Algae is your friend,algae is the super food,seaweed is high in fiber,kelp is used in many different ways.

Algae,Kelp General use and Medicinal Uses.

Algae,Kelp Extract INCI Name Laminaria Hyperborea Extract Laminaria Japonica Extract Laminaria Digitata Extract CAS 90046-12-1.90046-13-2.223751-72-2.EINECS ELINCS No.:289-980-0.289-981-6 Algae Fucus extract Seaweed extract photo picture image Many herbalist and naturopathic physicians recommend Fucus vesiculosus to treat thyroid disorders, arthritis, rheumatism, constipation, colds, high blood pressure, colitis, eczema, goiter, obesity, low vitality, poor digestion, nervous disorders, menstrual irregularities, glandular disorders, and water retention.

Fucus vesiculosus has a therapeutic effect on many systems of the body. It strengthens immune system function and increases resistance to infection and fever. Kelp is also beneficial to the nervous and endocrine systems. It enhances the function of the adrenal, thyroid, and pituitary glands, and supports brain health and function.

One of the main therapeutic uses of Fucus vesiculosus is for thyroid conditions such as hypothyroidism and goiter. Partly due to its high iodine content, this kind of kelp assists in the production of thyroid hormones, which help regulate the thyroid gland. People who don't eat dairy products, seafood, and salt may develop an iodine deficiency, which may result in low thyroid function. Kelp is a good source of iodine for those who may be deficient.

Thyroid hormones are also necessary to maintain a normal metabolism. Fucus vesiculosus helps boost metabolism, which helps to sustain normal weight (especially in people who are overweight because of a thyroid condition).

This type of kelp is also used to rid the body of and keep it from absorbing harmful chemicals, toxins, carcinogens, and such heavy metal pollutants as barium and cadmium. Algin, a fiber-like extract of kelp, helps prevent the body from assimilating these elements. Algin is used industrially in the production of tires and as an agent that prevents ice cream from crystallizing. Kelp also helps to prevent the body from absorbing radioactive elements such as strontium 90, a dangerous radioactive substance created by nuclear power plants. However, since Fucus vesiculosus absorbs toxic chemicals, it must be harvested from clean waters or it may contain toxins.

Kelp also reduces cholesterol levels by inhibiting bile acid absorption. The diuretic effect of kelp is beneficial to an irritated or infected bladder since it helps to flush out harmful bacteria. Kelp helps reduce inflammation in injured tissues and ease painful joints in rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis. Kelp may also reduce an enlarged prostate in men, and is also used to strengthen fingernails, prevent hair loss, and regenerate hair if the follicle is still alive.

In addition to its medicinal uses, kelp contains natural antioxidants that make it useful to the food industry in retarding spoilage. The cosmetics industry is also studying the effects of a gel derived from kelp in improving the elasticity of human skin.

Due to its iodine content, kelp is taken as an ant goiter remedy. Kelp appears to raise the metabolic rate by increasing hormone production by the thyroid gland, but this increase may be limited to poorly functioning thyroids. Kelp is reputedly helpful in rheumatic conditions.

Other medical uses - Colorectal cancer.

Kelp is used to strengthen and promote the glands. It controls the thyroid and regulates metabolism. It is a sustainer to the nervous system and the brain, and is a terrific boost for pregnancy and the developing child. It contains over 30 essential minerals and vitamins.

Food Uses: Probably the most widely known seaweed used for food is Porphyra, which literally means purple (see sample leaf below), reflecting its color in nature. The Chinese name is zicai, which means purple vegetable. It is classified among the red algae, which have red to purple pigments. Upon processing to yield the food, the red pigments are lost and the final product has a dark greenish color. The other common food item is the low cost but highly nutritious kelp (kunbu in Chinese). Kombu is usually sold in 5-6-inch dried pieces and can be found in health food stores. It is also sold as kombu that cooks quickly, vinegared, shaved kombu that needs little or no cooking, boiled, soy sauce flavored kombu, lightly pickled kombu, and powdered kombu that can be sprinkled on food or used in drinks. Dried kombu needs to be simmered for at least 20 minutes to soften it and flavor the liquid. If used only for flavoring stock, the kombu itself is removed from the liquid at the end of cooking and discarded.

