Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), a unicellular blue-green algae that may have beneficial health effects. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is often collected from lake Klamath and prepared and sold as supplements. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae contains a number of phytochemicals of potentially useful therapeutic importance, including phycocyanin and mycosporine-like amino acids. The mood elevating effects of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae extracts, isolated Aphanizomenon flos-aquae phycocyanin, and isolated Aphanizomenon flos-aquae mycosporine-like amino acids, have been investigated. In one study researchers observed that each of these substances were able to inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxidase B. Monoamine oxidase B is responsible for the degradation of a number of naturally occurring phytochemicals including phenylethylamine and dopamine. By inhibiting this enzyme, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae may be able to alter brain chemistry and this may explain it anxiolytic effects.
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae contains varying but significant quantities of phenylethylamine (PEA). Phenylethylamine is used in the brain to promote the neurotransmission of catecholamines by stimulating their release and by acting as a reuptake-inhibitor of dopamine
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