Chlorella & Cilantro Heavy Metal Detox Protocols

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Cat

Chlorella

By Cat, Feb 2019; updated Mar and June 2020 (moved from Detox from Toxic Heavy Metals); image, right, from Wikimedia Commons

I continue to try new protocols for my mercury toxicity, but so far, this protocol is my favorite. How did I get mercury toxicity? I grew up in the 1950s, and was exposed to mercury from:

  • silver amalgam tooth fillings;
  • using mercurochrome to heal cuts when I was a child;
  • playing with mercury “marbles,” and
  • certain lab experiments in graduate school that involved inhaling mercury.

Detox (detoxification) is “the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver.” (11)

Some heavy metals are good for you (up to a point), such as copper, iron, selenium, zinc, and more. For these, it is best to take them in chelated form, such as bound to a protein, peptide or amino acid (for example, selenomethionine). Taking them in their ionized (salt) form, can be harmful (for example: sodium selenate, zinc chloride, zinc phosphate).

Others are quite toxic (no matter how you are exposed to them), such as aluminum, lead and mercury. These tend to hide and accumulate in specific tissues such as bones and brain, and are thus not detoxed efficiently without help.

Beware: if you take fish oil, it may contain mercury. Fish oil contains important omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for mercury detox, so try to find a fish oil that has no mercury. See “Fish oil” bullet in “Additional Supportive Foods, Supplements” section, below.

Chlorella & Cilantro with Vitamin C for heavy metal detox

This is the first ‘natural’ protocol I tried for mercury toxicity, when I developed a food sensitivity to DMSA. It is basically a two-step protocol (Chlorella and Cilantro), but additional recommendations have since been added, especially vitamin C. IMPORTANT NOTE: take Chlorella first, followed by Cilantro; then Vitamin C several hours later. See Sample Chelation Schedule, below.

  1. Step 1: Cilantro tincture mobilizes mercury out of the cells and into the bloodstream;
  2. Step 2: Chlorella powder or tablets* binds mercury in the blood so it can be excreted with the stool. It binds only toxic metals, not essential ones (8H). Take Chlorella 30 min before eating your meals. (41)
  3. Step 3: Vitamin C** (optional but highly recommended) boosts levels of glutathione, a powerful detox agent in the liver.  

‘* CAUTION: Do NOT take cilantro without also taking chlorella (different times on each day) during detox. From Natural Science (17): 

    •  “Cilantro… mobilizes more toxins than it can carry out of the body, it may flood the connective tissue (where the nerves reside) with metals, that were previously stored in safer hiding places. This can cause re-toxification if another binding agent isn’t used to help rid the body of the heavy metals that are ‘found’ in their hiding places throughout the body.”
    • “Simply by adding chlorella – an intestinal absorbing agent – the retoxificaiton of the system is prohibited [this is a good thing].

‘** CAUTION: take large doses of Vitamin C as far away from Chlorella as possible (best after meals, and more than 3 hours before/after a chlorella protocol dose).

    • Why? “It tends to loosen the binding of the mercury and other heavy metals the chlorella is holding! This means that these toxins will go right back into your tissues rather than being eliminated. The toxins may go into vulnerable tissues such as liver, brain or kidneys.” (27, 41).
    • My problem: My whole food multi provides 125 mg Vitamin C at each meal, and I also take liposomal vitamin C after lunch when I don’t take chlorella, and after dinner.
    • My solution: Beginning Aug 31, 2020 I will:
      • No longer add chlorella powder to my smoothie, so I can continue to take my multi;
      • Add liquid vitamin C (125 mg/day) to my smoothie.
      • Continue to take my after-lunch dose of liposomal Vitamin C (500 mg); but
      • Move my after-dinner dose of liposomal Vitamin C to 3 AM, when I get up to take my thyroid med.

‘*** CAUTION: as with prescription chelators, the cilantro/chlorella combo should not be done every day. 1 week on and 2 – 3 weeks off is recommended. See Curezone: Cilantro/Chlorella/Vitamin-C Chelate Mercury (11) for more.

Cat’s dilemma: I can’t go a whole week without MgCl2 supplementation (during chelation) so I’ve modified this to using chelator 2 days on, 12 days off (which means my minerals are 2 days off, 12 days on at my usual dose of 3 droppers-full 80% MgCl2 solution, 3x daily; or 2 droppers-full 4x).

Dosage and Scheduling

The following is from Curezone: “Cilantro/Chlorella/Vitamin C Chelate Mercury” (27), also from The Klinghardt Neurotoxin Elimination Protocol (6, 40), or as otherwise noted, with my notes added. See also Cat’s Sample Chelation Schedule & Dosage on Detox Days, below.

Chlorella (Binder)

Take chlorella first (before cilantro), so it is available in the blood as soon as cilantro teases the heavy metals out of hiding. See Healing Daily (24) for more about using chlorella to detox mercury. Remember, take Chlorella 30 min before eating your meals (14, 21); either chew the tablet or swallow it, or powdered chlorella, with a glass of water or juice (41).

  • How, and how much to take:
    • For general use: best taken with meals in small doses throughout the day, totaling 3 – 5 grams (1 tsp powder = 3 g).
    • For chelation therapy, use 3 grams (1 tsp) of chlorella powder or 4.5 grams in tablet form per day; this can be in divided doses taken 30 minutes before the cilantro. 
    • Avoid taking before or after a caffeinated or soft drink beverage.
    • What I take for chelation: Beginning Aug 31, 2020, I add 1.5 g (½ tsp) powdered chlorella to a glass of water before breakfast (or 1.5 grams chlorella in pill form), and then repeat when I take my afternoon supplements, and again before dinner.
  • Cat’s Aug 2020 note: I’ve been adding chlorella powder to my daily smoothie without realizing  I should not take it with a meal but rather 30-min before before a meal (27, 41), so I’ve updated my schedule accordingly.
  • NOTE: Chlorella has evolved to bind ONLY toxic minerals, not ones that are essential, such as magnesium, calcium, etc, so you don’t need to avoid essential minerals during the detox. See Mercola (8H) for more.

Cilantro (Mobilizer)

A mobilizer teases the toxin from the tissues where it hides (mercury primarily hides in the brain). DO NOT take cilantro tincture without chlorella on the same day (but not at the same time). If taken alone, the mobilized heavy metals can cause significant harm.

National Integrated Health Association (NIHA) (39) recommends taking “chlorella 30-60 minutes before meals, and/or at night before bed, followed by cilantro.” However, you should wait 40-60 minutes after taking chlorella, to take the cilantro.

Dosage and application of cilantro tincture:

  • Start with 2 drops, 1 – 2 times per day in the beginning, taken just before a meal or 30 minutes after taking chlorella (Dr. Kinghardt, (27));
  • Take 2-consecutive days each detox week in the beginning; then slowly increase to 10 drops 2 times/day for full benefit; at same time, increase detox days by 1 – 2 days per detox week until you detox all 6 days of the detox week.
  • Slowly increase dosage (by 2 drops per cycle) to 10 drops, 2 times per day, or 3-times per day for full benefit (27); I suggest adding the 3rd dosage/day when you increase to 8-drops per day. 
  • At same time, increase detox days by 1 – 2 days per detox week until you detox all 6 or 7 days of the detox week.
  • Detox days:
    • Dr Klinghardt’s method (27): Start with 1 week [or less] detox and 2 – 3 weeks [14 – 21 days] non-detox.
    • Cat’s method: Start with 1 – 2 days detox and 12 – 21 days non-detox;
    • Slowly work up to 6 – 7 days detox followed by 14-21 days (or more) non-detox. I increase by 1 detox day with each detox cycle.

When to take (41); Cat’s Aug 2020 update

  • 1 – 2 days before starting a cycle: I take chlorella tablets or powder before a meal (to ensure it is in the gut to bind any mobilized mercury).
  • Each detox day of cycle (Aug 2020 update):
    • Take chlorella first (as tablets or powder dissolved in water).  “Do NOT take chlorella with a meal [or smoothie].” (41)
    • Then cilantro 30 minutes after the chlorella. It is recommended NOT to take chlorella with a meal or smoothie (41).
    • Followed by a meal (or protein smoothie).

Other ways to take cilantro [but not without taking chlorella first] (27):

    • Rub 5 drops twice/day into ankles for mobilization of metals in all organs, joints and structures below the diaphragm, and into the wrists for organs, joints and structures above the diaphragm. The wrists have dense autonomic innervation (axonal uptake of cilantro) and are crossed by the main lymphatic channels (lymphatic uptake).
    • Cilantro tea: use 10 to 20 drops in cup of hot water. Sip slowly. Clears the brain quickly of many neurotoxins. Good for headaches and other acute symptoms (joint pains, angina, headache). Or, rub 10–15 drops into painful area. Often achieves almost instant pain relief.

Vitamin-C (Helps with Detox)

Although Vitamin-C is best taken after a meal, it  should not be taken “within 3 hours of a Chlorella protocol dose.”(41) It “tends to loosen the binding of the mercury and other heavy metals the chlorella is holding! This means that these toxins will go right back into your tissues rather than being eliminated.”(41) That is, take vitamin-C as far away from chlorella as possible. 500 mg per day or more can be taken. There are two forms: ascorbic acid and ascorbate (mineralized). During the chelating days, ascorbic acid form (such as liposomal Vitamin C) is best; if you do remineralization-days, the mineralized form, such as magnesium ascorbate, is best.

 I normally take:

  • 500 mg ascorbate form of vitamin C 3-times per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) in my whole-food multi;
  • 500 mg ascorbate form of vitamin C at lunch (in Alphasorb-C)
  • 165 mg liquid vitamin C  (1 tsp/day) per day added to my smoothie.
  • 500 mg Liposomal vitamin C (ascorbic acid form) after lunch; however, with arrival of COVID I added a second dose after dinner

This totals about 665 mg vitamin C at breakfast, and 1165 mg at dinner (if I take a dinner dose of Liposomal-C). Both are about 30 minutes after my chlorella doses, and thus could be problematic (should be 3 hours after chlorella). So on detox days, see how I take Vitamin C on detox days, below.

