Below is an article that I wrote for a magazine on chlorophyll—how this amazing natural substance heals the body and why I highly recommend E3Live to everyone.
Green Power
The Healing Power of Chlorophyll
by Susan Smith Jones, PhD
“Chlorophyll, the healer, is at once powerful and bland—devastating to germs, yet gentle to wounded body tissues. Exactly how it works is still Nature’s secret; but to the layman, at least, the phenomenon seems like green magic.”
—H. E. Kirschner, MD
Anyone wishing to attain and maintain radiant health should welcome chlorophyll, or “solar energy,” into your daily program of healthful foods. Here’s an abridged look at this consequential topic—a crash course in Chlorophyll 101.
All life on this planet is derived either directly or indirectly from the sunlight that falls on chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in plants, algae, and fresh, dark green vegetables. Chlorophyll in all its forms has been receiving a lot of media attention of late. Some of the best sources of nutrients that prevent disease and support health are found in plants that are a rich green color—and one of the reasons is the color itself. If you’ve ever noticed parts of the broccoli in your refrigerator turning yellow with age, you are witnessing the fading of this green pigment. Green plants have been revered throughout history as effective tissue cleansers as well as efficacious agents in the treatment of many chronic disorders.
Chlorophyll got its name in 1818 from the Greek words chloros (green) and phylum (leaf). There is a blue-black “chlorophyll-a” as well as the more familiar dark green “chlorophyll-b.” Both of these chlorophylls are formed in the leaves’ chloroplasts—little organized units of special cells, where stacks of chlorophyll molecules are stored up until used.
In 1915, Dr. Richard Willstätter won a Nobel Prize for discovering the chemical structure of chlorophyll, a network of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen atoms surrounding a single magnesium atom. Fifteen years later, Dr. Hans Fisher won a Nobel Prize for unraveling the chemical structure of hemoglobin, and was surprised to find out it was almost the same as chlorophyll. Hemoglobin is the pigment that gives red blood cells their red color, just as chlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants their green color. When Dr. Fisher separated the heme from the protein molecule to which it was attached, the main difference between it and chlorophyll was a single iron atom at its center instead of a magnesium atom, as in the chlorophyll molecule.
Heme and chlorophyll are fascinating in both their differences and similarities. Both are pigments that carry out their functions in cells; both are vital to the life of the organism to which they belong; both work with carbon dioxide and oxygen; and both have structural similarities. Among the differences, in addition to the already mentioned heme having iron at its center and chlorophyll having magnesium at its center, heme takes in oxygen and gives off carbon dioxide, while chlorophyll takes in carbon dioxide and gives off oxygen. The iron in blood contributes to the vitality level of the person, while magnesium, as found in chlorophyll, is a relaxant that also acts as a catalyst in the use of protein, carbohydrates, fats, calcium and phosphorus.
Dr. Fisher was excited by the similarity in structure between chlorophyll and heme and immediately began research on possible medical uses for chlorophyll. He was not alone. In laboratories and hospitals throughout the United States, excited researchers and doctors already had begun to investigate the “lifeblood” of plants.
Healing the Body with Chlorophyll
Not surprisingly, chlorophyll is known to have revitalizing, rejuvenating and detoxifying effects. Foods high in chlorophyll help oxygenate the body, thereby offsetting the deleterious effects of living in an environment polluted with smog and carbon monoxide. Many decades of research have revealed an abundance of other noteworthy benefits. In general, the healthful action of chlorophyll is subtle, yet remarkable. Here’s a brief summary of the healing power of chlorophyll.
• Strengthens immunity—especially of the surface or “mucus” immune system. The immune system is the first line of bodily defense and functions best against allergens, airborne microbes and chemical pollutants.
• Protects the body from and helps neutralize a range of chemical environmental pollutants, including low-level radiation.
• Acts as a major detoxifier of metabolic waste products in blood. In a “micro” sense, chlorophyll benefits the body much as green plants benefit our “macro” environment.
• Stimulates circulation, metabolism and cellular respiration. This attribute has a tremendous application in the recovery phase of debilitating illness and in weight loss.
• Helps prevent Candida, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Acts as an internal deodorant and topical antiseptic. Liquid chlorophyll can be used as mouthwash, and as a cleanser for cuts, abrasions and minor burns. Chlorophyll reduces urinary and bowel odors as well.
