Sea Kelp

Sea Kelp - What is it?

A group of large, brown seaweeds with the scientific name Laminaria. Kelp is used for human food, especially by the coastal populations of China and Japan. It is very rich in iodine, consequently it is sometimes prescribed to treat deficiencies of that trace element. Some manufacturers of dietary products containing kelp claim that their high levels of iodine act as a weight-reducing agent by increasing the production of thyroid hormones (of which iodine is an essential component) and raising metabolic rate. This would result in excess fat being consumed as an energy source. The claim is unlikely to be true for people who are not iodine deficient. An excessively high iodine intake can be toxic.

Sea kelp
A generic name for any of the edible, brown seaweeds of the family Laminariaceae. See also kombu.

Kelp (Fucus vesiculosus) is a type of brown seaweed, moderate in size, that grows in regions with cold coastlines, including those of the northwestern United States and northern Europe. There are several varieties of sea kelp: true kelp, which thrives in cool seas; giant sea kelp, and bladder kelp, which grow in the North Pacific. Giant kelp is so named because it grows to 213 ft (65 m). Kelp anchors itself to rocky surfaces via tentacle-like roots. From these roots grows a slender stalk with long, leaf-like blades.

Kelp belongs to the Fucaceae family. Other names for Fucus vesiculosus are kelpware, black-tang, bladderfucus, cutweed, and bladderwrack. The main constituents of kelp include phenolic compounds, mucopolysaccharides, algin, polar lipids, and glycosyl ester diglycerides. Kelp also contains protein, carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids.

Kelp contains approximately 30 minerals. It is a rich source of iodine, calcium, sulfur, and silicon. Other minerals include phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, copper, zinc, manganese, barium, boron, chromium, lithium, nickel, silver, titanium, vanadium, aluminum, strontium, bismuth, chlorine, cobalt, gallium, tin, and zirconium. Kelp also contains vitamins C, E, D, K, and B complex. The highest concentrations of these vitamins and minerals are found in the tissues of kelp. Since sea kelp is such a valuable source of nutrients, it is often recommended as a dietary supplement, particularly for people with mineral deficiencies.

Origins

Different kinds of kelp have been eaten for nutritional value for over a thousand years. The Chinese used sea kelp and other types of seaweed as medicine as far back as 3,000 B.C. The Greeks used kelp to feed their cattle around the first century B.C. Kelp has been a staple food of Icelanders for centuries, and ancient Hawaiian nobles grew gardens of edible seaweed. Kelp was also used in Europe and Great Britain as fertilizer to nourish soil and assist plant growth.

The largest consumer of kelp, however, has been Japan. The Japanese have incorporated kelp and seaweed into their diets for 1,500 years. During the seventh to ninth centuries, only the Japanese nobility consumed seaweed. In the seventeenth century, Japan began farming seaweed. The Japanese and other Asian cultures used kelp to treat uterine problems, genital tract disorders, and kidney, bladder, and prostate ailments.

Sea kelp is still an integral part of the Japanese diet. The Japanese include kelp in almost every meal, using it in salads or as a garnish, or cooking it in soups, sauces, and cakes. Noodles made from kelp are a staple of the Japanese diet. Until recently, kelp was eaten almost exclusively by the Japanese. Now the Western population is beginning to take note of this nutrient-rich seaweed. However, Fucus vesiculosus is not the kind of kelp that is eaten.

Eating dietary kelp may be responsible for the low rate of breast cancer among Japanese women, and also for the low rate of heart disease, respiratory disease, rheumatism, arthritis, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal ailments. The occurrence of thyroid disease is also low in Japan.

General Use

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 sea 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 sea 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, sea 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.

Preparations

The kelp used medicinally in modern times is generally harvested in kelp farms. These farms help preserve the natural balance of the sea, which is disrupted when large amounts of naturally growing seaweed are removed. Farming kelp also helps to ensure that the kelp retains its nutritional value. Kelp loses valuable nutrients when it is washed ashore. When kelp is harvested, it is cut, dried, then ground into powder. It is this powder that is encapsulated or pressed into tablets.

Kelp is available in bulk form either dried or as a ground powder. It is also sold as granules, capsules, tablets, or tinctures. Granulated or powdered sea kelp can be added to food as a salt substitute.

The recommended daily dose for adults is 10–15 mg. Kelp can also be made into a tea. To create an infusion, 1 cup of boiling water is poured over 2-3 tsp of dried or powdered kelp. The tea is steeped for 10 minutes, and can be drunk three times daily.

Books on Seaweed and Sea Kelp

Japanese cookbooks such as Shizuo Tsuji's classic Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art and Elizabeth Andoh's Washoku: Recipes From the Japanese Home Kitchen offer information on different types of seaweed and how to prepare them.

