2. General characteristics of spirulina

Spirulina terminology is rather ambiguous in French. Spirulina is the trade name for several species of food-grade cyanobacteria belonging to the Arthrospira genus. The two best-known and most frequently found species are Arthrospira platensis, native to Africa, and Arthrospira maxima, native to Central America. When French speakers speak of spirulina, they are referring to the dietary supplement produced mainly from Arthrospira platensis. The term spirulina is the commercial name for spirulina, but it also designates a genus of cyanobacteria quite distant from Arthrospira, and above all inedible, such as Spirulina subsalsa, Spirulina labyrinthiformis and others. None of the cyanobacteria in the Spirulina genus has been scientifically tested for human consumption.