7 Benefits of Chlorophyll

If you’ve noticed more liquid chlorophyll supplements popping up on store shelves, you’re not alone! But what exactly is chlorophyll, and why should you care?  This natural pigment gives leafy greens and other vegetables their vibrant color — but it does much more than that. The benefits of chlorophyll include energizing your cells, reducing oxidative stress from free radical damage, and much more.

Chlorophyll is a superfood because it’s rich in compounds that provide health benefits, such as antioxidants and fiber. Read on to learn about seven chlorophyll benefits and the delicious ways you can enjoy them. 

The Impressive Benefits of Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is chock-full of powerful nutrients, along with antioxidants and fiber. It’s the purest form of energy in some energy drinks due to its high vitamin B12 content. It does so much more than give you power, though. Here are seven chlorophyll benefits.

1. Chlorophyll Gives You Energy

As I mentioned, chlorophyll is packed with vitamin B12, making it an excellent natural energy source. Eating plants high in chlorophyll is the closest we’ll get to eating sunshine. It increases serotonin production and provides your body with energy.

Plants are at the bottom of the food chain. Because of this, they can harness the sun’s power to make food. Therefore, when we eat plants, we’re getting that energy in its most pure, whole form. That’s why you have more energy after eating vegetables. Another critical reason to make organic veggies part of every meal!

2. Chlorophyll Is Anti-Aging

Too much exposure to the sun can damage our skin. It can cause it to age faster. Prolonged sun exposure damages our skin’s elastic fibers that keep it smooth. This leads to premature aging. Ultraviolet light exposure from the sun can also cause liver spots on your skin. This sunlight-related aging is called photoaging and can even lead to skin cancer. 

Because chlorophyll benefits your body by acting as an antioxidant, it works to fight and reduce free radical damage, which causes premature aging. (1) Another of the benefits of chlorophyll is that it promotes collagen production in your body. Collagen is what gives your skin that plump, youthful appearance.

3. Chlorophyll Facilitates Red Blood Cell Growth

Chlorophyll is chemically similar to hemoglobin. This is a protein in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen around your body. Researchers have suggested that wheatgrass juice, which is rich in chlorophyll, may help treat hemoglobin deficiency disorders, such as anemia and thalassemia. A study done in 2004 indicated that wheatgrass, which contains about 70% chlorophyll, reduced the number of blood transfusions needed in people with blood disorders.

4. Chlorophyll Supports Your Skin

Chlorophyll is incredibly rich in vitamins A, C, E, and K. These vitamins are equally important in the appearance of youthful, vibrant skin. They promote the growth of skin cells and help reduce the appearance of dark spots, fine lines, and wrinkles. These skin issues are often the result of too much exposure to the sun. 

Magnesium is also a critical mineral in chlorophyll. It helps support skin hydration, facilitates a healthy inflammatory response, and promotes oxygen storage in skin cells.

5. Chlorophyll Promotes Wound Healing

Another way chlorophyll benefits your skin is by promoting wound healing. Doctors have been using chlorophyll to treat wounds since the 1940s and 1950s. 

Remember, chlorophyll facilitates red blood cell growth. This helps with supplying oxygen throughout your body. Furthermore, this process facilitates blood circulation to the wound, supporting a healthy healing process. 

6. It’s a Free Radical Scavenger

One of the most important benefits of chlorophyll is that it’s a natural, free radical scavenger with antioxidant properties. A free radical is just an atom missing an electron. It hunts for a spare electron throughout your body to replace the missing one. Atoms need to have an even number of electrons to survive.

In their search for a spare electron, they steal electrons from healthy cells and leave behind wreckage — the nerve! This wreckage is also known as oxidative stress. I’ll talk more about oxidative stress in just a second.

Our bodies often produce free radicals during the digestive process, turning nutrients into energy. In small amounts, free radicals serve essential functions such as detoxification and healing wounds. They also support the heart when it’s under stress.

 However, too much of a good thing can be harmful. Chronic stress can lead to increased levels of free radicals that create oxidative stress. This can lead to heart disease.

One of the primary sources of free radicals is the food you eat. Some of the main culprits are fried foods and alcohol. (2) If you’re following The Myers Way®, you are already one step ahead since eliminating toxic foods to heal your gut is the first pillar of The Myers Way®. 

Toxins from smoking or radiation from x-rays can also expose you to free radicals. Pesticides, environmental pollutants, some household cleaners, and certain medications – such as those used for treating cancer – are further sources of free radicals. Sometimes, it feels like toxins are everywhere!

Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress occurs when there’s an imbalance of antioxidants and free radicals. As I mentioned, free radicals are atoms looking for a spare electron to meet the requirement of having pairs of electrons. Antioxidants supply free radicals with the electron they need to prevent damage to healthy cells.

Your body produces antioxidants through its chemical processes and can also get antioxidants from your diet. Ideally, your body will have plenty of antioxidants such as vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene, and selenium, which can all donate electrons to the unstable free radicals, stabilizing them and neutralizing their threat.

However, exposure to toxins, poor diet, smoking, elevated blood sugar, chronic stress, and many other inflammatory triggers can signal your body to produce more free radicals. If you are deficient in these antioxidant nutrients and your free radical production is in overdrive, this can create an imbalance. Thankfully, chlorophyll can help with its antioxidant properties. 

Chlorophyll benefits don’t stop there. Read on to learn how it can even make you smell better — really!

7. It is a Natural Deodorant

While chlorophyllin has been used since the 1940s to neutralize certain odors, studies are outdated and show mixed results. However, a recent study showed that chlorophyll helped neutralize odors in people with trimethylaminuria, a condition that causes a fishy smell. The study found that chlorophyllin significantly decreased the number of trimethylamines. (3)

Trymethylmines build up in the body when a person has a metabolic condition that prevents them from being converted into trimethylamine N-oxide, which is odorless. When trimethylamines build up, they get released through sweat, urine, reproductive fluids, and breath, giving off a strong fishy odor.

The good news is that you can reap the benefits of chlorophyll by eating foods rich in this green pigment.

Foods Rich in Chlorophyll

Since chlorophyll is the pigment in plants that gives them their green color, it makes sense that green vegetables are the best source of chlorophyll. The best sources of chlorophyll from food include: (4)

A note about kiwi: Some people have a sensitivity to citrus fruits. If you have a sensitivity to citrus, I recommend not eating kiwi. An elimination diet is a great way to determine your sensitivity to kiwi or citrus fruits.

It’s great that we have so many whole food sources with chlorophyll benefits. However, let’s face it — it’s not always easy to get a whole serving of green vegetables. Moreover, the harsh reality is that one cup of green vegetables can have anywhere from 4 to 15 mg. 

You could eat vegetables for every meal and still not get optimal amounts of chlorophyll, which is 100 to 300mg daily. 

Don’t worry! I’m about to tell you about my go-to way to get optimal amounts of chlorophyll in just one small scoop.

My Favorite Way To Add Green Vegetables to My Diet

Chlorophyll supplements are everywhere, yet they may not be a nutritious option. Their chlorophyll isn’t always natural. 

Chlorella is a type of alga that contains high amounts of chlorophyll. When you combine chlorella with spirulina, which also contains chlorophyll, you get a decisive 1-2 punch of chlorophyll. I formulated Organic Greens to contain optimal amounts of chlorella and spirulina in a proprietary blend. It’s an easy and delicious way to enjoy the benefits of chlorophyll. 

Not only does Organic Greens include chlorella and spirulina, but I also made sure to add optimal amounts of organic green vegetables. These include spinach, broccoli, apple, kale, parsley, and many other superfoods such as ashwagandha and beets.

As a Functional Medicine physician, I travel quite a bit. Finding organic fruits and vegetables in the hotel restaurant or anywhere nearby is sometimes impossible! 

The alternative is to find a way to buy organic vegetables in a health food store near your hotel and cook them. You can see that this is not ideal or sometimes not even a possibility. 

Organic Greens to the rescue! Mix a scoop into a glass of water or juice, and you’re way ahead of the game!

Eating vegetables is a great way to get chlorophyll benefits. Yet you could eat vegetables all day and still not get enough. This is why Organic Greens makes a convenient way to reap all the chlorophyll benefits in one drink.

The Final Word on the Benefits of Chlorophyll

The benefits of chlorophyll go beyond just giving plants their pretty green color. This powerful pigment boosts energy, helps to prevent premature aging, and fights oxidative stress. Chlorophyll benefits are hard to ignore. 

However, the truth is, that it can be hard to get the recommended amounts of chlorophyll from whole foods alone. Busy schedules and our on-the-go lifestyles can make this nearly impossible at times. 

No worries here! That’s why I created Organic Greens — a convenient, nutrient-dense blend packed with superfoods like chlorella, spirulina, and various organic vegetables.

Give your health the boost it deserves — your body will thank you!