• Establishes a healthy intestinal ecosystem by promoting the growth of probiotic (friendly) intestinal bacteria.
There is no toxicity associated with chlorophyll; cramps or mild diarrhea may occur with large quantities, but will disappear by reducing or stopping its intake. A large dose of chlorophyll may turn the stool green, especially if you haven’t been in the habit of eating many green foods. This is not harmful and even can be helpful if you are trying to determine your digestive “transit time” (how fast or slowly foods moves through the body). Transit time gives some information about how well the digestive process is functions; too fast, and we can’t absorb all our nutrients; too slow, and bacterial changes in a stagnant colon may lead to other health risks. A healthy transit time is between eight and seventeen hours, depending on whether you eat all or mostly raw foods or all/mostly cooked foods.
How Do You Take Chlorophyll?
Eat green plants. Yes, it’s that simple. In a review of 206 human epidemiological studies, green vegetables showed the strongest protective effect against cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure compared with all other beneficial foods. Unfortunately, only 1 in 500 Americans consumes enough calories from vegetables to assure this defense. So how do you eat more green plants? Have two big leafy green salads daily. Supplement your salads with a few servings of other green veggies such as broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, green onions and sunflower sprout greens. Make fresh juices with lots of green plants such as spinach, cucumbers, parsley, romaine lettuce, celery, kale, beet tops, Swiss chard and collards. To make these juices more palatable and nutritious, use approximately one cup of fresh green juice to one-cup fresh carrot or apple juice (or combination of both). Adding some lemon and ginger will give it a wonderful flavor and an extra salutary boost. This is what I incorporate in my health dietary regimen. I drink fresh green juice often and eat lots of big, leafy green salads and other green vegetables. I also regularly consume one of my favorite concentrated, green superfoods--an algae that’s found in a lake in
Oregon
.
A Green SuperFood — Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA)
For thousands of years, algae have been used worldwide as an excellent food source and potent medicine. For 25 years, the naturally occurring AFA growing in Oregon has been harvested and sold as a unique dietary supplement that’s teaming with health-promoting compounds. “Although AFA grows in many other areas of the world,” writes Christian Drapeau, MSc., in his book Primordial Food Aphanizomenon flos-aquae: A Wild Blue-Green Alga with Unique Health Properties, “the biomass that accumulates every year in
Klamath
Lake
is unique in its abundance as well as its purity.”
AFA provides more chlorophyll than wheatgrass; it’s 60% high quality protein; it has all the B vitamins, including B-12; it provides essential Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids; and it is teaming with powerful digestive enzymes. AFA is also an abundant source of phycocyanin. Similar to chlorophyll, phycocyanin protects your body against toxins found in food, air and water. It also promotes healthy joint function and is an effective antioxidant. Similarly, AFA is rich in PEA, a compound naturally produced by the brain that’s released when we experience feelings of love, joy, pleasure and mental awareness. When taken orally, it is known to readily cross the blood-brain barrier and become immediately available to the brain.
In my work with clients, I’ve seen AFA help in the following ways: promote natural weight loss; reverse premature aging; increase strength and endurance; improve memory and concentration; stabilize mood swings; normalize cholesterol levels, promote strong nails, smooth skin and healthy hair; and help provide deep sleep. Simply put: it gives you the full spectrum of over 64 perfectly balanced, naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids. AFA also has an immediate 97% nutrient absorption, nourishing the body at the cellular level and helping to restore overall biological balance.
The best AFA product on the market is called E3Live™. It is the only AFA product that is organic, kosher, vegan, raw and so versatile. Available in its complete fresh frozen liquid form, it is collected only from the deepest, most primitive waters of Klamath Lake and harvested only at peak times of optimal growth, when the AFA is the heartiest, healthiest and most vibrant. For over 12 years, I’ve taken E3Live consistently, used it in my private practice, and highly recommend it to everyone.
World-renowned holistic physician/psychiatrist and author of several books, including Conscious Eating, Dr. Gabriel Cousens says this about E3Live™: “As a physician working with thousands of clients, I find that E3Live helps to restore overall biochemical balance by nourishing the body at the cellular level. The positive response from the use of this AFA product has been extraordinary. It has the potential to enhance every aspect of our lives—mind, body and soul.”
