Natural Remedies A-Z
Green Foods - The Nutritional Powerhouses |
Green foods such as the microalgae’s spirulina, chlorella, and wild blue-green algae, and the grasses such as wheat and barleygrass have become popular nutritional supplements over the last 30 years, especially in Asia and the USA. These fabulous foods have proved over and over to be astounding healing aids. Many mammals can be seen feeding mostly on grasses in times of sickness, using them as an aid to convalescence. What exactly is it that gives such foods their healing capacity, and what exactly do they do? This article will aim to explore this.
Chlorophyll
The first and probably the single most important element to consider when examining the healing capabilities of green foods is their chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll is the pigment that makes a green food green, and is used within the plant to manufacture food from sunlight (photosynthesis). There are a miriad of reported benefits to the use of chlorophyll as healing tool. These include abilities to purify and regenerate. It can cease bacterial growth within wounds, halts tooth decay, deodorise the body, remove drug and other toxic residues that are deposited within tissues. It has the ability build the blood, regenerate all tissues, protect from radiation, and improve liver function. The microalgae are probably the most chlorophyll rich plants on the Earth, hence they are used as a nutritional supplement so widely today. The three most commonly used of these microalgae are spirulina, chlorella, and wild blue-green algae.
Spirulina
Spirulina is a a protein super-source. Its proteins are incredibly easy to digest and absorb into the body. It is easily absorbed because the proteins are biliproteins that have been partially digested by the algae, thus reducing the workload required to process it. One of these biliproteins has some incredible actions. This is the biliprotein called phycocyanin, which offers a blue pigment within this algae. As well as being a protein, this pigment has the ability inhibit the cancer-colony formation (Pitchford 2002:231). This pigment also has the ability to draw amino acids together in the brain for neurotransmitter formation (2002:231).
Spirulina is also a very rich source of Gamma linoleic acid (GLA), which influences the production of a substance called prostaglandin PGE1, which helps control the inflammatory response, and various elements of immunity. This rich algae has a very high content of vitamin B12, something that can be deficient in vegetarians. There are also the nucleic acids RNA and DNA present, which aid in cellular renewall and can slow the aging process (I aint talkin about facelifts here!!!!!!!).
Chlorella
This strong smelling algae is a great complement to spirulina (often taken together), as it has less protein but more than twice the content of RNA and DNA (2002:232). This algae has a very tough outer cell wall that has to be broken before the goodies inside can be absorbed by the body, which is why you will often see ‘Broken Cell chlorella’ on the packaging. There are some very useful benefits given by the cell wall though. There are polysaccharides (large sugars) built into this wall. These sugars can have a stimulatory action upon various branches of the immune system. This is similar to the way that herbs such as Echinacea and the medicinal mushrooms work in fighting infections.
The high level of nucleic acids present in this algae are responsible for the wonderful ‘Chlorella Growth Factor’ (CGF). Nucleic acids in the Human body are responsible for cellular renewall, growth, and repair. Many environmental (internal or external) influences can actually deplete nucleic acids within the body and lead to premature aging. Supplementing with products such as chlorella can remedy this. The nucleic acids can also further stimulate and nourish the immune system by influencing production of B and T cells. The CGF makes this a great supplement for growing children (if you can get them to take the stuff!!!!), the weak and infirm, those with degenerative illnesses, and those recovering from surgery or injury. The CGF does promote growth, but wonderfully, it does not in any way promote pathological growth ie; a tumour.
Cereal grasses
The most commonly used cereal grasses in the healthfoods industry are Barley and Wheat grasses. Its impossible to go to a juice bar without seeing trays of these dotted around, and people knocking back shots of it with an amusing, slightly disgusted grimace upon their face! These grasses are again very rich sources of clorophyll, but have less protein than algae (20% as opposed to around 80%). The thing that makes these grasses special is the enzymes they contain that can greatly improve digestive function and the absorption of nutrients from food. These enzymes can also help to deal with toxins in the gut that have come in via food. One of the enzymes present is the antioxidant enzyme Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD), which is naturally present in our own bodies and acts to protect cells from free radical damage.
Cereal grasses also contain mucopolysaccharides (large sugars combined with amino acids). These substances can greatly strengthen various tissues in the body including cardiac tissue and vessel walls, reduce serum cholesterol, and reduce inflammation.
This article has been just a basic introduction to the healing potential of these wonderful products. There has been a considerable amount of clinical trials undertaken on them. Go to medline (see GHN links section under ‘clinical trials’) and do a search. There is a fair bit there! Happy hunting.