Chlorella is a green single-celled alga grown commercially and sold worldwide as a dietary supplement. It is taken as a source of nutrients and for heart and metabolic health, such as cholesterol and blood pressure.
Also known as: Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, green algae.
In a 2018 meta-analysis, effects on cholesterol and blood pressure were seen in trials using more than 4 g a day for 8 weeks or longer (Fallah 2018). These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. A review by authors from Tottori University and Sun Chlorella Corporation, a maker, says chlorella products contain nutrients including vitamins D and B12, folate and iron, but that little is known about which compounds in it are active (Bito 2020).
What studies show: a 2018 meta-analysis of 19 trials (797 people) found lower total cholesterol (about 9 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (about 8 mg/dL), systolic blood pressure (about 4.5 mmHg) and fasting blood sugar, with no change in triglycerides, HDL or BMI (Fallah 2018). A 2026 GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of 33 studies found small reductions in weight (about 1.5 kg), body fat, LDL and total cholesterol and insulin resistance, and said longer studies are needed (Jafari 2026).
The sources here do not describe side effects or drug interactions in detail.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for chlorella that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Plant and mushroom products are mixtures of many compounds, so no single figure would describe them.
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator