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Chlorella
Chlorella vulgaris
Also known as Green algae, Freshwater algae, Chlorella algae powder, Cracked-cell chlorella
Key benefits
✦Traditional uses
✦Chlorella has been cultivated and eaten as a food source since the mid-twentieth century, when Dutch microbiologist Martinus Beijerinck first isolated it and later researchers in Japan and Germany explored it as an efficient, protein-rich crop that could be grown almost anywhere there was sunlight and water. It became one of the earliest algae marketed as a whole-food supplement, valued for its deep green color and density of nutrients packed into a single tiny cell. Because it is a modern cultivated food rather than an old-world herb, its traditional use is really a twentieth-century one, rooted in the search for efficient, sustainable sources of nourishment. Today it remains a staple in the whole-food and green-supplement world, often taken as a daily tonic alongside a varied diet.
How to grow & use it
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“Reach for chlorella when you want to bottle a spoonful of sunlight and green water and carry it in your pocket.”
Chlorella was one of the very first microalgae studied as a possible food source for long space voyages, prized by mid-century researchers for growing fast, packing in protein, and thriving in almost nothing but light, water, and carbon dioxide. Its cell wall is famously tough, which is why most modern supplements are labeled cracked-cell, broken open mechanically so the nutrients inside can actually be absorbed.
Chlorella is rich in vitamin K, so it can interact with blood thinners like warfarin, and its iodine content is worth noting if you have a thyroid condition. It may also cause mild digestive upset at first, so choose a source tested for heavy metals and contaminants.