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For those who prefer taking their spirulina in a tablet form. Spirulina is a plant plankton that contains beneficial nutrients in their natural, easily digestable form. Spirulina therefore provides an alternative to synthetically manufactured supplements. Spirulina is ideal for sports people, vegetarians and those wanting to improve their energy and nutrition. Spirulina is a source of iron and is high in betacarotene. Energise your life with Morlife Spirulina. Certified Organic by the Australian Certified Organic.
Specifications:
- Available in 1000mg x 250 Tablets
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Spirulina is a filamentous, unicellular, blue-green alga grown in certain countries and consumed as food for humans and animals. It is also widely used to derive additives in pharmaceuticals and food supplements. This alga is a rich source of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and other nutrients, especially phytonutrients.
With over 60% of protein, Spirulina contains all the essential amino acids, plus some non-essential ones. This is similar to animal proteins; especially Spirulina does not contain saturated fats, or residues of hormones or antibiotics that are in some meats.
Vitamins that are found in Spirulina include B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and folic acid. The minerals include potassium, sodium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium and selenium. Spirulina also contains important fatty acids such as gamma-linolenic acid and linoleic acid which are Omega 6 fatty acids. There is also plant pigments found in Spirulina, including phycocyanin, chlorophyll, carotenoids, xanthophylls and beta carotene. The abundance of these nutrients makes Spirulina an outstanding supplement.
Having all these beneficial nutrients, Spirulina has been experimentally proven, in vivo and in vitro that it is effective against numerous disease such as certain allergies, anemia, cancer, hepatotoxicity, viral and cardiovascular diseases, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, immunodeficiency inflammatory processes and so on.
The colour of Spirulina is derived from the green pigment of chlorophyll, which is found abundantly in green plants too. Numerous attention in recent years has been given to the anti-genotoxicity of chlorophyll. A study evaluated the effect of chlorophyll on mutagenesis and tumour cell growth. All the chlorophyll derivatives tested exhibit identical anti-mutagenic effects and the results indicate that food sources that yield chlorophyll derivatives may play a significant role in cancer prevention.
Spirulina contains phycobiliproteins (phycocyanin and allophycocyanin) which are groups of blue proteinaceous pigments that occur in cyanobacteria. In a study, phycocyanin from Spirulina was purified to demonstrate if it had antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of different fractions was studied during the phycocyanin purification process through the scavenger activity of the hydroxyl radical. It is observed that an increase in phycocyanin content was related to an increase in the antioxidant activity in different fractions. Therefore phycobiliprotein phycocyanin is the component mainly responsible for the antioxidant activity.
Phycocyanin also exerts anti-inflammatory effects in some animal models of inflammation. The effects of phycocyanin on prostaglandin E2 concentrations and phospholipase A2 activity were determined in arachidonic acid and TPA-induced mouse ear oedema respectively. Phycocyanin inhibited prostaglandin E2 levels in mouse ear treated with arachidonic acid and moderately reduced phospholipase A2 activity in TPA-induced mouse ear inflammation test. These results provide the evidence that phycocyanin may have anti-inflammatory effects.
In summary, Spirulina has numerous benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-allergic and antiviral properties. Spirulina also helps to stimulate the immune system by enhancing the antibody production, improve iron status, stimulate blood cell formation, improve liver function and maintain healthy blood sugar and lipid levels. It also has chemo- and radio-protective actions, as well as cancer-preventing effects. More benefits of Spirulina are still being discovered and studied. Spirulina is truly a comprehensive food supplement for improving health and optimising body functions, especially with its high content of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and other nutrients.
References
Ayehunie S., Belay A., Baba T.W., Ruprecht R.M., Inhibition of HIV-1 replication by aqueous extract of Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira platensis), J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1998 May 1; 18 (1): 7-12.
Blinkova L.P., Gorobets O.B., Baturo A.P., Biological activity of Spirulina, Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol. 2001 Mar-Apr; (2): 114-8.
Chamorro G., Salazar M., Araujo K.G., dos Santos C.P., Ceballos G., Castillo L.F., Update on the pharmacology of Spirulina (Arthrospira), an unconventional food, Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2002 Sep; 52 (3): 232-40.
Chernomorsky S., Segelman A., Poretz R.D., Effect of dietary chlorophyll derivatives on mutagenesis and tumour cell growth, Teratog Carcinog Metagen. 1999; 19 (5): 313-22.
Gorban’ E.M., Orynchak M.A., Virstiuk N.G., Kuprash L.P., Panteleimonova T.M., Sharabura L.B., Clinical and experimental study of spirulina efficacy in chronic diffuse liver diseases, Lik Sprava 2000 Sep; (6): 89-93.
Hayashi T., Hayashi K., Maeda M., Kojima I., Calcium spirulan, an inhibitor of enveloped virus replication, from a blue-green alga Spirulina platensis, J Nat Prod. 1996 Jan; 59 (1): 83-7.
Hayashi O., Katoh T., Okuwaki Y., Enhancement of antibody production in mice by dietary Spirulina platensis, J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 1994 Oct; 40 (5): 431-41.
Hernandez-Corona A., Nieves I., Meckes M., Chamorro G., Barron B.L., Antiviral activity of Spirulina maxima against herpes simplex virus type 2, Antiviral Res. 2002 Dec; 56 (3): 279-85.
Kapoor R., Mehta U., Supplementary effect of spirulina on haematological status of rats during pregnancy and lactation, Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 1998; 52 (4): 315-24.
Kim H.M., Lee E.H., Cho H.H., Moon Y.H., Inhibitory effect of mast cell-mediated immediate-type allergic reactions in rats by spirulina, Biochem Pharmacol. 1998 Apr 1; 55 (7): 1071-6.
Parikh P., Mani U., Iyer U., Role of Spirulina in the control of glycemia and lipidemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus, J Med Food 2001 Winter; 4 (4): 193-199.
Pinero Estrada J.E., Bermejo Bescos P., Villar del Fresno A.M., Antioxidant activity of different fractions of Spirulina platensis protean extract, Farmaco 2001 May-Jul; 56 (5-7): 497-500.
Remirez D., Gonzalez R., Merino N., Rodriguez S., Ancheta O., Inhibitory effects of Spirulina in zymosan-induced arthritis in mice, Mediators Inflamm. 2002 Apr; 11 (2): 75-9.
Romay C., Ledon N., Gonzalez R., Effects of phycocyanin extract on prostaglandin E2 levels in mouse ear inflammation test, Arzneimittelforschung. 2000 Dec; 50 (12): 1106-9.
Torres-Duran P.V., Miranda-Zamora R., Paredes-Carbajal M.C., Mascher D., Diaz-Zagoya J.C., Juarez-Oropeza M.A., Spirulina maxima prevents induction of fatty liver by carbon tetrachloride in the rat, Biochem Mol Biol Int 1998 Apr; 44 (4): 787-93.
Turner J., Spirulina, Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Gale Group, 2001.
Zhang H.Q., Lin A.P., Sun Y., Deng Y.M., Chemo- and radio-protective effects of polysaccharide of Spirulina platensis on hemopoietic system of mice and dogs, Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2001 Dec; 22 (12): 1121-4.
