Liquid Chlorophyll

A reader asked me to look into what is known about chlorophyll tinctures, so I did a little bit of research and there is very little out there. A tincture is an ethanolic extract of something, and likely contains some water and fat soluble constituents of whatever is being extracted.

There are plenty of aqueous (water soluble) extracts of chlorophyll available in the nutritional supplement marketplace. Some of the lack of tinctures might have to do with the supplement industry shying away from ethyl alcohol based extracts.

The vitamin company I used to work for has a fat soluble chlorophyll extract, but it is unclear how they manufacture it and it is not readily available on the retail market (sold only through clinicians, although there are some pirates who will sell it to you on AMAZON).

Chlorophyll is used medicinally as a blood purifier and a breath freshener (Note: Chlorophyll products are often flavored with mint), however, there is not a lot of scientific research to validate these uses, so it is probably subjective to the user experience. In general, being a constituent of all green plants, chlorophyll is generally cheap and safe. "Can't hurt. Might Help."

The main risks associated with liquid chlorophyll depend on its source. It is usually manufactured from alfalfa, an inexpensive and prolific agricultural plant (hay). Depending on where and how the alfalfa is grown, there can be a risk for pesticide and heavy metal contamination. Read labels and if you cannot determine the source of the chlorophyll in the product, think twice. Nutritional supplements are poorly regulated in the U.S., especially if they are imported.

I have been pleased with NOW Foods brand supplements. I recently started using their herbal sleep aid and it seems to work, even if it is just the placebo effect.