NOW Foods Chlorella 500 mg Certified Organic (200 Tablets)
Looking for a simple, natural way to add nutrient-rich greens into your daily routine? NOW Foods Certified Organic Chlorella 500 mg delivers pure, single-cell freshwater microalgae with a mechanically broken cell wall to guarantee your body can absorb its deep pool of vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll.
✓ 100% Certified Organic
QAI Certified & USDA Organic compliant.
✓ Broken Cell Wall
Mechanically milled for optimal human digestion.
✓ Zero Binders or Fillers
Pure compressed chlorella—nothing artificial added.
✓ 500 mg Dosing Control
Easily adjust your intake from gentle to intensive.
What Is Chlorella and Why Is It Considered Nature's Green Powerhouse?
Chlorella is an ancient, single-celled freshwater green alga that has thrived on Earth for over two billion years. Despite its microscopic size, it packs one of the dense nutritional profiles on the planet. Think of each tablet as a compact salad containing concentrated whole-food nutrition straight from sunlight and pure water.
Unlike synthetic multivitamin pills made in a laboratory, organic chlorella provides nutrients in their natural food matrix. Your digestive system recognizes and processes these nutrients just as it would fresh garden greens:
✓ Highest Known Chlorophyll Levels: Chlorophyll is the green pigment plants use to transform sunlight into energy. Chlorella contains more chlorophyll by weight than almost any other known plant or vegetable.
✓ Complete Vegan Protein: Roughly 50% to 60% of chlorella's weight is pure protein, providing all nine essential amino acids that your body cannot manufacture on its own.
✓ Powerful Plant Carotenoids: Rich in beta-carotene, lutein, and alpha-carotene—antioxidants that defend cells against daily oxidative stress and support healthy vision.
✓ Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF): A specialized complex of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), peptides, and polysaccharides unique to chlorella that fuels cellular repair and natural renewal.
The "Broken Cell Wall" Difference: Why Bioavailability Matters
In its wild, raw state, chlorella is protected by an exterior shell made of tough cellulose fiber—similar to wood bark. Human stomachs do not produce the enzyme cellulase needed to dissolve this stubborn outer layer. If you consume raw, unprocessed chlorella, up to 90% passes straight through your digestive tract unabsorbed, taking all those valuable vitamins and proteins with it.
How NOW Foods Solves This Challenge
NOW Foods utilizes specialized mechanical milling to gently shatter the outer cellulose casing without exposing the alga to damaging high heat or harsh chemical solvents. This process breaks the tough wall while keeping the delicate interior phytonutrients intact, raising your body's digestive absorption rate from under 15% to over 80%–90%.
Breaking the cell wall serves an additional vital purpose: it exposes the interior fibrous structures. These fibers act like natural micro-sponges in your digestive tract, ready to bind with unwanted dietary compounds and support natural waste elimination.
Evidence-Based Health Benefits Backed by Clinical Research
While many supplement brands make bold, unverified claims, chlorella is one of the most thoroughly investigated whole-food botanicals in human clinical trials. Here is what modern research reveals:
1. Natural Toxin Binding and Everyday Detoxification
In everyday life, our bodies encounter environmental pollutants, heavy metals (such as lead and cadmium), and industrial compounds through air, water, and food. Chlorella's unique fibrous structure has an affinity for heavy metal ions and environmental toxins in the digestive tract. It binds to these compounds before they can cross the intestinal wall into circulation, escorting them safely out through bowel movements.
Clinical Citations: A controlled animal investigation by Shim et al. (2009) published in Nutrition Research and Practice established that dietary chlorella significantly reduced blood and tissue accumulation of cadmium while accelerating fecal excretion. Additionally, human research led by Nakano et al. (2007) in the Journal of Medicinal Food demonstrated that maternal chlorella supplementation reduced breast milk levels of persistent environmental dioxins by roughly 30%.
2. Innate Immune Defense and Natural Killer (NK) Cell Support
Your immune system relies on frontline defense cells called Natural Killer (NK) cells to identify and clear compromised cells. Chlorella works as a biological response modifier, helping to keep your body's internal defenses alert and active.
Clinical Citation: In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trial conducted by Kwak et al. (2012) published in Nutrition Journal, healthy individuals taking 5 grams of chlorella daily for 8 weeks demonstrated significant increases in Natural Killer cell cytotoxic activity alongside elevated protective immune cytokines (Interferon-gamma and Interleukin-1beta) compared to the placebo group.
3. Cardiovascular Health, Cholesterol, and Blood Pressure Balance
Chlorella delivers dietary fiber, plant sterols, and carotenoids that work together in the intestine to help balance lipid levels and support cardiovascular elasticity.
Clinical Citation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials by Fallah et al. (2018) published in Clinical Nutrition concluded that regular chlorella supplementation yielded statistically significant improvements in total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose levels in human adults.
4. Sustained Energy and Cellular Vitality
Unlike caffeine or chemical stimulants that artificially spike your nervous system, chlorella delivers steady, clean metabolic fuel. By providing bioavailable iron, B vitamins, and Chlorella Growth Factor, it supports cellular mitochondria—the microscopic energy engines inside your muscles and organs.
