What Is Sea Moss?
Sea Moss grows along the rocks of the coastlines touching the British Isles, North America, and Europe. It is easy to identify with its frilly, pointed leaves, looking much like leaf lettuce, and its varying colors, from a lighter green to deep purple.
Sea moss, also known as Irish moss, is edible and has been used for centuries as food and medicine. It is high in vitamins and minerals, including iodine, potassium, and magnesium. It is also a good source of dietary fiber. Some people believe that sea moss can help to boost energy levels, promote healthy skin and hair, and even speed up weight loss. There is little scientific evidence to support these claims, though there are lots of anecdotal claims and the fact that it has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries shows sea moss health claims hold merit.
History of the Use of Sea Moss
Throughout history, sea moss has been used for human food consumption. Chinese medicine used it to treat and cure all sorts of ailments and conditions, dating back to as early as 600 BC. During the Great Famine, many Irish people were sustained by consuming sea moss. During World War II, there was a shortage of a food thickener called agar. This is when sea moss started to be used in our food supply, cosmetics, and medications under the ingredient called carrageenan.
It is important to note that sea moss and carrageenan made by commercial industries are not synonymous. Sea moss is healthy, and carrageenan is not healthy because it is a chemically extracted product that comes from sea moss. More on this as you read on.
What Are the Health Benefits of Sea Moss?
When a food has been used throughout the centuries as a medicine, like in Chinese medicine, there is respect for it. Even though Western medicine does not have a lot of studies on sea moss, there is truth to what health practitioners have witnessed using sea moss throughout the centuries through their ancient knowledge.
Chinese healers have long used sea moss in their medicinal toolbox due to the properties of it. Sea moss is
- An anti-coagulant, which helps keep blood flowing rather than let it clot
- Antiviral, sea moss kills viruses
- Anti-tumor: it prevents the growth of tumors.
- Anti-hyperlipidemic, sea moss is able to reduce the lipids found in the blood.
- Anti-thrombotic, sea moss reduces the occurrence of blood clots that can potentially be deadly.
- Immunomodulatory, sea moss gives strength to the immune system and helps it fight infections, keep cancers at bay and more.
The health benefits that have been proposed here have been found through animal studies, not with humans, so some of these benefits may be theoretical for humans.
Through eating or supplementing with sea moss, one could expect some or all of these benefits.
- It may boost heart health by its ability to remove lipids from the blood and help eliminate internal blood clots.
- Weight loss support- researchers have found that extracts of sea moss and other macroalgae may assist with the weight loss process due to it being able to raise the metabolism, promote better digestion and a healthier gut, and through the satiation of appetite because sea moss is fiber-rich.
- To prevent cancers from developing, sea moss has been shown in a lab that it can inhibit the ability of some human cancer cells to grow.
- Improved digestion and gut health Kristin Kirkpatrick, RDN from the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in Denver, highlights that the type of fiber that sea moss contains is a prebiotic mucilage, which encourages good bacteria to thrive in the gut.
- Stronger immune system due to sea moss’s antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral abilities.
- Healthy skin-Sea moss is an ingredient found in many skin care products due to its ability to keep inflammation at bay with its anti-inflammatory capabilities.
It also includes sulfur, which helps with acne and other skin conditions. Dr Karan Lal, a board-certified dermatologist in New Jersey, has pointed out that the arginine amino acid in sea moss can help remove dead skin cells, revealing a glowing complexion underneath.
Sea moss gummies
Sea moss remains a popular ingredient in traditional herbal remedies and is also sold as a health supplement. A trendy way to take sea moss is by eating sea moss gummies. Some people like the delicious aspect of a gummy, others would prefer a capsule with nothing extra. So whether you’re looking for a nutritional boost or simply want to try something new, sea moss gummies may be worth checking out.
