Honest To Goodness Organic Spirulina Powder

Spirulina's sold on nutrient density but studied for something else entirely, so here's the triage our naturopaths run before recommending one.

A good fit if

• You want a concentrated whole food rather than an isolated nutrient
• You'll buy from a supplier that tests batches for contamination
• You're interested in the blood lipid evidence and will give it time
• You'd use it in a smoothie and don't mind the taste

Check with us first if

• You've got an autoimmune condition. Spirulina is widely described as immune-stimulating and no cached data settles what that means for you.
• You have phenylketonuria, since it's a concentrated protein source and no cached source addresses its phenylalanine content.
• You're taking any prescription medicine, because interaction data beyond anticoagulation testing wasn't captured.
• You're buying for a child, where no paediatric safety data was located.
• You're unsure whether you want spirulina or chlorella, which are different algae with different rules.

• Powder. Best known for: The cheapest way to take a meaningful amount. Absorption: Whole dried algae, nothing removed. Typical use: Strong taste; most people blend it rather than stir it.
• Tablets. Best known for: Getting past the flavour. Absorption: Same material, compressed. Typical use: You'll need several to match a powder serve.
• C-phycocyanin extract. Best known for: The isolated blue pigment, the most studied constituent. Absorption: An extract rather than the whole alga. Typical use: Studied at around 1 g a day of phycocyanin in the bleeding and liver work.
• Arthrospira platensis or maxima on the label. Best known for: The Schedule 1 names that permit active use. Absorption: Not a form difference, a regulatory one. Typical use: "Spirulina" alone is excipient-only in Schedule 1.
• Chlorella instead. Best known for: A different green algae entirely. Absorption: Carries iodine as a mandatory component. Typical use: Internal use is capped below 300 micrograms of iodine a day.

Reference values. There's no Nutrient Reference Value for spirulina, because it's a food rather than a single nutrient.

Typical supplemental range. Australian labels commonly sit between 3 and 10 g a day. A review of the literature gives the safety recommended dosage as approximately 3 to 10 g a day for adults, though that's a review statement rather than a regulatory limit. The bleeding and liver testing used 2.3 g a day of an aqueous extract, delivering roughly 1 g of phycocyanin.

Upper level. No Upper Level is set and Schedule 1 records no dose cap for Arthrospira platensis (item 702) or Arthrospira maxima (701). The 3 to 10 g a day figure in the literature is the nearest thing to a ceiling and it carries no regulatory force.

Worth knowing. Where it was grown matters more than the dose for most buyers, because open-pond cultivation is where the contamination question sits. Your needs depend on your age, diet and health circumstances. Talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Spirulina powder: the food itself; commonly 3 to 10 g a day
• Green smoothie blends: often a small fraction of the serve; check the panel

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. No Schedule 1 pregnancy warning attaches to items 701, 702 or 4710, and no human pregnancy or lactation data was located.
• Contamination. Spirulina may carry microcystins and other toxins depending on cultivation; the literature reports this as contested rather than settled.
• Autoimmune conditions. Spirulina is widely described as immune-stimulating, and no cached source addresses what that means clinically.
• Phenylketonuria. A concentrated protein source, and no cached source addresses phenylalanine content.
• Children. No age restriction on any spirulina item, and no paediatric safety data was located.
• Medicine interactions. Not captured beyond direct anticoagulation testing, which found no change in platelet activation at 2.3 g/day of aqueous extract.
• Don't confuse it with chlorella (items 1343, 1345), which carries iodine as a mandatory component and is capped below 300 micrograms of iodine a day for internal use.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.