How I take Vitamin C on detox days:

Prior to starting this detox protocol, on all days, I took whole-food multi that contains ascorbate (500 mg/meal), added 165 mg liquid Vitamin C (ascorbate) supplement to my daily smoothie, took 1 gelcap liposomal vitamin C (500 mg ascorbic acid per capsule) after lunch and dinner, and 1 cap of Alphasorb-C with lunch (500 mg vitamin C). But on detox days, I need to take Vitamin-C at least 3 hours after any chlorella dose; this requires a change to my program on detox days. The following is my plan:

    • Liquid-C: On detox days, only add half dose (1 tsp or 83.5 mg); on non-detox days add full dose.
    •  Alphasorb-C: On detox days don’t take it at all; on non-detox days, take it as usual. However, it contains stearic acid which I’m trying to avoid, so will stop taking this supplement once I’ve used up all I have on hand.
    • Multi vitamin-mineral: On detox days: will take it 3 hours after morning dose of chlorella (about 11 AM); at end of lunch (about 2:00 PM); defer dinner dose to just before bed, with bed-time supplements (about 11 PM). On non-detox days, will take with each meal.
    • Liposomal-C:  On detox days, take at end of lunch (about 2:00 PM) and around 3 AM when I get up to take my thyroid dose. On non-detox days, will take with lunch and dinner. NOTE: When COVID slows down, I will only take Liposomal-C once a day, at 3 AM on detox days, and at 7:30 PM at end of dinner.
      • NOTE: I use Mercola’s brand of Liposomal Vitamin C, that contains 500 mg vitamin C (ascorbate form) per softgel. The vitamin C is not in liposomal form in the supplement, but is converted to liposomal form in the gut, with the help of MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) and sunflower lecithin included in the softgel.

Optional Additions:

  1. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid); Highly recommended addition; it is best to take as liquid-liposomal or liposomal gel-caps. Take several hours later (after chlorella) to boost levels of glutathione, a powerful detox agent in the liver. 
  2. Butyrate (4-carbon fatty acid from butter); supplementally combined with mineral salts. Butyric acid is anti-inflammatory and protects the colon from free-radicals, helping to prevent colon cancer. If you have a healthy gut microbiome, the good bugs in your gut will make enough butyrate (from carbs) for good health. But if you have heavy metal or other toxicity issues, your gut balance is off and you can benefit from supplemental butyrate. It helps clean the liver, the gall bladder, and biliary tree in the liver. It also helps clean the bowel, helps control ammonia, and removes unwanted “renegade fats”. See Paleo Leap (16) and Center for Wellness (17) for more. Here are some butyrate supplements to try:
    • Buytcaps (Amazon ASIN: B077BLKJCX), contains 900 mg tributyrin (or 787 mg butyric acid) per sachet. Cat’s 2022 note: This is the version I take.
    • Butyrex (Amazon ASIN B003JOJ04G), contains 600 mg butyric acid per capsule, with magnesium taurate salt. Recommended dose: 1-2 caps, 3x daily (1800 – 3600 mg/day). I used to use this but stopped because it has to be kept frozen to minimize the very strong flavor.
    • Butyr-En (iHerb code ALG-70220), contains 100 mg butyric acid per capsule per capsule as a calcium-magnesium salt).  Recommended dose: 1-2 caps, 3x daily (300 – 600 mg/day). Not sure why this is so much less than Butyrex dose.
  3. Garlic and/or wild garlic are also recommended with this protocol, to protect white and red blood cells from oxidative damage (by toxic heavy metals). It’s most important component is allicin, which also has antimicrobial ability against secondary infections common with metal toxicity. NOTE: Initially the patient may experience die-off reactions (from killing pathogenic fungal or bacterial organisms).
    • About allicin: Raw garlic contains allliin, which is converted by an enzyme called alliinase into “allicin” when the clove is chopped or crushed (20). Allicin is one of the main active components of garlic and what gives it its distinct taste and scent. 
    • Forms of garlic and recommended dosage:  
      1. It is best to use freshly crushed garlic, as it contains the highest content of allicin. However, its half-life is less than 14 days, so best to use freshly-crushed garlic each day. Based on dosage for freeze-dried garlic: take 600-1800 mg crushed garlic after each meal…(start with 600 mg and slowly increase to the higher dosage)
      2. Freeze-dried garlic, but the freeze-dry process lowers the content of allicin. Curezone (12) recommends 1–3 capsules freeze-dried garlic after each meal (start with 1 capsule after the main meal per day; slowly increase to the higher dosage). However, freeze-drying the garlic reduces the amount of allicin. Each capsule provides different amounts of freeze-dried garlic depending on brand: Bio-Immersion brand (21) provides 700 mg garlic; Electric Herb brand (iHerb code ECL-30044) provides 550 mg garlic per capsule. 
      3. Bear garlic tincture, which is excellent for use in detox, but less effective as antimicrobial agent. Use 5–10 drops bear-garlic on food at least 3 times per day.(12)
  2. Fish or cod liver oil is also recommended with this protocol; this contains EPA and DHA oils that protect the brain from viral infections; make with white and red blood cell more flexible, improving micro-circulation of the brain, heart and other tissues. I use Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil, available as liquid oil or in capsules; each capsule provides 500 mg of the oil.  Dosage: 1 capsule Omega 3 or fish oil taken 4 times/day during the active phase of treatment, 1 cap. twice/day for maintenance. Best if taken together with chlorella. (12)
  3. Natural ocean salt (such as Celtic sea salt or Real Salt; see my article: Salt (About) for more).  Used instead of table salt, it will help with hydration, and with proper reception of electric messages in the body’s autonomic nervous system. Even better is a specific electrolyte formula developed by the American chemist Ketkovsky and improved by Morin Labs, now called “selectrolyte.” Dosage: 1 tsp in a cup of good water 1–3 times/day. During times of greater stress the dosage can be temporarily increased to 1 tbsp 3 times/day. (12) See also Zeta-Aid (13)

Cat’s Sample Chelation Schedule & Dosage on Detox Days

See also my 1-page pdf summary: MercuryDetox-chlorella-cilantro-1c.pdf.

