JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Liquid chlorophyll is making its way around the popular social media app Tik Tok, so much so it’s scarce on store shelves.
People using it claim clearer skin, better digestion, and weight loss.
The supplement isn’t new, the wife of Action News Jax Anchor Ben Becker swears by it and says it helps with her skin, digestion, and has experienced zero negative effects.
“I take two gel-caps every morning... I’m willing to risk it because of the positive effects I feel that it gives me,” said she has used it for 12 years.
Like Becker, 21-year-old college student Ashley Levy raves about liquid chlorophyll.
“I saw a video of a girl showing her skin after like a week of drinking it, so it really attracted me to that ... I also called my doctor to ask if she has heard of it and to see if it was OK for me to use, and she gave me the OK.” Levy said.
To put it simply, chlorophyll is the green pigment found in plants that turns sunlight into energy. The antioxidant is found in green vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and cilantro.
Action News Jax Medical Expert Dr. Michelle Aquino, an internist with Baptist Health and a doctor of osteopathic medicine, said there are some risks.
“It’s a fairly serious side effect that you have to be aware of called pseudoporphyria — it’s a skin effect when you go out into the sun — if you are taking too much of this,” Aquino said.
That condition can cause your skin to be more fragile to sunlight which can cause blisters to form that can burst to leave scabs and lesions.
Dr. Aquino said while there may be benefits to chlorophyll drops, especially for people who are not eating a balanced diet, none of these supplements have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
”There is no scientific data to support significantly these things that people are saying that are happening,” Aquino said. She stressed talking to a doctor before taking any supplements.
Supplements like chlorophyll drops aren’t entirely chlorophyll. They contain chlorophyllin — a semisynthetic, water-soluble version of chlorophyll that is said to be easier for the body to absorb — while regular chlorophyll can be broken down during digestion before it’s absorbed.