Is Chlorella Good For You?

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4.4/5 - (64 votes)

Chlorella does not have the toxins that may be present in blue-green algae supplements and spirulina.

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What about chlorella, sold as a dietary supplement? Harmful? Harmless? Or helpful?

There was a report in the Journal of Veterinary Pathology of a golden retriever killed by chlorella; it invaded her body, and started eating its way up to her brain. This is showing the algae creep up her spinal cord.

But this is only if you dip an open wound into a scummy pond or something. The chlorella that’s in the health food store is dried and dead.

There have been reports of adverse reactions. For example, here, an 11-year-old hospitalized for kidney failure, which went away when he stopped chlorella. But, this was thought to be an allergic reaction.

Similarly, there are reports of sun-sensitive rashes, and asthma triggered by breathing the stuff in. But again, they don’t appear to be caused by a toxin, like you might find in blue-green algae supplements or spirulina, but just more rare reactions in sensitive individuals.

For the vast majority of people, chlorella can be considered helpful. Packed with lots of nutrients, like tiny little dark green leafies. Kinda tastes like you’re drinking your lawn, though, and kale is cheaper.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

What about chlorella, sold as a dietary supplement? Harmful? Harmless? Or helpful?

There was a report in the Journal of Veterinary Pathology of a golden retriever killed by chlorella; it invaded her body, and started eating its way up to her brain. This is showing the algae creep up her spinal cord.

But this is only if you dip an open wound into a scummy pond or something. The chlorella that’s in the health food store is dried and dead.

There have been reports of adverse reactions. For example, here, an 11-year-old hospitalized for kidney failure, which went away when he stopped chlorella. But, this was thought to be an allergic reaction.

Similarly, there are reports of sun-sensitive rashes, and asthma triggered by breathing the stuff in. But again, they don’t appear to be caused by a toxin, like you might find in blue-green algae supplements or spirulina, but just more rare reactions in sensitive individuals.

For the vast majority of people, chlorella can be considered helpful. Packed with lots of nutrients, like tiny little dark green leafies. Kinda tastes like you’re drinking your lawn, though, and kale is cheaper.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Doctor's Note

For more on chlorella, check out Treating Hepatitis C with Chlorella, Preserving Athlete Immunity with Chlorella, and Detoxifying with Chlorella.

Also check out my other videos on spirulina and blue-green algae supplements. 

UPDATE: Some chlorella supplements have been found to contain unacceptable levels of contamination with toxin-producing species of algae, so I would recommend against consuming it. Video forthcoming…

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