I start with 2-week cycles: 2 – 4 days of detox and 8 – 12 days of non-detox. On my third detox cycle, I increase to 3-week cycles:  6 days detox and 15 days non-detox, which I repeat indefinitely until I no longer have toxic levels of heavy metals.

  • A detox week includes taking both chlorella and cilantro, as well as other supportive foods (see list below);
  • A non-detox week is regular non-detox schedule; it does not include cilantro, but including chlorella is highly recommended for its other health benefits.

Detox cycle: Summary and Details

Quick summary of Cat’s detox schedule:

See also my 1-page pdf summary: MercuryDetox-ChlorellaCilantro-Weeks.pdf (link not yet uploaded to this article, as it needs an update with my Aug ’20 learnings).

  • Chlorella & Cilantro:
    • First dose is in the morning, 30 min before my breakfast smoothie.
      • Take chlorella first (as tablets or powder dissolved in water), preferably at least 30 minutes before a meal [breakfast and nid-afternoon], to ensure it is in the gut to bind any mobilized mercury.  “Do NOT take chlorella with a meal [or smoothie].” (41) 
      • Then cilantro 30 minutes after the chlorella (27, 41).
      • Follow that with a meal [or smoothie]. (41)
    • Second dose is mid-afternoon (when I take other supplements that need to be taken away from food).  I take chlorella first; then 30 minutes later, a dose of cilantro.
    • Third dose of chlorella (no cilantro) is 30 minutes before dinner.
  • Vitamin C:
    • Detox days: 500 mg doses of Liposomal-C and ascorbate in 2-tabs of my Multi at lunch and dinner only during detox days.
    • Non-detox days, I take 2-tabs of multi with breakfast, lunch and dinner, and 1 capsule of Liposomal-C at lunch.

Details of detox cycle:

  1. Two days before begin detox cycle: Take 1 tsp (3 g) total chlorella or more (as tablets, or powder dissolved in water) each day. This is to ensure I have some in my system to bind any heavy metals in my blood. I take it in 2 doses: before breakfast and before dinner.
  2. Detox Days:
    • 3:00 AM
      • Thyroid med.
      • Liposomal-C: only if need another dose
    • 5:30 AM:
      • Multi: 2-tabs; includes 500 mg vitamin C.
    • Upon getting up (8:30 AM): 
      • Chlorella: half-dose or 1.5 g (as tablets, or ½ tsp powder in water):  about 90 minutes before breakfast meal or smoothie.  Can’t take my multi with my meal/smoothie because contains 500 mg vitamin-C; will defer to 3-hours after chlorella (i.e., just before I leave for lunch).
      • Cilantro: 2 drops (for first detox cycle) taken 30 minutes after chlorella. In morning, can take it before breakfast and after chlorella. Take at least 30 minutes after chlorella; can take it after breakfast meal or smoothie.
      • With each successive detox cycle, increase cilantro doses by 1 – 2 drops/dose on detox days with each successive detox cycle, up to 10 drops over time). That is, first detox cycle has 2 days detox with cilantro and chlorella, and remaining 19 – 26 days non-detox (no cilantro but can take chlorella) per Dr. Klinghardt’s recommendation of 2 – 3 weeks non-detox. Prior to my Aug ’20 update, I only did 8 – 12 days non-detox.
    • Breakfast-time (9:30 AM):
      • Vitamin-C: on detox days, can add the half-dose of liquid-C (about 40 mg) to morning smoothie
      • Multi:  None (can’t take vitamin C within 3 hours of chlorella)
    • Lunch-time (Noon or 12:30):
      • Liposomal-C, 500 mg (1-hour after lunch on chlorella detox days; at end of lunch meal on other days)
      • Alphasorb-C (500 mg vitamin C) until I use up what I have, then no more because they contain stearate which I prefer to avoid
      • Multi: 2-tabs; includes 500 mg vitamin C.
    • Afternoon (3 – 4 PM, with other supplements that need to be taken away from food)
      • Chlorella: 1.5 g (as tablets, or ½ tsp powder in water);
      • Cilantro: take drops 30 minutes after chlorella (2nd cilantro dose in the day)
      • Multi: None (can’t take vitamin C within 3 hours of chlorella)
    • 30 min before Dinner (6:30 PM):
      • Chlorella: 1.5 g (as tablets, or ½ tsp powder in water)
      • Cilantro: None during 1st through 8th detox cycle; can add a 3rd dose (30-minutes after chlorella) beginning with 9th detox cycle, for maximum benefit.
      • Multi & Vitamin C: None
    • Dinner-time (7 PM), on same days as indicated at Breakfast:
      • Multi & Vitamin C: None (can’t take vitamin C within 3 hours of chlorella) 
    • Bed-time (10 – 11 PM)
      • Liposomal-C: 500 mg
      • Multi: 2-tabs; includes 500 mg vitamin C.
  3. Non-Detox Days:
    • After my 2- to 7- days detox with chlorella and cilantro, I begin the non-detox part of the cycle. I add chlorella only to my daily regimen for at least 2 days, following detox schedule above, but no cilantro, and liposomal vitamin-C is optional. 
    • I do at least 2 weeks (Dr. Klinghardt recommends 3 weeks or more) of non-detox days.
    • However, the last 1 – 2 non-detox days before the next detox cycle, I do take chlorella to ensure I have some in my body before I start adding cilantro.

Daily Chlorella, Cilantro Totals:

    • Detox days: Chlorella, 5.5 g/day; Cilantro 4-drops, increasing to 20 drops/day (or, on 9th & 10th detox cycles, increase to 3 doses/day, maximum 29 drops/day); liposomal vitamin C, 1000 mg/day.
    • Non-detox days, take no cilantro.  To ensure all the mobilized heavy metals are carried out of the body:
      • for at least 2-days at beginning of non-detox and 2-days at end of non-detox: Take ½-1 tsp (1.5 – 3 g) chlorella powder and liposomal vitamin C, 1000 mg/day.
      • remaining non-detox days, chlorella and liposomal vitamin-C are optional.
      • Take NO cilantro
      • If desired, add chlorella to smoothie every day, as it has health benefits beyond detox.
    • When I get to 7 drops of cilantro for each dose, I will add an additional dose of 1g chlorella (afternoon dose) to bring daily chlorella detox-day dose to 6.5 g/day.
    • And when I get to 9 drops of cilantro for each dose, I will add additional cilantro dose just before dinner to bring daily cilantro dose to 27 drops. The next cycle will be 10-drops, 3-times for daily dose of 30 drops. Can continue with more cycles at 10-drops cilantro, 3-times/day if still need to detox more mercury.

Additional supportive foods and supplements to support the chlorella/cilantro therapy:

  1. Vitamin B-12 is food for the nervous system, restores damaged neurons [primarily due to mercury], and has its own detoxifying effect (27). Best to take as methyl-cobalamin, the activated form, because many people lack the enzyme to methylate cobalamin.
  2. Vitamin C: Moved details to Dosage and Scheduling section (above), AFTER Chlorella and Cilantro.  
  3. ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid): This fatty acid will “help carry the mercury that has been chelated from the body.” (27)
  4. Butyrate: (4-carbon fatty acid from butter) is anti-inflammatory and protects the colon from free-radicals, helping to prevent colon cancer. If you have a healthy gut microbiome, the good bugs in your gut will make enough butyrate (from carbs) for good health. But if you have heavy metal or other toxicity issues, your gut balance is off and you can benefit from supplemental butyric acid/butyrate. It helps clean the liver, gall bladder, and biliary tree in the liver. It also helps clean the bowel, helps control ammonia, and removes unwanted “renegade fats”. See Paleo Leap (25) and Center for Wellness (26) for more.
    • I started with Butyrex, which includes magnesium and other mineral salts (Amazon ASIN B003JOJ04G). It contains 600 mg butyric acid per capsule, with magnesium taurate salt. Recommended dose: 1-2 caps, 3x daily (1800 – 3600 mg/day).
    • Another option: Butyr-En (iHerb code ALG-70220), contains 100 mg butyric acid per capsule as a calcium-magnesium salt).  Recommended dose: 1-2 caps, 3x daily (300 – 600 mg/day). Not sure why this is so much less than Butyrex dose.
    • I’ve since switched to Tributrin (ButyCaps brand, Amazon ASIN B077BLKJCX), after I started having food sensitivity issues to magnesium; each packet contains 787 mg butyric acid, which I add to my daily smoothie. Tributrin is the natural tributyrate in butter; I also eat a fair amount of butter daily. When doing detox protocol I take 2 packets daily (or 1 packet plus 1 capsule Butyrex), plus plenty of dietary butter.
  5. Garlic/wild garlic are also recommended with this protocol:
      • to protect white and red blood cells from oxidative damage (by toxic heavy metals), and
      • because of allicin’s antimicrobial ability against secondary infections common with metal toxicity.
      • Dosage: 1–3 capsules freeze dried garlic* after each meal. Start with 1 capsule after the main meal per day; slowly increase to the higher dosage. Initially the patient may experience die-off reactions (from killing pathogenic fungal or bacterial organisms).
      • ‘* each capsule contains between 550 and 700 mg freeze-dried garlic, depending on brand. Another option is to crush your own fresh garlic, then place in capsules or eat as-is.
      • Alternative: Use 5–10 drops bear-garlic on food at least 3 times per day. (Klinghardt protocol, (6))
  6. Fish oil is also recommended with this protocol. It:
      • Contains EPA and DHA which protect the brain from viral infections;
      • Makes white and red blood cell more flexible, improving micro-circulation of the brain, heart and other tissues.
      • Dosage: 1 capsule (or 1 serving of liquid) Omega 3 or fish oil taken 4 times/day during the active phase of treatment; 1 capsule (or 1 serving or liquid) twice/day for maintenance. Best if taken together with chlorella. (6, 27)
  7. Pure water: Drink LOTS of pure (filtered) water daily.
  8. Natural ocean salt (such as Celtic sea salt or Himalayan sea salt) instead of table salt:
      • It helps with hydration, and with proper reception of electric messages in the body’s autonomic nervous system.
      • Even better is a specific electrolyte formula developed by the American chemist Ketkovsky and improved by Morin Labs, now called “selectrolyte.”
      • Dosage: 1 tsp in a cup of good water 1–3 times/day. During times of greater stress the dosage can be temporarily increased to 1 tbsp 3 times/day. (6) See also Zeta-Aid (7)
  9. Fish oil* is also recommended with this protocol. It:
      • Contains EPA and DHA which protect the brain from viral infections;
      • Makes white and red blood cell more flexible, improving micro-circulation of the brain, heart and other tissues.
      • Dosage: 1 capsule (or 1 serving of liquid) Omega 3 or fish oil taken 4 times/day during the active phase of treatment; 1 capsule (or 1 serving or liquid) twice/day for maintenance. Best if taken together with chlorella. (6, 27)

