blue spirulina smoothie with pineapple on wooden table

Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, this anti-cancer blue majik smoothie does some serious wonders for the body.

And no, it’s not dyed with blue food coloring. That rich blue hue comes straight from blue spirulina itself!

One of the prettiest and natural ways to color a smoothie, in my opinion, is with blue spirulina. It can make any plain old boring smoothie turn magically into something you’d find in a fantasy world.

But what is blue spirulina? Read on to find out..

What is Blue Spirulina?

Blue spirulina is made possible by the pigment phycocyanin, which also happens to be a potent antioxidant. It is basically a condensed extract of spirulina, a type of blue-green algae.

I know, I know. It sounds gross. Algae in your smoothie? Trust me – you can’t taste that it’s in there! Compared to regular green spirulina, blue spirulina comes with very minimal taste.

Blue spirulina provides over 65 vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, antioxidants, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. It is over 64% protein, compared to 22% in animal protein, by weight.

Health Benefits of Blue Spirulina

Spirulina is said to be one of the most nutritionally-dense food sources known to man. For this reason, it also comes with some impressive health benefits.

Here are a few ways that blue spirulina can improve your health:

Helps the body flush out toxins like heavy metals
We’re exposed to toxins every day, whether that be from the food we eat, the air we breathe or the water we drink. Spirulina is a huge help here, as it contains the proteins and peptides that are needed to bind to the toxins to help shuttle them out of the body. So, instead of being absorbed into your bloodstream, they’re excreted before they have a chance to inflict damage on your body. Studies have found spirulina useful in eliminating heavy metals like arsenic and radioactive metals from the body (1✓)✓ Trusted ResourcePubMed CentralHighly respected database from the National Institutes of HealthRead source, (2).
Protects against cancer
This smoothie wouldn’t be called an anti-cancer blue majik smoothie if that wasn’t what it was best suited for! Research has shown that phycocyanin plays an effective anti-cancer role in various cancer cell types like breast, liver, lung, and colon cancer, as well as leukemia and bone marrow cancer (3✓)✓ Trusted ResourcePubMed CentralHighly respected database from the National Institutes of HealthRead source. Phycocyanin works by inducing apoptosis (cell death) of cancer cells, while also triggering cell cycle arrest and inhibition of tumor cell metastasis.
Boosts the immune system
Animal and test-tube studies suggest that spirulina helps increase the production of antibodies, infection-fighting proteins, and other cells that help improve immunity to ward off chronic disease and infection. Phycocyanin can promote animal blood cell regeneration, improve lymphocyte activity and lymphatic system to improve immune function, and comprehensively enhance the disease resistance of the body (4✓)✓ Trusted ResourcePubMed CentralHighly respected database from the National Institutes of HealthRead source.
Increases exercise endurance
Blue spirulina and even green spirulina have been found to increase exercise endurance of athletes, especially during recovery (5✓)✓ Trusted ResourcePubMed CentralHighly respected database from the National Institutes of HealthRead source. Spirulina increases the production of nitric oxide, a molecule that widens and relaxes blood vessels. This allows blood to flow more easily so that the heart doesn’t have to work as hard. As you can imagine, this is a bonus for those who work out often. Spirulina is also high in protein, which researchers suggest could enhance muscular strength and athletic endurance.
Prevents reoccurring yeast infections
Phycocyanin in blue spirulina can also help balance vaginal bacteria. Similar to how spirulina draws out toxins and shuttles them out of the body, it does the same to yeast cells when they’re multiplying out of control. Several animal studies have shown spirulina to be an effective antimicrobial agent, particularly for candida (6✓)✓ Trusted ResourcePubMed CentralHighly respected database from the National Institutes of HealthRead source, (7✓)✓ Trusted ResourcePubMed CentralHighly respected database from the National Institutes of HealthRead source. By encouraging a healthy gut microbiome, spirulina also inhibits the overgrowth of candida in the gut.
Helps fight allergies
Seasonal allergies are a pain, but spirulina benefits the body by reducing the inflammation that causes sinus problems to begin with. When someone experiences allergies from pollen, dust, or pets, the inside of their nose may swell. This is called allergic rhinitis, and there is some evidence that spirulina could help improve symptoms of this condition. A study published in 2013 states that spirulina can relieve nasal inflammation and reduce histamine in the body. Compared to a placebo, spirulina was found to reduce symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, and itching (8✓)✓ Trusted ResourcePubMed CentralHighly respected database from the National Institutes of HealthRead source.

Where Do You Buy Blue Spirulina?

Blue spirulina can be purchased almost anywhere online, or in your local health food store.

The most popular, and high-quality blue spirulina is made by the company E3 Live and is called Blue Majik Spirulina.

There are other companies like Aki Organic Blue Spirulina, as well as Terrasoul Blue Spirulina Powde r and POPJOY Blue Spirulina Powder.

A little goes a long way, so while you may spend a good amount on a bottle of blue spirulina, it’ll take you a while to get through it.