Books focusing specifically on seaweed include:

• Sea Vegetable Celebration: Recipes Using Ocean Vegetables, by Shep Erhart and Leslie Cerier.

• Sea Vegetables Harvesting Guide and Cookbook, by Evelyn McConnaughey.

• The New Seaweed Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Discovering the Deep Flavors of the Sea, by Crystal June Maderia.

• Vegetables From the Sea: Everyday Cooking With SeaGreens, by Jill Gusman.

Seaweed (Sea kelp) in the Japanese diet

Nori Japanese seaweed.
From the dawn of civilization, Japanese women would gather seaweed in the morning and burn it in the evening. On the surface it seems like busy work or vengeance, but it was actually a life-giving practice. It hardly sounds appealing, but one of the earliest uses for seaweed, in Japan, was to extract its salt by drying it in the sun, then burning it and using the ashes to season food.

Thankfully, since then, the paths of table salt and seaweed, in Japan, have separated. The Japanese found better ways of taking salt from sea water, and more delectable ways to include the nutrient-rich vegetables from the sea in their diet. The influence of Buddhism helped them on the way.

Buddhism introduced a vegetarian diet to Japan and, because oil was virtually absent from the early Japanese kitchen, neither pan frying or deep frying were used. Boiling was the nearly universal cooking method in Japanese temples, and it became common practice to add a piece of giant sea kelp -- konbu (or kombu)in Japanese -- to the broth.

Konbu Japanese seaweed.
Konbu, as would any edible seaweed, added salt and calcium (an essential nutrient that most of us do not get enough of) to the monks' diet. More saliently, konbu contains glutamine, the natural form of monosodium glutamate, which enhances the flavor of any foods that are cooked with it.

Used on its own, or (for vegetarian dishes) augmented with the water used to soak dried shiitake mushrooms, or flavored with flakes of dried bonito, konbu stock became a signature element of both modern and traditional Japanese cuisine. In Japanese it has been given the name, dashi.

Shizuo Tsuji, founder of the Tsuji Cooking School, wrote in his book, Japanese Cooking A Simple Art, "Dashi provides Japanese cuisine with its characteristic flavor, and it can be said without exaggeration that the success or failure (or mediocrity) of a dish is ultimately determined by the flavor and quality of the dashi that seasons it." In addition to making this fundamental contribution to Japanese cuisine, konbu can be eaten on its own cut into thin ribbons or shreds. Small pieces of rolled up konbu are a traditional part of Japanese New Year meals.

Buy the 'Essential Japanese Cooking' video series. 
Another kind of kelp, very popular in Japanese cooking, is called wakame. Wakame has a thinner leaf than konbu, a sweeter, less forthright flavor, and a silkier texture. Both kinds of kelp are a common ingredient in Japanese soups. Wakame often makes an appearance in salads.

Hijiki is a different, well liked, species. Unlike the broad leafed kelps, hiijiki has threadlike branches. It has a slightly nutty taste and is usually simmered with soy sauce and other elements, taking on their flavor. Unlike most other seaweeds, it is over fifty percent carbohydrate. It is also said to help eliminate toxins from the body, but this has recently become a point of controversy. The food standards agencies of several countries have tested their hijiki products and found they contained high levels of inorganic arsenic. The evidence suggests that it does not matter where the hijiki grows, because the levels of arsenic found were similar in all countries. Those agencies have issued warnings recommending against eating hijiki.

Wakame Japanese seaweed.
On the other hand, hijiki is usually served in small quantities, as an accent, an appetizer, or one ingredient in a salad, soup, or rice dish. In order to receive a harmful dose of inorganic arsenic from hijiki, you would have to consume large quatities of hijiki every day for an extended period of time. Notwithstanding their caveats against eating hijiki, the food standards agencies also state that no one who has been eating normal amounts of hijiki up until now should consider themselves at risk, and that no other edible seaweeds contain high levels of inorganic arsenic.

Nori is a seaweed that has found a solid niche in Japanese cuisine. It was the first to be farmed in Japan. When the Tokugawa Ieyasu established his shogunate in what is present-day Tokyo in the early seventeenth century, he ordered local fishermen to bring fresh fish to his palace every day. To make the task easier, the fishermen of the Tokyo Bay area built a bamboo fence in the bay to enclose an area where fish could be held. They soon discovered that nori grew abundantly on this fence. By early in the next century, there were 142 nori beds being maintained in the bay.

