More evidence that Spirulina strongly protects the liver

April 13, 2007

Spirulina is a blue-green algae (a single or small multi-celled plant that grows in the water without a stem); it grows in lakes and ponds. Spirulina has been used as a highly nutritious super-food for thousands of years by the Aztec and Mayan civilizations and throughout Asia and Africa.

Spirulina is a rich source of amino acids, minerals including zinc, copper, iron, and selenium, B-complex vitamins, carotenoids, vitamin E, and the omega-6 fatty acid GLA. It is so nutritious it has been used in Russia to treat the victims, especially children, of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, whose bone marrow had been damaged; to help restore immune system function.

Spirulina has many uses and there is evidence that it helps prevent liver damage, cirrhosis, and possibly even liver failure in people with chronic hepatitis. In this study rats were injected with a chemical that dependably causes cirrhosis of the liver (scarring and damage which decreases liver function). A group of the rats were then given Spirulina that was analyzed to make sure it contained the mineral selenium (this is a common ingredient in Spirulina). Spirulina decreased inflammatory markers in the liver, while improving the level and activity of the enzyme system antioxidants SOD and Glutathione in their serum. Deposition of scarring tissue decreased in the Spirulina fed animals and the level of liver fibrosis or scarring was lower. The study was performed at Ji?nan University in China and is published in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Hygiene Research.