Clinical Citation: Clinical observations compiled by Merchant et al. (2001) in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine confirmed that consistent daily chlorella supplementation supported energy, reduced subjective fatigue, and helped normalize vital functions in individuals dealing with physical exhaustion.
Quality Standards: How We Ensure Purity and Safety
Because algae naturally absorbs mineral ions from surrounding water, the purity of the growing environment is everything. Inexpensive, low-grade algae cultivated in unmonitored open waterways can absorb heavy metals from industrial runoff before it ever reaches the bottle.
NOW Foods Quality Verification Process:
✓ USDA Certified Organic: Independently certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI), ensuring no chemical fertilizers, artificial pesticides, or sewage sludge are ever used.
✓ ICP-MS Heavy Metal Testing: Every single production batch is screened using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) down to parts-per-billion for lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic.
✓ Microbial and Algal Toxin Screening: Strictly evaluated for microcystins, bacteria, and molds to ensure 100% pure freshwater chlorella.
✓ NPA 'A'-Rated GMP Facility: Packaged in the United States in facilities maintaining current Good Manufacturing Practices audited by the Natural Products Association.
Serving supplement customers online since 1995, VitaNet® partners exclusively with premier manufacturers like NOW Foods that verify every raw material through rigorous third-party testing.
Complete Supplement Facts and Ingredient Profile
NOW Foods Certified Organic Chlorella 500 mg tablets contain pure compressed microalgae. No stearates, chemical binders, or excipients are used in formulating these tablets.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
† Daily Value not established.
Other Ingredients: None.
Allergen Information: Not manufactured with yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut, or sesame ingredients. Produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens.
How to Take Organic Chlorella 500mg: Dosage and Helpful Tips
Because chlorella is a potent concentrated food, giving your digestive tract a gentle adjustment period is the best way to enjoy its benefits comfortably.
Recommended Daily Serving
Take 6 tablets daily with water, preferably alongside a meal. Because each tablet contains 500 mg, 6 tablets provide the full research-backed 3,000 mg (3 grams) daily intake. You can take all 6 at once or split them into 3 tablets with breakfast and 3 with lunch.
The Beginner "Slow-Start" Protocol
If you are brand new to green superfoods, start slow: take 2 tablets daily for Days 1–3, increase to 4 tablets daily for Days 4–6, and transition to the full 6 tablets daily by Day 7. This ensures seamless digestive adaptation.
Safety, Medication Interactions, and Cautions
Vitamin K & Blood Thinners: Like all leafy dark greens, chlorella naturally contains Vitamin K. If you are currently prescribed warfarin (Coumadin) or other anticoagulants, consult your physician before starting chlorella, as Vitamin K assists natural blood clotting.
General Guidance: May cause mild gastrointestinal discomfort in sensitive individuals during initial days of use. Consult your physician if pregnant, nursing, taking prescription immunosuppressive drugs, or managing an autoimmune condition.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the main difference between broken cell wall chlorella and regular chlorella?
Raw chlorella has an indestructible outer cellulose shell that the human digestive tract cannot break down. Regular (unbroken) chlorella passes right through you with an estimated nutrient absorption rate under 15%. Broken cell wall chlorella has undergone gentle mechanical milling to crack that outer shell, unlocking over 80% to 90% nutrient bioavailability so your body can absorb its vitamins, proteins, and chlorophyll.
Why choose 500 mg tablets over 1,000 mg tablets or bulk powder?
The 500 mg tablet size provides maximum dosage flexibility. Beginners can easily start with 1 or 2 small tablets per day to let their digestion adjust, and advanced users can fine-tune their intake throughout the day. Furthermore, tablets avoid the pungent "pond-like" grassy taste and messy green mixing associated with loose algae powders.
How long does it take to feel results from taking organic chlorella?
Most individuals experience enhanced digestive regularity and gentle cleansing within the first 3 to 7 days. Sustained benefits—such as steady daily energy, immune defense, and healthy lipid balance—typically become evident after 4 to 8 weeks of consistent daily supplementation, as verified in peer-reviewed clinical studies.
Why does my stool turn dark green after taking chlorella?
A dark green tint in your stool is completely normal and harmless. It is direct visual confirmation of chlorella's rich, concentrated chlorophyll content passing through your gastrointestinal tract. If you reduce your dose, the color will naturally return to normal.
What is the difference between Chlorella and Spirulina?
While both are green microalgae superfoods, they excel in different areas. Chlorella is a true green microalga with substantially higher chlorophyll levels, a tough fibrous wall that requires mechanical breaking, and specialized heavy-metal binding capabilities. Spirulina is a blue-green cyanobacterium with a soft cellular wall that is slightly higher in plant protein and phycocyanin. Many health enthusiasts take both together for complementary nutritional benefits.
Does chlorella pull minerals or metals from dental amalgams or bones?
No. Chlorella acts locally within the digestive tract. It does not actively pull minerals out of existing dental work or bone tissue. Instead, its broken cell wall fibers bind to dissolved metals and food-borne toxins present inside the stomach and intestines, escorting them out before they can be absorbed into your bloodstream.
