Chlorophyll is the green pigment, present in all green plants, that critically supports life by absorbing energy from the sun to allow plants to convert water and the principal green-house gas – carbon dioxide, into the oxygen we breathe, and into glucose to fuel the growth of the vegetation we eat. This natural process is known as photosynthesis.
Although now primarily used as a natural green colourant in the food industry, chlorophyll, with a molecular structure similar to haemoglobin in our red blood cells, has been used in wound-healing and oral hygiene, and has long been studied for its ‘superfood’ capability and its potential human health benefits, having detoxification, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer claims.