Seaweed Research

[Guest guest]

I thought the group may be interested in an article I wrote which has beeen

published in a U.K. Health and Yoga magazine.

 

Current Research in to Sea Vegetables.

 

To the ordinary holiday-maker seaweed is just something found on the beach.

Sometimes smelly and invariably a nuisance. But to research scientists seaweed

and algae (sea vegetables) are now showing unique naturopathic contributions to

health care and alternative medicine.

 

Whilst sea vegetables have been important sources of nutrition and a relied upon

addition to the normal diets of generations across the world from Japan to

Ireland, and are still continuing to do so, it is now being recognised that to

advance the knowledge of these diverse plants more research and clinical trials

need to be instigated. There are literally thousands of different species within

differing family groups, so what has been, and will be found is in itself

fascinating.

 

In Ireland, for example, sea vegetables have for centuries traditionally been

used for a large variety of ailments when no other medicines were available.

Respiratory illness, digestive conditions, inflammation of the urinary system,

helping recuperation from debilitating illness including T.B. and pneumonia. One

species in particular, Dulse, is extremely popular in Ireland as a snack food.

But research has also shown that Dulse is a good source of potassium and other

essential vitamins and minerals such as Zinc, Manganese, Calcium, Magnesium,

Iodine, Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Therefore a natural

whole food source of a lot of what the body requires.

 

During this ongoing research in Ireland, being carried out by combined

University research laboratories and private enterprises, exciting results are

being found. In conjunction with the marine botany departments of the

universities, microbiology departments and private laboratories formulations of

closely allied, but different, indigenous species have now been found to have

strong anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. One formulation

has already been discovered having seriously positive results within these

areas. Showing the capability to effect the problems associated with a variety

of maladies, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), oral problems caused by

Streptococcus mutans and other fungal and bacterial infections, including Herpes

1 & 2.

 

One exciting aspect demanding further research is it's effect on the unicellular

yeast Candida albicans. A particularly opportunistic microorganism and the cause

of several potentially fatal infections in humans, targeting a wide variety of

locations including the urinary tract, gut, genital areas, lungs and airways and

the mouth. Healthy individuals can harbour large numbers of C.albicans cells,

yet present no symptoms or evidence of infection. However, in individuals with

an impaired or underactive immune system ('immunocompromised') such as

HIV-positive and Herpes virus-infected individuals, and persons after receiving

an organ transplant or chemotherapy for cancer, this organism is associated with

extensive oral and urinary tract infections that are very persistent and

virtually impossible to eradicate. Treatment by conventional drug therapies are

rarely effective enough to kill the organisms, and recurring infection is always

a problem. The tested formulation has been shown to actually cause the death of

the C.albicans cells.

This along, with other parts of the test results, needs further careful

development and research into it's naturopathic potential.

 

As a result of the expanding knowledge of the potential of sea vegetables, as a

developing part of the health care and nutraceutical prescribing capability, it

has to be taken into consideration the impact the need for naturally harvested

sea vegetables will have on the environment as the demand grows. It is not only

humans who will come to rely on these plants, but the reliance of the myriad of

sea creatures who already do. Therefore, alongside the pharmacological research

and the necessary nutrient protective drying process, the critical development

and research of the aqua-culture techniques to grow these plants as seed stock

for introduction into an aqua-farm under controlled, natural, circumstances is

being achieved. This has progressed for the first time, after three years of

laboratory development, the plants being grown successfully within an

established aqua-farm under natural conditions to produce commercial quantities

all year round. This technology is now being applied to other species furthering

the advance of the usefulness of sea vegetables as a medicinal whole food within

the growing nutraceutical requirement. And after the necessary clinical research

and development looking to join mainstream medicine availability as all natural

products, offering an effective natural alternative to the synthetic medicines

available and promoted today.