Key TakeawaysLiquid chlorophyll is a popular supplement on social media and is associated with many unsubstantiated health claims.According to the scientific literature, there is not enough evidence to recommend taking liquid chlorophyll.Eating green vegetables in your diet can help you include chlorophyll in your diet via real food.

Key Takeaways

Liquid chlorophyll is a popular supplement on social media and is associated with many unsubstantiated health claims.According to the scientific literature, there is not enough evidence to recommend taking liquid chlorophyll.Eating green vegetables in your diet can help you include chlorophyll in your diet via real food.

But is it really as healthy as it’s cut out to be?

What Is Liquid Chlorophyll?

While it may sound foreign and scientific, chlorophyll is found in many foods that you likely already eat.

“Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants (including those that we eat) their green color,”Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, registered dietitian, adjunct professor at New York University and author of Finally Full, Finally Slim, tells Verywell. She explains that “plants use chlorophyll to trap light needed for photosynthesis. Green veggies, like spinach, kale, and green beans, are rich natural sources of chlorophyll.”

Chlorophyll is also found in algae, wheatgrass, potatoes, green tea particles, and numerous herbs like alfalfa, damiana, nettle, and parsley.

What Are the Benefits and Side Effects of Chlorophyll?

The liquid chlorophyll featured on your social media is likely chlorophyllin instead of pure chlorophyll. As Young explains, chlorophyllin “is a semi-synthetic mixture of water-soluble sodium copper salts derived from chlorophyll.”

What Are the Benefits of Chlorophyll?

Social media influencers tout liquid chlorophyll as a cure-all for a slew of ailments, from healing cancer to beating bloat.

It May Be Protective Against Certain Cancers

Taking chlorophyllin daily may be beneficial if a person is trying to reduce their risk of certain cancer risks in very specific ways.

And in a study published in the journalCancer Prevention Research, researchers showed that in volunteers, taking 150 mg of chlorophyllin significantly decreased the absorption of aflatoxin B.

Chlorophyllin may also be a useful alternative treatment for bladder cancerand pancreatic cancer in certain cases.

It May Support Weight Loss

While there is no substitute for a healthy diet and physical activity, there is some limited evidence that suggests including liquid chlorophyll into a lifestyle every day may result in weight loss, specifically in overweight adult women.

In one small study (under 40 subjects), people who consumed green-plant membrane supplementation (like liquid chlorophyll) experienced more weight loss than those who did not take this supplement after 12 weeks of usage.

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However, more clinical trials need to be conducted before a definitive recommendation surrounding liquid chlorophyll and weight loss can be given.

Areas Where Evidence for Taking Chlorophyll Is Lacking

Although many claims surrounding chlorophyll exists, not all hold true in medical research. Researchers evaluated available data and graded the strength of the evidence surrounding claims, publishing the results in theJournal of Dietary Supplements.

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In this review, the researchers show that there is either unclear or conflicting scientific evidence surrounding chlorophyll intake and benefits surrounding:

Plus, the researchers report a lack of sufficient evidence that shows benefits of taking chlorophyll for the following conditions:

So many of the claims and health promises you see online need to be taken with a grain of salt.

What This Means For You

Should You Regularly Drink Liquid Chlorophyll?

Taking liquid chlorophyll isn’t very risky for your health if you are a generally healthy person. Yes, it can interact with certain medications and there have been reports that it may stain teeth, but sticking to a reasonable dose likely does not pose a health threat for most people.

But is taking this supplement a must-do for a healthy lifestyle?

“If you eat your green veggies, you’ll get plenty of chlorophyll,” Young explains. “However, most Americans don’t eat enough veggies.”

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Young also cautions that “the best dose and the potential side effects are unknown. [Liquid chlorophyll use] has also not been studied in pregnant and lactation women.”

Her advice? Don’t lean on chlorophyll intake via a liquid supplement as a first-choice. Instead, eat your greens from fresh or frozen veggies, which can offer you many health benefits.

Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, MS, RDN, a New York-based registered dietitian and author of The Better Period Food Solution, tells Verywell that “liquid chlorophyll is a great addition to your diet as a way to mop up valuable nutrients and antioxidants.” However, she cautions that it shouldn’t be a route people take for weight loss. “The science isn’t there yet to show its link to weight loss and warrants further research to explore this potential link,” she adds.

Supplements are not regulated in the same manner that food is in the United States. Therefore, taking any supplement comes with the risk of not getting what you paid for. Choosing brands that are independently verified can help overcome this challenge.

And with anything supplement-related, make sure you get the OK from your healthcare provider before taking liquid chlorophyll. Even though foods or supplements are natural, it doesn’t automatically mean that all are safe for you in every situation.

Will it hurt you to take this trendy supplement? Probably not. Is it the cure-all you may be hoping for? According to the available data, we need to learn a lot more before it can be recommended—despite what TikTok users want you to believe.

Frequently Asked QuestionsLiquid chlorophyll is a supplement that is claimed to offer health benefits. These claims are unproven. Chlorophyll is the pigment found in many plants and vegetables that gives them their green appearance.Learn MoreWhat Is Chlorophyll?There isn’t enough scientific evidence to confirm whether liquid chlorophyll is good for weight loss, or whether it offers any meaningful health benefits. On the other hand, eating vegetables (many of which contain chlorophyll) can contribute to weight loss when paired with proper exercise. Some vegetables filled with chlorophyll include kale, parsley, arugula, green beans, spinach, broccoli, and asparagus.Liquid chlorophyll should be safe to drink for most people, but it is believed to interact with some medications. Speak to your healthcare provider first if you want to try liquid chlorophyll.Liquid chlorophyll drops can be bought online. It is also available at many pharmacies, natural food stores, and vitamin shops.

Frequently Asked Questions

Liquid chlorophyll is a supplement that is claimed to offer health benefits. These claims are unproven. Chlorophyll is the pigment found in many plants and vegetables that gives them their green appearance.Learn MoreWhat Is Chlorophyll?

Liquid chlorophyll is a supplement that is claimed to offer health benefits. These claims are unproven. Chlorophyll is the pigment found in many plants and vegetables that gives them their green appearance.

Learn MoreWhat Is Chlorophyll?

There isn’t enough scientific evidence to confirm whether liquid chlorophyll is good for weight loss, or whether it offers any meaningful health benefits. On the other hand, eating vegetables (many of which contain chlorophyll) can contribute to weight loss when paired with proper exercise. Some vegetables filled with chlorophyll include kale, parsley, arugula, green beans, spinach, broccoli, and asparagus.

Liquid chlorophyll should be safe to drink for most people, but it is believed to interact with some medications. Speak to your healthcare provider first if you want to try liquid chlorophyll.

Liquid chlorophyll drops can be bought online. It is also available at many pharmacies, natural food stores, and vitamin shops.

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6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Rushing BR, Selim MI.Aflatoxin B1: A review on metabolism, toxicity, occurrence in food, occupational exposure, and detoxification methods.Food Chem Toxicol. 2019 Feb;124:81-100. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2018.11.047

Jubert C, Mata J, Bench G, Dashwood R, Pereira C, Tracewell W, Turteltaub K, Williams D, Bailey G.Effects of chlorophyll and chlorophyllin on low-dose aflatoxin B(1) pharmacokinetics in human volunteers.Cancer Prev Res(Phila). 2009 Dec;2(12):1015-22. doi:10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-09-0099

Li B, Wu Z, Li W, Jia G, Lu J, Fang J, Chen G.Chlorophyllin e4 is a novel photosensitizer against human bladder cancer cells.Oncol Rep. 2012 May;27(5):1455-60. doi:10.3892/or.2012.1656

Vaňková K, Marková I, Jašprová J, Dvořák A, Subhanová I, Zelenka J, Novosádová I, Rasl J, Vomastek T, Sobotka R, Muchová L, Vítek L.Chlorophyll-Mediated Changes in the Redox Status of Pancreatic Cancer Cells Are Associated with Its Anticancer Effects.Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018 Jul 2;2018:4069167. doi:10.1155/2018/4069167

Montelius C, Erlandsson D, Vitija E, Stenblom EL, Egecioglu E, Erlanson-Albertsson C.Body weight loss, reduced urge for palatable food and increased release of GLP-1 through daily supplementation with green-plant membranes for three months in overweight women.Appetite. 2014 Oct;81:295-304. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.06.101

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