Chlorophyll
by Inde Guzman, M.S.
Chlorophyll (from the Greek chloros - "yellowish
green") is the green pigment that a plant uses to capture the sun’s energy for
photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants manufacture their own food,
converting minerals absorbed from the soil into vitamins, fats, proteins and starches.
When you consume plants, you take in these nutrients.
The chlorophyll molecule resembles
the hemoglobin in your blood that transports oxygen throughout your body. Hemoglobin
consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms surrounding a single atom of iron.
The outer shells of chlorophyll are similar, except that its center is a single magnesium
atom. Chlorophyll, like hemoglobin, is a chelate, having a metal ion (magnesium) bonded to
a large organic molecule.
Chlorophyll, a natural
"deodorizer," is common in mouth wash, breath fresheners and deodorant. Taken
internally, it may cleanse the blood and promote cell health and improved immune function.
You may ask: Don't I get enough
chlorophyll when I eat dark green leafy vegetables?... Eating vegetables provides
nutrients, but supplementing with juices or concentrated chlorophyll "floods"
your cells with beneficial phyto-nutrients. Using a juicer to extract juice from fiber
liberates nutrients for greater bio-availability (far better than running veggies through
a blender, by the way). But remember, juicing is no substitute for eating vegetables (you
need fiber). For optimal benefit, consume both.
In addition to juicing (or when it
is impractical), you can use concentrated chlorophyll liquid or powder. Some powders
consist of dehydrated vegetable juices; others focus on unicellular organisms like
spirulina, chlorella or blue-green algae. Make sure your "green powder" contains
real vegetable juice, not just ground dried vegetable powder, and that it was dehydrated
at temperatures low enough to protect the nutrients.
If you are looking for
high
quality chlorophyll-rich green powders that contains concentrated super green nutrients,
try Gary Null's Green Stuff and Greens and Grains
Click here for more information on "Green" Products
Click here to visit Gary Null's Online Health Store.
