Chlorella is a popular addition to green smoothies and juices thanks to its vibrant color and impressive nutritional credentials. But what exactly is this superfood? And how can it help boost your health? In this chlorella fact file, we give you the lowdown.

What is chlorella?

Like its cousin spirulina, chlorella is a blue-green freshwater algae with a whole host of health benefits. As a single-celled algae, this superfood is one of the oldest species on the planet. And with the ability to reproduce around eight times a day, it’s perfectly sustainable.

Unlike many other superfoods, chlorella can’t be eaten straight from the source. Instead, to make it digestible for humans it has to undergo special processing. The result is a bright colored powder with a subtle taste, making it perfect for green smoothies and juices.

Despite being a single-celled organism, chlorella happens to be one of the most nutritionally dense foods in the world. Why? The clue is in the color. Chlorella’s rich green hue comes from a high concentration of chlorophyll, which has the potential to improve digestion, speed up wound healing and improve liver detoxification. But that’s not all.