SEAWEED

Introduction

Many people have probably never thought of eating seaweed as it is not a common food in England. The only countries in the British Isles where it is consumed are Wales and Ireland, where seaweed known as laver is prepared in the form of flat cakes served with breakfast, but even this is a speciality. However, it is very simple to get seaweed at specialist stores or in vitamin supplements, so there is no reason not to be able to access its benefits.

Seaweed has been seen to be effective against a long list of complaints. It could be described as a miracle food. However, there are quite a few different types of seaweed, so the right one should be chosen for a particular need.

What does seaweed do?

In 1981 Jane Teas at the Harvard School of Public Health noticed that breast tissue abnormalities in American women were six times higher than in Japanese women. She also noted that the Japanese diet contained daily amounts of seaweed, whereas American women ate very little if any. This correlation was backed up further by the observation that in rural areas of Japan, more seaweed was consumed, and breast abnormalities were on the decline, whereas in urban areas less was consumed and disease was increasing.

Much of seaweed’s ability to fight serious disease is attributed to how well it serves to enhance the immune system. This is mainly due to its antimicrobial properties, as porphyra (known as Nori in Japan) has been seen to combat E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Shigella. It has also been seen to heal stomach ulcers by fighting Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium now believed to be the cause of many cases.

Nine out of eleven types of seaweed tested by Dr. Teas were found to contain a common compound - fucoidan. This was concluded to be the active ingredient providing so many benefits, but seaweed also contains many more vitamins and minerals that help the body to fight many more ailments.

The Japanese use seaweed to help with high blood pressure problems. They prepare a hot water drink with kelp extract called kombu, which they believe reduces high blood pressure without side effects. They have identified the chemical histamine in seaweed, known for reducing blood pressure. Research has shown that seaweed actually contains elements that remove cholesterol from the blood and intestine.

Nori not only combats stomach ulcers, but has also been shown to act as a blood thinner and anticoagulant, and therefore dissolves and prevents blood clots. It was tested against heparin, a pharmaceutical drug used to thin the blood, and was found to be twice as effective at dissolving clots.

The iodine content in seaweed is high. Iodine contributes a great deal to the health of the thyroid gland. This organ controls the production of hormones affecting metabolism, and therefore affects growth and development.

Notes

·         Seaweed is high in sodium and is therefore unsuitable for those on low salt diets.

·         People suffering from flare-ups of severe acne may find they are aggravated by seaweed.