‘* Beware: some brands of fish and cod liver oil contain mercury, so be sure to use a brand that is mercury-free. Look for pharmaceutical-grade brands for both fish oil and cod liver oil. Green Pastures Blue Ice brand of fermented cod liver oil claims to be pure (mercury-free). Livestrong (42) recommends the following brands (some of these also have options for children): 

      • Mercury-free Fish Oil Brands (from Livestrong (42)):
        • Nordic Naturals (iHerb NOR-02763, liquid)
        • Olympian Labs (iHerb OLY-03112, liquid or OLY-00073, soft-gels)
        • 21st Century Health Care (iHerb CEN-27129, liquid or CEN-22873, soft-gels)
        • Carlson Labs* (iHerb CAR-01540, liquid or CAR-01641, soft-gels) *This is the same as Carlson Nutritional Supplements listed in Livestrong’s article.
      • Cod Liver Oil (from Livestrong (42)):
        • Nordic Naturals (iHerb NOR-53785, liquid or NOR-57785, soft-gels)
        • 21st Century Health Care (iHerb CEN-21168, soft-gels)
        • Carlson Labs* (iHerb CAR-01322, liquid or CAR-01302, soft-gels) *This is the same as Carlson Nutritional Supplements listed in Livestrong’s article.
      • Fermented Cod Liver Oil (from Green Pastures (43):
        • Green Pastures Blue Ice: I’m still investigating this

My Experience/Notes Regarding Chlorella/Cilantro Protocol

As with prescription chelators, the cilantro/chlorella combo should not be done every day. 1 week on and 2 – 3 weeks off is recommended. See Curezone: Cilantro/Chlorella/Vitamin-C Chelate Mercury (27) for more.

Back when I tried DMSA or DMPS protocols (synthetic compounds, for which you have to avoid all minerals in your daily diet during detox days), I could not go a whole week without MgCl2 supplementation (during chelation) so I used:

  • chelator: 2 days on, 12 days off; and
  • minerals: 2 days off, 12 days on

The Kitchen Doctor (28) also has some good info on this, although I somewhat disagree with his take on candida and parasites (he says they increase when you remove mercury, but my experience is that mercury tends to protect candida (candida may decrease when you remove mercury).

I started mixing 2 tsp powdered chlorella/day with my smoothie, but I did not care for its flavor. Instead, I reduced the amount of powdered chlorella to 1 tsp/day in my smoothie, and added chlorella tablets for the remaining amount. This change did not disturb the flavor of the smoothie. Aug 2020: However, I now realize I should not mix chlorella and vitamin C in the same smoothie, so I will either add NO forms of vitamin C to my smoothie on chlorella days, OR instead of using  chlorella powder, I will add more chlorella tablets per day (away from the smoothie).

When I accidentally take cilantro before chlorella, I note a few days later that my “senior moments” and other forgetfulness increases. The good news is that when I resume taking chlorella for a few days, that forgetfulness declines.

Mercola’s Mercury Detox Protocol 

This protocol (8c) is used in conjunction with DMPS chelation therapy; however, it could be done without the DMPS (see Chlorella & Cilantro with Vitamin C protocol, above). My preference is to do just the Chlorella & Cilantro with Vitamin C protocol (above), but follow Mercola’s dietary and other suggestions.

It combines two chelating protocols: 

  • DMPS is a synthetic agent that performs a dual duty: lures the metals out of your tissues, chelate them, and carries them out of the body. Unfortunately, I cannot use this because of a food sensitivity to the sulfur in DMPS that cannot be cured. Also I cannot take my magnesium supplement when taking DMPS, so I get constipated, which is not good when detoxing.
  • Chlorella and cilantro agents (see also Chlorella and Cilantro with Vitamin C Protocol, above): Cilantro (tincture) mobilizes the toxins from tissues to the blood stream; chlorella (powder or pill) is a binding agent that carries them out of the body via urine and feces. See Caution, above about the importance of taking chlorella when taking cilantro, above. Fortunately, so far (2020) I’ve not had any sensitivity issues to this protocol.
  • Remineralization:
    • If you choose to do a detox that includes DMPS, you will need to stop taking minerals on DMPS days, then remineralize on non-detox days.
    • If you do only the chlorella/cilantro, you do not need to stop taking minerals (and don’t need to remineralize), as these natural foods do not bind essential minerals.

Additional supplements that assist the chelation are:

  • MSM (another I cannot use because of sensitivity issues with sulfur), daily mineral supplement; and
  • Butyric acid or butyrate (important short-chain fatty acid for which butter is named). Cat’s note: I use lots of real butter in my daily diet, and add a tributrin supplement (Buty-Caps) to my daily smoothie (tributrin is the form of butyric acid in butter); see “Additional Supportive Foods and Supplements” in Cat’s Detox section, above, for more.

This protocol recommends starting with one 500 mg tablet chlorella daily to determine if you have any problems with it. Then increase over 1-2 weeks to a dose of 10 tablets daily (total 5 g/day), or same dose as combo of tablets and powder. Adding 1 tablet each day over 10 days would accomplish this. This is for a 150 lb person. Caution: if you start burping-up the chlorella taste, you are developing a sensitivity and should stop immediately. Then switch to ProChitosan (see item 4 in list below).

See also NIHA article (18) for more information on dosing chlorella and cilantro.

