Photo: FarmerOnMars, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Spirulina

Arthrospira platensis

Also known as Spirulina, Blue-green algae, Dihé (Chad), Tecuitlatl (Aztec Mexico), Spirulina platensis

At a glance

Family

Microcoleaceae (a cyanobacterium, once grouped with blue-green algae)

Type

Cyanobacterium (a spiral, filament-forming microorganism, not a true plant)

Parts used

Whole organism, harvested and dried into powder, flakes, or tablets

Size

Microscopic coiled filaments, invisible alone but tinting whole ponds jade green in bloom

Bloom

Does not flower. It reproduces by simple division, multiplying by the billions in warm water

Habitat

Warm, sunny, highly alkaline lakes and ponds across the tropics and subtropics

Acquisition

Grow or buy

This plant in HerbSense

Key benefits

✦

Rich source of plant protein

Traditional energy support

Dense in antioxidants

Notable source of B vitamins

Traditional uses

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For centuries, communities living beside alkaline lakes have harvested this blue-green bloom as a genuine food source rather than a mere curiosity. The Aztecs gathered it from Lake Texcoco and pressed it into cakes, and around Lake Chad in Africa, the Kanembu people have long dried it into dihé cakes eaten daily or traded at market. In more recent traditional and folk use, it has been valued as a concentrated, nourishing tonic during times of low appetite or depleted energy, prized for its deep color and density long before modern science took an interest in it.

How to grow & use it

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The full apothecary for Spirulina

Traditional remedies and step-by-step preparations, a complete growing guide, and how to harvest, dry, and store it, all unlocked with HerbLens Unlimited.

✦Remedies & preparations
✦ Growing guide
✦Harvest & storage

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From under $6 a month. Free plant identifications always included.

Pairs well with

✦Banana
✦Ginger
✦Citrus (lemon or orange)

Substitutes

✦Chlorella
✦Matcha green tea powder

Choose it when

“When you want a spoonful of ancient, sun-warmed water distilled into a deep blue-green boost.”

Did you know?

Long before anyone called it a superfood, the Aztecs skimmed this same blue-green bloom from Lake Texcoco and pressed it into cakes called tecuitlatl, while the Kanembu people on the shores of Lake Chad still sun-dry it into cakes called dihé, a staple that has fed their communities for centuries.

Safety

Only buy spirulina from a reputable source, since poorly controlled growing conditions can allow contamination with liver- and nerve-toxic microcystins. It may overstimulate the immune system in autoimmune conditions, and those with phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid it due to its phenylalanine content.