Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011:2011:531053.
doi: 10.1093/ecam/nen058. Epub 2010 Oct 19.

Spirulina in clinical practice: evidence-based human applications

P D Karkos  1 , S C Leong, C D Karkos, N Sivaji, D A Assimakopoulos
Affiliations

Spirulina in clinical practice: evidence-based human applications

P D Karkos et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011.

Abstract

Spirulina or Arthrospira is a blue-green alga that became famous after it was successfully used by NASA as a dietary supplement for astronauts on space missions. It has the ability to modulate immune functions and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting the release of histamine by mast cells. Multiple studies investigating the efficacy and the potential clinical applications of Spirulina in treating several diseases have been performed and a few randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews suggest that this alga may improve several symptoms and may even have an anticancer, antiviral and antiallergic effects. Current and potential clinical applications, issues of safety, indications, side-effects and levels of evidence are addressed in this review. Areas of ongoing and future research are also discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Dillon JC, Phuc AP, Dubacq JP. Nutritional value of the alga Spirulina. World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics. 1995;77:32–46. - PubMed
    1. Tarantino LM. Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN000127. FDA Home page, October 2003.
    1. Salazar M, Chamorro G, Salazar S, Steele C. Effect of Spirulina maxima consumption on reproductive and peri- and postnatal development in rats. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 1996:353–359. - PubMed
    1. Chamorro G, Salazar S, Favila-Castillo L, Steele C, Salazar M. Reproductive and peri-and postnatal evaluation of Spirulina maxima in mice. Journal of Applied Phycology. 1997;9(2):107–112.
    1. Salazar M, Martínez E, Madrigal E, Ruiz LE, Chamorro GA. Subchronic toxicity study in mice fed Spirulina . Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 1998;62(3):235–241. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources