spirulina in powdered form

[lanabrooke]

I was wondering if anyone knew where to get spirulina in powdered form? I have found a couple websites that sell it (iherb.com & watershed.com) but I didn't know if they were a good quality or not. Any info you have would be appreciated! Thanks! 

[StephTallent]

If you have access to any health food Stores they probably carry it.  My favorite local health food market has it in their their bulk tea  and herb section. You can buy it in whatever quantity you wish.  They would be able to provide you with detailed information on where they got it as well.  My local health store also offers to order anything that they do not carry for me in bulk if I wish.  Don't know if that would be cheaper than ordering off a website or not, but something to check out.   

Just a curiosity question but have you ever tasted Spirulina??? I did the other day and it was naaaaaaasty!!  Ick!  Not sure I could ever handle taking the powder mixed in a drink or by itself.  But, I'm a total wimp.     My hubby gulped it down like the stoic man that he is only allowing himself a shudder after it was all down.  But, never again he says.   

[lanabrooke]

Thank you! We do have a couple of health food stores around here, so I'll be sure and check there. Also, I recently found a way to eat "barleygreen", spirulina, and/or fresh greens in a more appetizing manner- "green smoothies"! (Although I must say, the fresh greens version was not very appetizing, but with barleygreen it was pretty good ) A basic recipe is as follows:  1-2 bananas, 1 cup rice milk or milk, 1/2 cup berries or other fruit, 2 T. barley green / spirulina or  a handful of greens,and a handful of ice. Blend until smooth.  I personally prefer less "green" than called for! But it's energizing either way!

[Simply Kristen]

I was wondering if anyone knew where to get spirulina in powdered form? I have found a couple websites that sell it (iherb.com & watershed.com) but I didn't know if they were a good quality or not. Any info you have would be appreciated! Thanks! 

I know this is old... but I bought some from www.bulkherbstore.com

[healthyfamily]

I buy my Spirulina powder from www.herbalcom.com website.  Also I just put 1 Tablespoon  of Spirulina powder and a some green tea in my bread (2 loaf recipe).  Made green bread, but I love it.  I wasn't sure if the spirulina was still going to work, but I assume that since I still peed bright green (an effect of spirulina for me) it must still be working.    My husband didn't enjoy the powder and water taste either since all the powder stuck to his teeth, but he too loved the bread.  I will definitely make more bread this way.  There is no bad taste at all.     Does anyone think I killed the herbs by baking it?  Would be glad to find out.  The website above ships all their herbs in bags but it really is the cheapest I could find. 

[Julia]

I'd like to know about putting it in bread. I'm not sure how my family would go for the green bread but it sounds like a good idea! I really don't know if it would destroy any of the properties. I hope not because I bought a pound of powdered spirulina and I promised myself I'd finish it before I bought any Supermoms. I've had it for about 6 months and the bag never seems to get any emptier. I just can't stand it!! My gag reflex just gets right to work when I smell that stuff. I even spilled the bag once and was secretly glad even though it's so expensive, and then I didn't spill enough to make a difference anyway. Does anyone else have other ideas on how to get it down?

[healthyfamily]

With the Spirulina in the bread, you can hardly even tell its in there.  I would highly recommend trying this.  I made four more loaves just like the last and its still good.  The green bread is also a nice change from the mundane normal bread color.  The dough actually looks greener than the finished product.  The finished product is just slightly  green while the dough is deeper holiday type green.  I just mix in the Spirulina in the wet ingredients until there are no clumps before adding any flour.  Need a bread recipe?  I haven't actually tried the Spirulina in any other form except the Supermom pills, but that hardly counts.  My husband chews the supermom pills to make sure he gets all the "stuff" in it, he'll drink the powder in water too but he is hard core.  He is my man!

[Myjoy]

I buy Spirulina in powdered form and make my own capsules. That way I make sure I'm getting pure Spirulina. I can't take it straight. As someone mentioned, the gag reflex is really strong! But, my mom, who can take anything if it's "good for you" puts Spirulina in everything. I sent her some Spirulina and my dad said, "Thanks for making our lives green!" This is where I get my powder from More Than Alive

[mommie]

If you take spirulina...i just bought the powder from MoreThanAlive...do you have to take a minimum amount to make it "work"? I was hoping to just start uot w/ 1/4 tsp cause I'm nursing and preggo...I took SM before I got pregnant and now can hardly stand to take one a day forget 2! but I try along w/ my other prenatals which is much better for pregnancy (more iron and calcium) but I didn't want to lose the spirulina in the SMs since I detoxed originally when starting the SMs so I didn't want to have to detox all over again after having the baby if I returned to the SM. So I've been getting a small amount of it through SM right now. So 1-is there a minimal amount to make it even "work" and 2-is it ok while preggo & nursing...if I continue at a slow pace. Thanks ladies.

[Julia]

I don't think there is a minimum amount because it is a food. I don't think Supermoms actually have that much spirulina, just enough to make the vitamins more bioavailable. If you look at www.spirulina.com, it gives the nutritional info for spirulina and maybe that can help you decide how much you want to take based on how much protein and other stuff you want. I think the hard part about taking it is getting it down! When I was taking it in powdered form (fell off the wagon since) I was trying to do 2 tsp a day and I could barely gag down 1 tsp in a quart jar of water. It never seemed to affect me positively or negatively in the short term.

