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eCAM Advance Access published online on September 14, 2008
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nen058
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Review

Spirulina in Clinical Practice: Evidence-Based Human Applications

P. D. Karkos1, S. C. Leong1, C. D. Karkos2, N. Sivaji1 and D. A. Assimakopoulos3

1Department of Otolaryngology, Liverpool University Hospitals, Liverpool, UK, 2Department of Surgery, Hippocrateio Hospital, Thessaloniki and 3Department of Otolaryngology, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

Spirulina or Arthrospira is a blue-green alga that became famous after it was successfully used by NASA as a dietary supplement for astronauts on space missions. It has the ability to modulate immune functions and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting the release of histamine by mast cells. Multiple studies investigating the efficacy and the potential clinical applications of Spirulina in treating several diseases have been performed and a few randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews suggest that this alga may improve several symptoms and may even have an anticancer, antiviral and antiallergic effects. Current and potential clinical applications, issues of safety, indications, side-effects and levels of evidence are addressed in this review. Areas of ongoing and future research are also discussed.

Keywords: anticancer – antioxidant – antiviral – Arthrospira – blue-green algae – Spirulina

For reprints and all correspondence: Peter D. Karkos, Specialist Registrar in Otolaryngology, 36 Hopkinsons Court, Walls Avenue, Chester CH1 4LN, UK. E-mail: pkarkos{at}aol.com

Received March 11, 2008; accepted August 20, 2008


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