Here are some high quality sea moss gummies that will give you your daily dose:
1. BioVit Irish Sea Moss Gummies
What we love about BioVit Sea Moss Gummies:
- Compatible with Dr Sebi diet recommendations
- Organic
- Made with raw sea moss
- Sea moss harvested in a protected area
- 1600 mg of sea moss per serving
- Keto detox
- Bladderwack and burdock added
- 3rd party tested
- Great tasting
- Vegan
- Made in the USA
- Highly rated on Amazon
2. Wild & Organic Sea Moss Gummies
What we love about Wild & Organic Sea Moss Gummies:
- Organic
- 1600mg of sea moss per serving
- Bladderwrack and burdock root included in each serving
- Suitable for the Dr Sebi diet
- Great bioavailability
- Highly rated on Amazon
Does sea moss detox your body?
Yes, sea moss can help with the detoxification of your body in a similar way that other sea vegetables can.
One of the most important ways sea moss can help detoxify the body is by helping to expel toxins and heavy metals. It does this by binding to these toxins and metals and then helping to flush them out through the intestines. Additionally, sea moss is a great source of iodine, which is essential for healthy thyroid function. The thyroid gland helps regulate many important bodily functions, including metabolism, so keeping it functioning properly is crucial for overall health and well-being.
Is sea moss good to take daily?
Yes, eating or supplementing natural sea moss in moderate amounts is good daily. Take a look at the recommended dosage on the package of the supplement you are taking.
What is the difference between sea moss and carrageenan?
Many people who grew up in Ireland can remember sea moss being a part of their daily diet. It was not thought of as a “superfood” to them, though the Irish knew it was good for their health. They grew up making nutrient-rich Irish moss drinks that were a delicious treat made with sea moss, milk, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and dates.
Here is an easy 2 minute video to show you how to make your own sea moss shake from JM Authentic Plantbased Eats:
In the recipe above for Irish Moss, raw sea moss is used to thicken it, which is super healthy, food grade commecially made carrageenan is not.
Food grade carrageenan is sea moss that has been chemically processed and it is no longer the same as raw, whole sea moss. In fact, the process of turning sea moss into the carrageenan that is used in the food industry, referred to as “food grade carrageenan,” is what is toxic to humans.
To explain this simply, sea moss is the whole food that comes from nature. Carrageenan is an extract that is derived from sea moss and chemically extracted in a process that makes the carrageenan harmful to humans.
What is Food Grade Carrageenan?
The food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries widely use food-grade carrageenan to thicken their products. It is in almost all ice creams, dairy and non-dairy products like yogurt, sour cream, and more. It is in toothpaste, beauty creams, baby formula, and cosmetics.
Be watchful and always try to look at the ingredient list of the processed items you buy. If you see carrageenan on the ingredient list, make no mistake, it is not whole food sea moss; it is the food grade commercially made carrageenan thickener that you want to avoid. The best thing to do is try your best to find an alternative or substitute product that does not have carrageenan in its ingredient list.
How is manufactured carrageenan chemically extracted from whole food sea moss?
There is a mix of chemicals that are used in the process that calls for removing or dissolving the cell walls of the sea moss so that only the jelly-like interior of the cells is left. Once the cell walls are chemically dissolved. This remaining product is what is referred to as “food grade carrageenan.”
One of the main chemicals used in the extraction process is potassium hydroxide. Potassium hydroxide is a poisonous chemical that should not be consumed by humans. It causes inflammation of the gut, and cancer thrives in inflamed environments.
Is food grade carrageenan safe?
Carrageenen is beneficial when consumed in whole sea moss that has not been altered by nature.Once the sea moss has undergone the chemical extraction process above, it is no longer healthy. It is then considered toxic.
Aside from the chemicals used in the extraction process, consuming the sea moss with the cell walls dissolved is recognized by the body as a poison, and all of the nutritional benefits of the whole food sea moss are now diminished.
Make your own sea moss gel to add to your recipes.
The good news is that making sea moss gel to mix into your smoothies, soups, and other recipes is quite easy.
You can order wildcrafted, raw Irish sea moss online, hydrate it in water for a few hours, and blend it into a gel.
This is a quality sea moss you can use for the recipe below.
3. Organic Sea Moss Raw by TrueSeaMoss
Ty’s Conscious Kitchen will show you how to make sea moss gel that you can store in your fridge for 2-3 weeks to add to your recipes:
Thank-you for reading! We wish you well on your continued journey to optimum health.
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