[JoyElizabeth]

I just read that some people mix it with orange juice and it's supposed to taste like kiwi. Has anyone tried this? I've tried mixing it in a tablespoon of oatmeal...which I can literally choke down. I've tried mixing it with a little water to make a paste...which I can choke down. Neither are options. The "green smoothies" that I've tried are just another form of torture to me. I would rather get it down in a gulp or two instead of a big glass. And since I cannot afford to purchase this in tablet/capsule form, I am determined to find a way to get this down without the dread. Anybody have anymore input?

Thanks,
Joy

[Mrs. B]

I just read that some people mix it with orange juice and it's supposed to taste like kiwi. Has anyone tried this? I've tried mixing it in a tablespoon of oatmeal...which I can literally choke down. I've tried mixing it with a little water to make a paste...which I can choke down. Neither are options. The "green smoothies" that I've tried are just another form of torture to me. I would rather get it down in a gulp or two instead of a big glass. And since I cannot afford to purchase this in tablet/capsule form, I am determined to find a way to get this down without the dread. Anybody have anymore input?

Thanks,
Joy

IMO you know that you are "hard core" nutrition when you can chug spirulina.  I have mixed it with natural cranberry juice and it was drinkable without gagging me, but I currently choose capsules or a multivitamin with it included.  I use Rainbow light brand complete nutritional system. 
The cranberry is so sharp that it tends to take the edge off of the spirulina.  This may be gross, and I haven't tried it but could you make a green yogurt smoothie with stevia added in??  I might have have to try this one just out of curiosity.

[skelliott2]

Yup, spirulina tastes absolutely disgusting.  We ordered it in bulk from mountain rose herbs along with capsules and a capsule machine.  It's MUCH cheaper to make your own capsules, and spirulina is so much easier to take that way!

[JoyElizabeth]

Yup, spirulina tastes absolutely disgusting.  We ordered it in bulk from mountain rose herbs along with capsules and a capsule machine.  It's MUCH cheaper to make your own capsules, and spirulina is so much easier to take that way!

I've thought about it because of the horrific taste but how much time does it take? I can swallow giant pills so what is the biggest capsule on the market? How long do they keep? Do you store them in the fridge?

[skelliott2]

It's pretty fast to make the capsules if you have the tool.  You pull apart 25 capsules, put them in the little holes, add spirulina, scrape, put the parts together, and you have 24 capsules!!!  I don't know if you can refrigerate them, but you could refrigerate your spirulina, and just make 24 at a time. 

They have 2 sizes of capsules, I forget which one is bigger, but it says on the site.  The big capsules are about the size of the big ones you buy, if that makes any sense.  They're pretty big; I wouldn't want to swallow any bigger than that.  You then buy the capsule machine that works with that size. 

It's not as fast as they say on the box-- something like 2 minutes-- but it doesn't take that long.  Maybe 5 minutes for 24 capsules.  The kids like doing it, so that helps it go faster as well. 

[JoyElizabeth]

"IMO you know that you are "hard core" nutrition when you can chug spirulina.  I have mixed it with natural cranberry juice and it was drinkable without gagging me, but I currently choose capsules or a multivitamin with it included.  I use Rainbow light brand complete nutritional system. 
The cranberry is so sharp that it tends to take the edge off of the spirulina.  This may be gross, and I haven't tried it but could you make a green yogurt smoothie with stevia added in??  I might have have to try this one just out of curiosity."

I wish I were "hard core" nutrition, but alas, I am not. I need energy and I want to be healthy. It seems that spirulina is one of those superfoods that would start me on the road. I have taken it in the past in tablet form with no noticeable results. I have read that our bodies may not be able to utilize the tablet (not capsule) as well because of the binders/fillers used in them and I wasn't taking very many a day. With seemingly no results and the thought that I should be taking a larger dose, I just couldn't justify the cost. But I keep reading about how great it is, so I'm going to try it again in powder and take larger amounts.

I haven't tried cranberry juice...how much juice to spirulina ratio?

I haven't found anything that the spirulina mixes well with except the smoothie in the blender which I don't normally drink. I would prefer not to have to get my blender out everyday just to choke it down.

I am not a yogurt fan but don't mind it. I wonder if the spirulina would mix better with the texture of the yogurt than other liquids. I may try this after my next grocery trip.

Thanks for the tips!

[mommie]

yeah, I bought mine from the MoreThanAlive.Com and the price is pretty good compared to other places I have looked (powder form) and the shipping is free after $25 so totally doable. I got  it too hoping to put it in smoothies and  be healthy and  all but it is SOOOOO gross and you need to do like 1-2 tsp a day I think to really benefit you. I cap mine now, but the problem I have with that is that you have to take like 6 a day to get 1 tsp and  it makes a mess. Its definately worth it  to do it that way though. I would set aside like 30 mins every other week depending on how much you want  to take to cap the stuff. Than I just put it in old vitamin bottles and keep mine in the fridge. I've never really noticed spirulina helpling me and I've been doing it  for my iron levels and my iron levels have been horrible until  I started floradix...so  I don't know I know other people that the small amount in the super mom vitamins makes a difference for...but for me I don't notice much. I know this is kinda not on  topic but i would try coconut oil in your smoothies or bee pollen if you are looking for a healthy energy boost. Especially if the spirulina hasn't helped in the past. I mean it might still be a good supplement for you even though it doens't seem to help me I continue on it  since I've heard so many good things, but maybe everyone's body just resonds differently. I know I've noticed energy help in the past with vco or bee pollen....that's my 2 cents...Definately worth it to cap it yourself though!!!!

[Julia]

"IMO you know that you are "hard core" nutrition when you can chug spirulina.  I have mixed it with natural cranberry juice and it was drinkable without gagging me, but I currently choose capsules or a multivitamin with it included.  I use Rainbow light brand complete nutritional system. 
The cranberry is so sharp that it tends to take the edge off of the spirulina.  This may be gross, and I haven't tried it but could you make a green yogurt smoothie with stevia added in??  I might have have to try this one just out of curiosity."

I wish I were "hard core" nutrition, but alas, I am not. I need energy and I want to be healthy. It seems that spirulina is one of those superfoods that would start me on the road. I have taken it in the past in tablet form with no noticeable results. I have read that our bodies may not be able to utilize the tablet (not capsule) as well because of the binders/fillers used in them and I wasn't taking very many a day. With seemingly no results and the thought that I should be taking a larger dose, I just couldn't justify the cost. But I keep reading about how great it is, so I'm going to try it again in powder and take larger amounts.

I haven't tried cranberry juice...how much juice to spirulina ratio?

I haven't found anything that the spirulina mixes well with except the smoothie in the blender which I don't normally drink. I would prefer not to have to get my blender out everyday just to choke it down.

I am not a yogurt fan but don't mind it. I wonder if the spirulina would mix better with the texture of the yogurt than other liquids. I may try this after my next grocery trip.

Thanks for the tips!

I'm checking some of my "show replies" folder and I have a bunch of really old ones. Did you ever find a way to take this? I was trying to take it all at once, like you said, for a while, but it was so hard because it was just so nasty. I was actually taking it mixed in a small amount of vinegar for a while, to mask the taste. It was still awful but I was desperate to get my  energy level up. I found that mixing it in large amounts of water was actually the best thing. Juice would probably mask the taste better but I don't want to drink that much juice. I mix it like 1 tsp spirulina to 1 quart water so you have to drink a lot of water to get your 2 tsp in. But you can't taste it too badly if you water it down that much. It's just the thought making you gag at that point. You could add lemon to the water and probably make the taste better, as well as adding cleansing properties with the lemon.

Note: don't try mixing it with peanut butter, like feeding a pill to a dog. Very,very bad idea.

[JoyElizabeth]

I'm checking some of my "show replies" folder and I have a bunch of really old ones. Did you ever find a way to take this? I was trying to take it all at once, like you said, for a while, but it was so hard because it was just so nasty. I was actually taking it mixed in a small amount of vinegar for a while, to mask the taste. It was still awful but I was desperate to get my  energy level up. I found that mixing it in large amounts of water was actually the best thing. Juice would probably mask the taste better but I don't want to drink that much juice. I mix it like 1 tsp spirulina to 1 quart water so you have to drink a lot of water to get your 2 tsp in. But you can't taste it too badly if you water it down that much. It's just the thought making you gag at that point. You could add lemon to the water and probably make the taste better, as well as adding cleansing properties with the lemon.

Note: don't try mixing it with peanut butter, like feeding a pill to a dog. Very,very bad idea.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at your peanut butter description! That's great info!

I have been taking it mixed with a little water. A really thick, slimy sludge. I skip some days because it seems too difficult to gag down but I'm trying to take it everyday. In fact it is getting a little easier to take. I'm curious though...what would give me the most energy? A little bit a few times a day or one big spoonful!

Also I've been been mixing a few days worth at a time and keeping it in the fridge. How long should it last?

[healthybratt]

Would mint chlorophyll help?  I remember taking this stuff.  Reminded me of pond water.  Hee hee, but I made the drink small and chugged it fast.  I never tried the chlorophyll but it might work.

[14is41]

I buy it on-line by the pound here http://www.nutrients-scientific.com/servlet/the-Spirulina/Categories
I like this company and the quality is really good.  I use it EVERY day...a coffee scoop into my oatmeal with bananas, almonds and dates..keeps it on the sweet side so you aren't so overpowered by the taste of the spirulina.)  Add after cooking.  Also, on work out days, I will make a power smoothie with fresh fruits, yogurt or cottage cheese, protein powder and also add at least a coffee scoop to my smoothie.  It always makes the smoothie deep green but the taste isn't bad.  I've made it for friends who were skeptical to drink just because I have told them it is spirulina...but they have loved it every time.  It's SOOOO GOOD FOR YOU!  I can tell when I don't have it in the morning....really!)