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Essential Supplements
Green Superfoods
Most health food stores sport a “green foods” section, which makes it easy to find this type of supplement. You’ll find products such as alfalfa, barley grass, chlorella, spirulina and wild blue-green algae, as well as custom blends that contain many or all of these plants and algae. Besides offering a variety of minerals, vitamins, amino acids and essential fatty acids, they all contain chlorophyll—a unique and important blood builder.
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is the molecule that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. Known as photosynthesis, this is the basis for sustaining the life processes of all plants. Since animals and humans obtain their food supply by eating plants, photosynthesis can be said to be the source of our life also.
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Interestingly, the molecular structure of chlorophyll is remarkably similar to that of hemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells. The main difference is that the central atom in chlorophyll is magnesium, whereas in hemoglobin it’s iron. Hemoglobin has a strong iron bond, and chlorophyll has a weak magnesium bond. In the human body chlorophyll releases the magnesium bond and a cellular vortex starts sucking in heavy metals and cleansing the blood. Thus, chlorophyll is considered a major blood purifier, and is very beneficial for overall health.
According to Paul Pitchford, author of Healing with Whole Foods, chlorophyll provides numerous health benefits. It stops bacterial growth in wounds, eliminates bad breath and body odor, removes drug deposits, and counteracts all toxins, including radiation. It also builds blood, renews tissue, promotes healthful intestinal flora, activates enzymes that produce vitamins A, D, and K, reverses anemic conditions, reduces high blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, relieves nervousness and serves as a mild diuretic. Alfalfa and Barley Grass contain high amounts of chlorophyll.
Alfalfa
Taken as a liquid extract, alfalfa has a rich mineral profile and contains abundant chlorophyll. Alfalfa roots can dig down over 100 feet, giving the plant access to minerals and trace minerals that other plants can’t acquire.
The Arabs were the first to name alfalfa, which means “father of all foods.” Alfalfa cleans and tones the intestines and removes harmful acids from the blood. Alfalfa is rich in protein, carotene, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, sulfur, silicon, cobalt and zinc. Alfalfa provides these minerals in a balanced form, which promotes absorption. Alfalfa also contains eight enzymes that help assimilate protein, fats and carbohydrates. Alfalfa alkalizes and detoxifies the body, especially the liver.
Barley Grass
Barley is an annual cereal plant that has been cultivated for hundreds of years. Although the barley grain is most often used, the plant’s true nutrition is found in the leaves—the young green shoots that form before the grain sprouts. This green grass is reputed to be the only vegetation on earth that could supply our sole nutritional support from birth to old age!
Barley grass contains an astounding amount of vitamins and minerals, including five of the B vitamins (the often hard to obtain B12 being among them). It also contains folic acid, pantothenic acid, beta carotene, C and E. Recent laboratory analysis on green barley grass has turned up traces of more than 70 minerals, among them calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus (which is determined, in part, by soil conditions).
Barley grass also contains 18 amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Green barley grass is also said to have a highly alkalizing effect, because it contains buffering minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
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