Klamath Lake algae

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae

seaweed

Like spirulina, a freshwater cyanobacterium; it is harvested every summer on Klamath Lake, its only source in the world, during two blooms, from May to early June and then from late August to late October.

Origin

Klamath Lake, Oregon (United States)

Season (United States)

all year round · grows in your region

Preparation

It is taken as powder, stirred into a glass of water or juice, in small amounts. Harvested from a lake where other cyanobacteria grow, it can be contaminated by their toxins, including microcystins, which damage the liver: a 2025 analysis found high levels in a klamath supplement. Only take a product whose absence of microcystin is guaranteed batch by batch.

Molecules

Seaweed polysaccharides

Did you know?

It is called AFA, the initials of its Latin name, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae: “water flower”.