Sea Moss

What is Sea Moss?

Sea moss is a type of seaweed that grows all year in tidepools and inlets. It is also called Irish moss or red seaweed. People in New England often collect sea moss to get carrageenan, a gelatinous carbohydrate that is used in baked goods and beauty products. Sea moss can be used to thicken soups and stews, but it can also be eaten on its own. Let's look at the good things this intertidal seaweed can do for your health. Sea moss, also called Irish sea moss, is a type of red algae that is thought to be good for your health and skin. Even though there isn't a lot of science to back up the benefits, experts say it has some clear benefits, and people in other cultures have used it for years to improve their health. Robin Foroutan, R.D.N., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says that Irish sea moss has been used as food and medicine in Ireland, Scotland, and Jamaica for generations. It is often used in these cultures to boost the immune system and fight off colds.

How to use Sea Moss?

One to two tablespoons of sea kelp gel is the daily recommendation. Incorporating the gel into a beverage, smoothie, water, or ginger is optimal, given its delicate seaweed flavor. It is suggested that one TBSP be taken in the morning and another in the evening.

Sea Moss benefits:

The benefits of sea moss depend on whether you eat it or use it as a product or ingredient outside of your body. Look at this list of what sea moss can do for you to get a better idea of what to expect. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties have been identified in sea moss, which makes it a potentially effective treatment for arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis.

◉ May Prevent Parkinson’s Disease: Parkinson's is the second most common disease that gets worse over time in older people. Parkinson's disease affects the way people move, causing tremors, stiffness, and slowness, and there is no cure for it right now. But early research suggests that sea moss may be able to stop Parkinson's disease from getting worse. In a study with worms, extract from sea moss was shown to stop the buildup of -synuclein and make the worms less stiff and less able to move slowly. People with Parkinson's Disease could benefit from this. But more research needs to be done to find out if sea moss has the same effect on people as it does on worms.

◉ May Improve the Immune System: Early research suggests that sea moss can boost the immune system and may even keep the body from getting salmonella. One study found that sea moss can stop S. aureus from spreading. Enteritidis is the bacteria that makes people sick with salmonella. But this is a very new study that hasn't been tested on animals or people yet. More research needs to be done to find out if sea moss could help humans avoid or treat salmonella.

◉ May Boost Heart Health: Adding seaweed to your diet could help lower your risk of heart disease because the algae is full of nutrients and antioxidants, says another review (but again, this research did not specifically examine sea moss).

◉ Stronger Treatment Against HPV Infection: A review says that the carrageenan in red algae may help protect against infections with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Even though more research needs to be done, researchers think that carrageenan may work well with other ways to prevent HPV, like vaccines.

Where to buy Sea Moss? 

Buy Sea Moss from the health food store in the USA, Alive Herbals.

Sea Moss information (at a glance):