Spirulina – A blue-green Algae with lots of Remarkable Benefits
Spirulina is a species of blue-green algae belonging to the genus Arthrospira. Growing in warm and alkaline freshwater, Spirulina is basically a single-celled cyanobacterium with a twisted and spiral strand physical form, hence its name. Generated from the Latin word for little spiral or helix, Spirulina has become a well known health supplement for health buffs. Right now it’s being termed as a superfood since it contains several important vitamins and nutrients such as proteins and vitamins for the wellness of the human body. But nevertheless, despite its rising in popularity, lots of people still ask themselves, What is Spirulina? To answer this question, this short article will give you a comprehensive explanation of the blue green algae as well as a quick summary of its historical uses and current health benefits.
According to experiments by proven scientists, Spirulina was found to have been part of the diet plan of the Kanembu people in Chad in Africa. Around 9th century, the Kanembu folks gathered these blue green algae and used them to create dih, or a hardened sun-dried cake. They would grind these cakes into smaller portions and would combine these pieces with veggies for example tomatoes and pepper. In some cases, fish and meat would even be combined with the cake and they’d sell these to the local area. The Kanembu found Spirulina from the local ponds near Lake Chad, that contains great levels of these algae, giving its water a blue-green hue.
Because of its abundance, the Kanembu used Spirulina up to the stage where 70% of their diet contains the blue green superfood. Besides Chad, Spirulina has also been found to be a part of the diet program of the Aztecs until the 16th century. Their understanding of what Spirulina is also the same with the Kanembu people as they also made cakes from the blue green algae. The Aztecs as well as other Mesoamerican tribes found the Spirulina from Lake Texcoco and gave the name techuitlatl. On the other hand, this algae eating lifestyle was found to have ended after the 16th century. Scholars are convinced that this was generally because of the Spanish colonization and rapid urbanization. For these early civilizations, there seemed many amazing benefits of Spirulina
It was not until the 1970s that a French organization started making Spirulina in business volumes. Soon after discovering what Spirulina is, Japanese and American businesses followed quickly and started producing Spirulina in large amounts. At this time, the largest suppliers of Spirulina can be found in the United States, Burma, Taiwan, Chile and Thailand, to mention a few. Due to the components of nutrients within the blue green algae, makers are decreasing the cyanobacterium into edible kinds like tablets and capsules for convenient and easy consumption.
Most of the physical health benefits that can be acquired from taking Spirulina are the following: reducing blood pressure, avoiding cancer, fighting autoimmune diseases and serving a relentless source of rich protein and amino acids. On top of that, Spirulina can also be found to be an excellent source for Vitamin B1, Vitamin E and C and even folic acid. Seriously, according to these beneficial advantages, Spirulina deserves its moniker of superfood. Understanding these items, like the Kanembu and Aztec citizens, answering the problem of Spirulina Superfood will now be easy.
Richard Matthews is health buff who publishes articles for http://www.spirulinasuperfoods.com/ which is an online site committed to this highly effective Spirulina Superfood. Richards desire depends on establishing diet regimes for maximum health and he looks at the varied health rewards regarding dealing with several nutritionally abundant dietary supplements.
Tags: benefits of spirulina, health benefits of Spirulina, Spirulina benefits, Spirulina Superfood, Supplements
June 11 2012 08:26 am | Supplements