Summary of Mercola’s protocol (see his article for more details (8C):

  1. Diet: Avoid all sugar and milk (but whey protein powder can be used), limit all processed foods and most grains, especially wheat.
  2. Beneficial Bacteria: “Take one quarter to one half teaspoon once a day of a high potency high quality strain. It is vital to have an optimized bowel flora for detoxification.” I use 1 capsule Mercola’s Spore Restore (iHerb MCL-01885) and 2 capsules of Mercola’s Complete Probiotics (iHerb MCL-01317) daily during the detox period.
  3. Maintain two to three bowel movements per day: I take magnesium chloride (as 80% solution from my local compounding pharmacy) to help with this, as I have constipation without this important supplement. I also add freshly ground flax seeds to my daily smoothie.
  4. Unload the connective tissue with Chlorella or ProChitosan: I use chlorella, but don’t take it every day except during the “On” weeks of the detox. Mercola adds a  “Caution: If at any time one develops nausea or starts “burping up” the chlorella taste then the chlorella should be stopped immediately as a food sensitivity is developing which will only worsen if you continue taking it. If this happens you should switch to ProChitosan. This binds similarly to mercury. Its dose is dependent on your bowel movements.” I am not familiar with ProChitosan and cannot find a source. Another alternative is Porphrazyme from Biotics Research (38).
  5. Garlic (3 cloves/day, not a supplement) or MSM for your sulfur stores.
  6. Cilantro helps mobilize mercury out of your tissues. Always take it AFTER chlorella or other binder. Mercola recommends a tincture from Dragon River (505-583-2348), but I get my tincture from Swan Valley Herbs in Bigfork.
  7. Mineral replacement (especially on non-detox days if taking DMPS or DMSA); note, however, that chlorella does not bind essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, selenium, etc.. I get my minerals from daily dose of Mercola’s Whole Food Multi (iHerb MCL-01035 or MCL-01939 for women).
  8. Hydrochloric acid (which I get from Betaine-HCL and enzymes supplement).
  9. Digestion and gall bladder support (especially for autism): He recommends butyric acid and magnesium taurate, digestive enzymes including lipase, CCK (Cholecystokinin), and healthful fats such as those from seeds, nuts, avocado, coconut oil, and free range organic poultry, eggs, or meats. Cat’s note: I take Tributyrin, the form of butyric acid in butter, healthful fats, and a liver-gal bladder support tincture from Swan Valley Herbs (dandelion root, milk thistle seed and burdock root); and also a digestive enzyme supplement that includes betaine (iHerb NOW-02964).
  10. Anti-oxidants, specifically Vitamins C and E. He recommends 250-500 mg of vitamin C with each meal, and 2000 units (typically five of the 400 unit capsules) of vitamin E the day of and the day after the DMPS injection as this will decrease the side effects of the detoxification reaction considerably.
  11. DMPS injections or an alternative. I have trouble with these so do not include DMSA nor DMPS because of my sensitivity issues with sulfur-containing compounds.

Other recommendations for mercury detox, with this protocol:

  • Vitamin B9 (as folate, not as folic acid): According to Mercola’s sales pitch for his folate supplement, it helps to “sweep away glyphosate [Roundup toxin] and heavy metals (8G). So eat good dietary sources (see Vitamin B Complex for ideas), and take a good quality methyl-folate supplement if you have either/both of these toxins.
  • Garlic (and other members of the onion family): Mercola recommends 3 cloves garlic/day. Or supplement with MSM, a sulfur compound (methyl-sulfonyl-methane).(8c). See also “Garlic for lead detox,” below, about study showing garlic is as effective at detoxing lead as a prescription drug, with fewer side effects.
  • Getting adequate essential minerals daily (especially magnesium, selenium and zinc, but avoid copper and iron supplements). However, do not take them while taking the agents, as they will bind the minerals so you can’t absorb them; instead, take these on the off-days. It’s important to monitor your mineral levels (blood test) every 6-12 weeks (2-3 months). Cat’s note: chlorella, does not bind essential minerals such as magnesium and calcium, but
  • Getting adequate good dietary fats daily, as this promotes bile production and release from the gall bladder, essential to eliminating chelated heavy metals. for example, coconut oil, butter, true olive oil, fish oil and cod liver oil. (see my article Good Fats for Cooking for more). CCK (cholecystokinin) can also be taken to promote gall bladder contraction. Or coffee enemas.
  • Whey protein is also suggested to support your glutathione system. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Whey Protein Powder, because it is dried at low temperatures to avoid denaturing the protein..
  • Milk thistle (13), which is healing for the liver. [I take this as part of my daily dose of Liver tincture complex from Swan Valley Herbs.]
  • Livaplex (1-2 caps/day) and Antronex (1 table/day) from Standard Process, to support the liver (only available through practitioners).
  • Saunas are also recommended, or at least hot sweating baths.
  • Pure water: Drink LOTS of pure (filtered) water daily.

References:

References 1 – 37 are copied (2/10/20) from Detox from Toxic Heavy Metals reference list; references beginning with 38, have been added specifically for this article.