Hijiki Japanese seaweed.
While the Western world has historically ignored the nutritional benefits of most seaweeds, nori has been eaten by the native peoples of countries around the globe. Dry nori is between thirty and fifty percent protein, and high in fiber. It has a crisp texture and a sweet, slightly salty taste, even though its sodium content is relatively low.

In its natural form sea kelp, nori is a very thin-leafed, reddish-colored plant (called “purple laver” in English), but virtually all nori sold in Japan is processed by cutting it into small pieces and making a slurry that is dried on frames similar to the ones used to make paper. The uniform sheets, which turn a dark green color during processing, are the product you will find in Japanese food stores.

Read full article [by Alan Wiren - japanvisitor.com]

Seaweed (Sea Kelp) May Lower Breast Cancer Risk

The oceans may hold a new clue about preventing breast cancer

In studies on rats, dietary kelp (seaweed) lowered estrogen production, a hormone needed for some breast cancers to grow. The studies also show that kelp can block the action of certain hormones, which may help lower the risk even further.

It's the latest lead in a hunt for foods that protect against breast cancer. The results suggest that kelp might echo soy's presumed protective, anti-estrogen effect.

But don't make room in your refrigerator for seaweed just yet. The researchers want to learn a lot more about sea kelp first. Dietary sources of kelp include sushi wraps, and miso soup may come sprinkled with brown sea kelp.

"People should be careful about excessive sea kelp intake," says researcher Christine Skibola in a news release. "The high levels of iodine and low levels of heavy metals contained in kelp means that it's not recommended for people who are pregnant, nursing, or who have hyperthyroid conditions."

Seaweed: A Staple of Japanese Diets
The researchers' interest stems from Japanese cuisine. "Brown kelp seaweed makes up more than 10% of the Japanese diet," says Skibola, an assistant research toxicologist at the University of California, Berkeley.

Japan has one of the world's lowest rates of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. The low cancer rates have been attributed to the high dietary intake of soy. But there's more to the Japanese diet than soy.

Sea kelp is also widely eaten in Japan. Having seen kelp help two women with endometriosis and menstrual irregularities, Skibola wanted to study it further.

Around 2 million women living in the U.S. have been treated for breast cancer, and about 211,000 will be diagnosed this year, says the American Cancer Society. Approximately two-thirds of those breast cancers are estrogen-dependent.

Testing Sea Kelp's Powers
The researchers studied 24 female rats. Some rats got standard food with no kelp. Others received a diet of high or low doses of kelp. Both kelp doses were in line with Japanese kelp consumption.

Rats don't normally eat sea kelp, so the researchers sprinkled apple wedges with dried bladderwrack seaweed from Maine. The rats gobbled up the kelp-laced apples, following the diets for four weeks.

After four weeks on the kelp-supplemented diet, the rats showed a 25%-38% reduction in estrogen levels compared with the start of the study.

Longer Cycles, Less Estrogen Exposure
Kelp also lengthened the rats' menstrual cycle by up to 37%.

High estrogen levels stimulate the division of breast cells with gene mutations and increase the chances of new mutations. That can raise breast cancer risk, says a news release.

Women with longer menstrual cycles have fewer cycles over their lifetime. They spend less time over the years in their cycle's high-estrogen phase. Japanese women have longer menstrual cycles and lower estrogen levels than their Western counterparts, write the researchers.

The researchers also tested kelp on human ovarian cells. The cells cut estrogen production by 18%-35%, depending on the kelp dose. Kelp also was able to block estrogen's ability to bind with the ovarian cells.

More Work Needed
Skibola's team is searching for kelp's active ingredients, which may yield new breast cancer treatments. The researchers also want to study wakame and kombu seaweeds, which are favored in Japan. They also call for bigger studies to see how kelp affects another female reproductive hormone, progesterone.

Article Sources 
Skibola, C. Journal of Nutrition, February 2005; vol 135: pp 296-300. News release, University of California, Berkeley.

Uses for Sea Kelp

Promote Healthy Thyroid Function

Sea vegetables, especially sea kelp, are nature's richest sources of iodine, which as a component of the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), is essential to human life. The thyroid gland adds iodine to the amino acid tyrosine to create these hormones. Without sufficient iodine, your body cannot synthesize them. Because these thyroid hormones regulate metabolism in every cell of the body and play a role in virtually all physiological functions, an iodine deficiency can have a devastating impact on your health and well-being. A common sign of thyroid deficiency is an enlarged thyroid gland, commonly called a goiter. Goiters are estimated to affect 200 million people worldwide, and in all but 4% of these cases, the cause is iodine deficiency.

