A tiny water plant holds the promise of bringing about a sea change in your

health.

Japanese scientists look towards spirulina as the solution to the world's hunger
problem. NASA considers it an excellent, compact space food for astronauts. The WHO
has called it one of the greatest super foods on earth. And New Agers all over the world
are rediscovering the wonders of spirulina.

In the USA, Christopher Hills, founder of the University of Trees, is convinced that the
manna which the Hebrews ate in the desert belonged to the spirulina family. Hills has
even appointed spirulina missionaries to distribute this miracle food.

The single-celled bluish-green water alga is believed to be the first form of plant life on
earth and formed a part of man's early diet. But its rising popularity in the last couple of
decades can be traced to a French anthropologist who found, earlier this century, that a
plankton from Lake Chad in North Africa was behind the remarkably good health of the
Kanembi tribe living on the lakeside. He took it back home to study its composition.
What was 'dihe' to the Kanembis came to be known as spirulina, the word derived from
the algae's spirally twisted filament-like structure.

From origin to content: 1 kg of spirulina, it is claimed, is the equivalent of 1,000 kg of

assorted vegetables; 10 gm of spirulina contain 6.6 gm of protein (milk has 0.32 gm). In
addition, it has no bad cholesterol, has 18 of the 22 amino acids the body needs, and is
the richest source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant which combats free radicals. So
where does that place spirulina? A dietician's delight, a perfect supplement to good
living and health.

Its main benefits are -

It is a highly digestible food algae, containing 60-70 per cent of protein,

It provides all the essential amino acids, quite uncommon among plant foods.

Helps to control stress, manage obesity, heart disease and arthritis, too.

Gives a lot of energy

Agrees Reshmi, 29, who started taking spirulina during the second month of her
pregnancy: "1 did' not take the general medicines prescribed by my doctor, yet my
acute liver problem remained at bay. And I gave birth to an eight-and-a-half pound
baby."
Affirms Charanjit Singh, an Indian physicist who has been eating spirulina, off and on,
for the past 17 years: "My health is remarkably good when I am taking spirulina, I do not
even catch a cold. I take it in the form of flakes, sprinkled over any edible. My kids love
it too."

Singh's private theory is that 60 to 70 per cent of spirulina comprises DNA, which helps
the immune system. When Singh returned to India from the USA seven years ago, he
"hunted around for it, and finally tracked it down to Transtech, a company in Madras
which was manufacturing and distributing spirulina under the brand name Progen",
Transtech's Natarajan Sundaram had started producing spirulina as a village
development project in 1989. His output is still only about 20 kg a month.

Spirulina is naturally found in lakes and ponds high in alkaline content, but in India it is
cultivated in specially prepared water tanks. Spirulina's healing and nourishing qualities
make it an ideal food supplement. People who take it regularly say that it gives them
more than adequate energy to see them through a busy day and makes them less
stress-prone. It also helps control obesity, heart diseases and arthritis.

There are no side effects, though some may not like its strong smell. Those with
sensitive digestive systems should drink sufficient water so that the spirulina intake
does not create stomach blockages.