“Take 6-10g of powdered Sun Chorella (a type of green freshwater algae) everyday after surgery,” says Randall Merchant Prof. of Anatomy and neurobiology at Virginia Commonwealth University in the USA. “Chorella has been the subject of clinical trials which have found it useful in helping to heal the body after trauma.”

It is rich in nucleic acids-the building blocks needed for replacing injured and dead cells. Recent studies suggest it restores the normal functioning of genes which were turned off by cell injury. It also helps reduce inflammation, according to a paper presented to the Japan Society for Bio-Science, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry.