cholesterol-fed rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2001 Dec;47(6):373-7.
3. Shibata S et al. Hypocholesterolemic mechanism of Chlorella: Chlorella and its indigestible fraction enhance hepatic cholesterol catabolism through up-regulation of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase in rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2007 Apr;71(4):916-25
Chlorella may help to lower blood pressure
Raised blood pressure (hypertension) is another risk factor for strokes and heart disease. Pharmacological treatment of hypertension reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease; however, randomized, controlled clinical trials and population studies have also shown that abnormally high blood pressure (BP) can be lowered with diet modification and exercise. A study in Virginia Commonwealth University has shown that in subjects with mild to moderate hypertension a dietary supplement of 10g Chlorella tablets and 100ml chlorella extract decreased or stabilised diastolic blood pressure1. In addition, quality of life questionnaires showed an overall perception that health had significantly improved in those taking Chlorella compared to the control group.
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11347287
Chlorella may aid in weightloss
One animal study has shown that dietary supplements of chlorella may be useful in reducing body weight and improving the way the body metabolises fat, particularly in menopausal women.
• Hidaka S, Okamoto Y, Arita M A hot water extract of Chlorella pyrenoidosa reduces body weight and serum lipids in ovariectomized rats. Phytother Res. 2004 Feb;18(2):164-8 Department of Dental Hygiene, Fukuoka College of Health Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
Chlorella may counteract the ageing process
As the body ages, its abilities to utilise nutrients declines, as does the production of RNA/DNA.
Dr Benjamin Frank, author of The No-Aging Diet, suggests that human RNA/DNA production slows down progressively as people age, resulting in lower levels of vitality and increased vulnerability to various diseases. He recommended a diet rich in nucleic acids to counter this "ageing" process.
Laboratory analysis shows Chlorella contains 3% RNA and 0.3% DNA, which would make it one of the richest known food sources of nucleic acids.
Chlorella may be of benefit in the future of cancer therapies
Some early basic animal studies have shown that Chlorella may be of benefit in cancer treatment. One study showed that Chlorella Vulgaris may have some protective antitumour properties1. Konishi’s study also showed some anti-tumour effects of Chlorella in mice and also showed early promise as a useful adjunct in preventing side effects from chemotherapy. Lastly one further study on mice showed an impressive antitumour effect, helping reduce tumour progression including reducing the incidence of metastasis (spread to other organs) 2. Much more research is needed and Chlorella World always recommends discussing this with your medical physician.
For more information about Chlorella’s many natural powers read http://www.canceractive.com/page.php?n=533
1. Konishi F, Tanaka K, Himeno K, Taniguchi K, Nomoto K. Antitumor effect induced by a hot water extract of Chlorella vulgaris (CE): resistance to Meth-A tumor growth mediated by CE-induced polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1985;19(2):73-8.
2. Tanaka K. A novel glycoprotein obtained from Chlorella vulgaris strain CK22 shows antimetastatic immunopotentiation. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1998 Feb;45(6):313-20.