WTF?! Is up with Chlorophyll?

"Dear NTR people: I add chlorophyll to my water and heard that it increases oxygen in the blood, cleanses various organs, and removes toxins from the blood, bones, and intestines. I’ve also heard that these claims might not be true and now don’t know what to think. Do you know of any evidence that chlorophyll does these things?"

It’s a little hard to say. Although there have been studies conducted around the possibility of a multitude of benefits of chlorophyll, there has yet to be anything super conclusive about it.

You may have some vague idea of chlorophyll from high school biology. To refresh your memory, chlorophyll is the green matter in plants and is a major component of the photosynthesis process. And, it is pretty close in its chemical makeup to heme - a chemical found in human red blood cells. There have been basic studies that indicate that there are potential health benefits of this similarity. For example, some studies suggest that green vegetables that contain high levels of chlorophyll could protect against the harmful and potentially degenerative chemicals in things red meat and fried food. Chlorophyll rich foods are basically any dark green vegetables. These include leafy greens like spinach and kale, green veggies such as broccoli and green beans, herbs like parsley, and even matcha!

Studies have been conducted which indicate other benefits of chlorophyll like having deodorizing properties, helping stabilize iron levels, and promoting healthy digestion. Again, none of these things are definite, as research around the potential health benefits of chlorophyll is fairly new.

All in all, although it has yet to be proven that it has the specific properties you suggest, chlorophyll is still very healthy and a great thing to have in your diet. Some people are wary of taking chlorophyll supplements or adding it to things if you are pregnant or nursing (simply because we still don’t know if it could have any negative effects) but in general you should be just fine adding it to your water. Definitely be sure to include those dark green veggies, too!

Bree Flory

Bree is a vegan, coffee and beer loving, intersectional feminist who is particularly invested in health. She has a degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from CSULB, where she spent her time turning her passions into academic activism. When she’s not busy spreading awareness on living a non toxic lifestyle, she is most likely taking a long bath, cooking extravagant vegan food, or crying about dogs.