Sea Kelp for Health

If you've ever touched seaweed that washed up on the beach, chances are you noticed its slippery texture. The gelatinous quality of this sea plant makes it an ideal ingredient for shampoos and creams, as it protects and adds shine to hair and skin. In fact, many marine plants—from tiny algae to giant kelp—provide nourishment and protection when applied to the body.

"Algae are some of the most nutrient-rich life forms in nature, which is why they're present in so many cosmetics," says Ben Fuchs, cosmetic formulator for Rocky Mountain Natural Labs in Boulder, Colorado. "They're full of minerals that can help draw toxins from the skin."

Knowing about marine herb properties will help you understand their purpose in body care products. In cellulite creams, algae helps draw out impurities and temporarily "tightens" the skin. This firming ability is also an asset in eye gels or wrinkle creams. Sea herbs in facial masks heal, hydrate, detoxify, and re-mineralize the skin. While Fuchs cautions that we still don't know how much of the nutrients actually penetrate the skin, their amino acids—and slippery texture—do act as conditioners.

To identify seaweed on labels, look for either common or Latin names: bladderwrack ( fucus ), kelp (laminaria), Irish moss (sometimes listed as carrageenan, the name of the extract), SuperPhycoDismutase (or SPD, the name of an extract of a French coastal seaweed), or simply algae extract. Most of these sea herbs contribute a silky texture to creams and act as natural thickening agents, making it easy to benefit from the power of the ocean—even if you live far from its shores.

Sea algae provide:
Chlorophyll: helps detoxify
Essential fatty acids: improve skin elasticity
Carbohydrates: stimulate the skin's ability to heal
Vitamin A: an antioxidant, normalizes skin cells
Protein/amino acids: building blocks of cells, skin conditioners

What is Sea Kelp and how is it used?

Sea kelp are large seaweeds (algae), belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. Despite their appearance they are not grouped with the normal aquatic or land plants (kingdom Plantae), but instead are included in either kingdom Protista or Chromista. There are about 30 different genera. Kelp grows in underwater forests (kelp forests) in clear, shallow oceans, requiring nutrient-rich water below about 20 °C. It offers protection to some sea creatures, or food for others. It is known for its high growth rate — the genus Macrocystis and Nereocystis luetkeana grow as fast as half a metre a day.

Through the 19th Century, the word "kelp" was closely associated with seaweeds that could be burned to obtain soda ash (primarily sodium carbonate). The seaweeds used included species from both the orders Laminariales and Fucales. The word "kelp" was also used directly to refer to these processed ashes.

There are many positive signs that highlight health benefits of sea kelp from it’s ability to regulate the thyroid, to it’s ability to help stave off the common cold or even the influenza virus. There are also many topical benefits of kelp when it is extracted and made available in its liquid form.

Digitata Laminaria is renowned as the most prized sea kelp on the planet. Growing wild in the pristine waters of Nova Scotia, this species of kelp contains the highest levels of vitamins and minerals to provide an optimal Sea kelp Health Benefit. The availability of kelp health products is becoming more and more common, as studies and reports emerge extolling the virtues of this amazing and abundant plant. Kelp can be eaten raw, you can find it now in pill and capsule form, however the latest technology which provides the greatest kelp health benefit due to it’s greater bio-availability, is liquid kelp.

Certification of these Sea kelp Health Benefits are derived from:

1- Journal of Nutrition February 2005

2- Greatest Bio-availability - Liquid Sea Kelp is assimilated far quicker than pills or capsules

Breast Cancer: The Connection of Iodine, Thyroid Problems altered by Kelp Health Benefits Breast cancer is one of the most familiar health risks women face, that can see a kelp health benefit. Mortality rates have not changed significantly since records started to be kept in the 1920s.  Surgery, chemotherapy, mammography, and radiation have not altered the mortality rate. Eighty five percent of women who develop breast cancer will die of causes directly related to breast cancer. (Source: Dr. David Derry)

Dr. Derry’s hypotheses of sea kelp health benefits, are founded on extended studies of published medical papers in conjunction with his experience as a clinician, and are not just his opinions. Studies are currently underway involving the effects of organic iodine from kelp on cancer prevention and reduction - several studies are exhibiting very positive Kelp Health Benefits of natural kelp products. Because breast cancer rates worldwide carry on to increasing, more people are interested in early intervention or prevention.

Dr. Derry advises maintaining our natural immune system with small-scale daily dosages of naturally occurring iodine from sea kelp, and improving metabolising wellness by renormalising suitable thyroid levels, capitalising on natures Kelp Health Benefits.

Realizing that a diet rich in sea kelp might lessen the danger of estrogen-dependent diseases like Breast Cancer, health researchers at UCLA Berkeley, demanded a significant increase in scientific research into sea kelp health benefits.

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