Medicinal Uses:

Seaweeds have a salty taste that is an indication that the material can disperse phlegm accumulation, particularly as it forms soft masses, include goiter, the thyroid swelling that indicates severe iodine deficiency. Following are the descriptions of the seaweeds from Oriental Materia Medica:

Properties: Salty in flavor, cold in nature, it is related to the liver and kidney channels.

Functions: Eliminates phlegm, softens hard masses, induces diuresis (increased excretion of urine), alleviates edema (excess accumulation of serous fluid in connective tissue or in a serous cavity), and expels pathogenic heat. It has the same functions and applications as those of seaweed and they are therefore often used in mutual reinforcement.

Kunbu (Laminaria and Ecklonia):

Essence and Flavor: Salty, Cold
Channel Entered: Liver, Stomach, Kidney
Actions: Softens hardness, disperses accumulation, resolves phlegm, cleanses heat
Applications: Scrofula, goiter, tumor, edema, accumulation, testicular pain and swelling

Haizao (Sargassum):

Essence and Flavor: Bitter, Salty, Cold
Channel Entered: Liver, Stomach, Kidney
Actions: Disperses accumulated phlegm, disperses goiter and tumor, delivers water, cleanses heat
Applications: Scrofula, goiter, tumor, edema, testicular pain and swelling
Algae,Kelp Extract INCI Name Laminaria Hyperborea Extract Laminaria Japonica Extract Laminaria Digitata Extract CAS 90046-12-1.90046-13-2.223751-72-2.EINECS ELINCS No.:289-980-0.289-981-6 Algae Fucus extract Seaweed extract photo picture image

Zicai (Porphyra):

Essence and Flavor: Sweet, Salty, Cold
Channel Entered: Lung
Actions: Resolves phlegm, softens hardness, dispels heat, promotes diuresis
Applications: Goiter, beriberi [leg swelling], edema, urinary infection, sore throat

The descriptions for kunbu and haizao are quite similar. Yang Yifan wrote about the differences between these commonly used seaweeds:

Haizao and Kunbu are salty and cold, and enter the liver, lung, and kidney meridians. Both can clear heat, transform phlegm, soften hardness, and dissipate nodules. They can also promote urination and reduce edema. In clinical practice, they are often used together to treat nodules such as goiter and scrofula.

There are some differences between the two herbs. Haizao is stronger in transforming phlegm and dissipating nodules, and it is more suitable for treating goiter and scrofula. Kunbu is stronger in softening hardness and reducing congealed blood; it is more suitable for treating liver-spleen enlargement, liver cirrhosis, and tumors.

One of the best known formulas with the seaweeds is Haizao Yuhu Tang, or the Sargassum Decoction for the Jade Flask. This formula of 12 ingredients includes Sargassum, Ecklonia, and Laminaria. It was used to treat a condition of goiter which was so severe it made the throat look like a large flask. However, these seaweeds have been adopted into formulas for treating other soft swellings, including ovarian cysts, breast lumps, lymph node swellings, lipomas, and fat accumulation from simple obesity.

Reference:

1.Algae is your friend,algae is the super food,seaweed is high in fiber,kelp is used in many different ways.

last edit date:10th,Mar.2010.

Available Product

Name:Algae,Kelp Extract
Serie No:P082
Specifications:10:1.TLC
INCI Name:LAMINARIA DIGITATA EXTRACT,LAMINARIA HYPERBOREA EXTRACT,LAMINARIA JAPONICA EXTRACT.
EINECS/ELINCS No.:289-980-0.289-981-6.
CAS:90046-12-1.90046-13-2.223751-72-2.
Chem/IUPAC Name:Laminaria Digitata Extract is an extract of the algae, Laminaria digitata, Laminariaceae Laminaria Hyperborea Extract is an extract of the algae, Laminaria hyperborea, Laminariaceae

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