  1. Wellness Education Center (WEC), Kalispell MT
  2. A Breakthrough in Cell Detoxification, from Dr. Dan Pompa (drpompa.com/additional-resources/health-tips/cell-detoxification-cytodetox-zeolite)
  3. Jonathan Landsman article: naturalhealth365store.com/Ultra-Binder-Universal-Toxin-Binder-120g_p_66.html
  4. Wendy Myers:
    1. On NanoVi detox device:
    2. on mitochondria detox: store.myersdetox.com/collections/heavy-metals-summit-collection/products/mitochondria-detox
    3. on sugar detox:  Sugar 101 and 10 min Video
      1.  
  5. Catherine Haug article: How to Detox Glyphosate ( Roundup) from your Body
  6. The Klinghardt Neurotoxin Elimination Protocol: see source 40a, below.
  7. About Zeta-aid: customers.hbci.com/~wenonah/new/mcdaniel.htm
  8. Mercola articles: (note his articles may have been removed from his site)
    1. Richard Johnson interview:(articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/13/richard-johnson-interview.aspx)
    2. What is NADPH and NOX (articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/02/04/what-is-nadph-and-nox.aspx)
    3. Detox protocol: mercola.com/article/mercury/detox_protocol.htm
    4. Interview with Dr. Klinghardt on mercury elimination:  mercola.com/article/mercury/mercury_elimination.htm
    5. Mercola on “Three Pillars of Heavy Metal Detoxification (8e) (articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/03/20/heavy-metal-detoxification.aspx
    6. Mercola and Dr. Shade on articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/01/06/dr-shade-on-mercury-exposure.aspx
    7. Folate sales pitch: products.mercola.com/folate-supplement
    8. articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/02/is-this-one-of-natures-most-powerful-detoxification-tools.aspx
  9. Journal of Biological Physics and Chemistry
  10. How to Detox Glyphosate ( Roundup) from your Body (by Cat)
  11. Meaning of detox from Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification)
  12. Dr Axe:
    1. on chelating agents (draxe.com/chelation-therapy/)
    2. on humic/fulvic acids (draxe.com/fulvic-acid/)
  13. Gaiam blog: gaiam.com/blogs/discover/how-to-detox-from-heavy-metals-and-mercury  (old link: blog.gaiam.com/blog/mercury-detox-a-3-step-plan-to-recover-your-health/ is no longer valid, update 8/28/20)
  14. Wellness Mama: wellnessmama.com/302581/detox-heavy-metals/
  15. TTAC: thetruthaboutcancer.com/signs-you-need-to-detox/
  16. Wikipedia: wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylenediaminetetraacetic_acid
  17. Natural Society: naturalsociety.com/proper-heavy-metal-chelation-cilantro-chlorella/
  18. National Integrated Health Associates: nihadc.com/library/detox-for-life-class-2-addit-resources/54-4-dosing-with-chlorella/file.html (site requires signing a disclaimer before allowing access
  19. Travis Wade Fitness: traviswadefitness.com/blog-1/2016/4/11/heavy-metal-detoxification (link no longer valid)
  20. Green Med Info:
    1. greenmedinfo.com/blog/garlic-beats-drug-detoxifying-lead-safely-body-1
    2. greenmedinfo.com/blog/research-confirms-sweating-detoxifies-dangerous-metals-petrochemicals
  21. livingclayco.com
    1. Mixing Instructions for Living Clay (livingclayco.com/mixing-instructions)
    2. Articles about Living Clay: livingclayco.com/living-clay-articles
  22. aboutclay.com/clay_info.htm
  23. Yerba Prima’s Great Plains Bentonite Detox, Liquid formula (yerba.com/product/bentonite-herbal-detox) See also iHerb code YBP-00519
  24. Healing Daily (healingdaily.com/oral-chelation/chlorella-dosage.htm)
  25. Paleo Leap (paleoleap.com/butyrate-anti-inflammatory-fat)
  26. Center for Wellness (cfwellness.com/butyrate)
  27. Curezone: Cilantro/Chlorella/Vitamin C Chelate Mercury (curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=969381); article by Dietrik Klinghardt, MD, PhD
  28. Kitchen Doctor (kitchendoctor.com/herbs/cilantro.php)
  29. About Nrf2: nrf2.com
  30. GMOsRevealed email text (3/20/19)
  31. Organifi Gold powder for Golden Milk/Tea organifi.com/1-gold-text-cb/
  32. Well of Life (Jonathan Otto sales pitches):
    1. healthsecret.com/blog/2019/07/02/heavy-metals-linked-to-alzheimers/
    2. secure.welloflife.com/ultimate-detox-bundle/
  33. Wikipedia:
    1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humic_substance
    2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humus
  34. naturesfulvic.com/fulvic-acid-faqs/scientific-information-about-fulvic-acid/
  35. Soil Biotics: http://soil-biotics.com/files/7373-soilbiotics-humicacid.pdfs
  36. secure.welloflife.com/ultimate-detox-bundle/
  37. Dr. Hagmire on EDTA Suppositories: drhagmeyer.com/product/kelatox-edta-chelation-suppositories30-count/
  38. Biotics Research product: bioticsresearch.com/node/1563
  39. Dosing of chlorella with Cilantro for Mercury detox: nihadc.com/library/detox-for-life-class-2-addit-resources/54-4-dosing-with-chlorella/file.html by Mark McClure, DDS, FAGD, Doctor of Integrative Medicine
  40. Articles by Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD:
    1. customers.hbci.com/~wenonah/new/9steps.htm (this is not a secure site)
    2. learntruehealth.com/heavy-metals/
    3. See also reference 27 on Curezone, above
  41. peak-health-now.com/chlorella-protocol.html
  42. Livestrong: livestrong.com/article/118775-brands-mercuryfree-fish-oil/
  43. greenpasture.org/

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