Sea Vegetables Are The Oldest and Most Powerful Nutritious Plants on Earth!
Steven Schecter, N.D - "There is no family of foods more
protective against radiation and environmental pollutants than sea vegetables ...
sea vegetables can prevent assimilation of different radionuclitides,
heavy metals such as cadmium, and other environmental
toxins." An experiment conducted by J.F. Stara at the
Environmental Protection Agency showed that sodium alginate
significantly reduced the amount of radio active strontium in the
bones of cats. Stara observed that radio active strontium in the
bones is resecreted into the intestines where it is bound by
alginate, neutralized then excreted in the stools."
Our Land, Soils, and Most of Our Food Sources
are Almost Completely Depleted of Vital Nutrients! If our land and
soils are depleted of vital nutrients, then the plants grown on
them will also be depleted. Seaweed, algae, and kelp can
serve as excellent sources of minerals such as iron, iodine,
potassium, and trace minerals. Sea vegetables also have a high
digestible protein level. When compared to plants that grow on
land, sea vegetables are 10 to 20 times higher in vitamins,
minerals and amino acids. Ounce for ounce, along with herbs, sea
vegetables are higher in vitamins and minerals than any other food
on the planet!
Consumption of seaweed for vibrant health is not some current
fad or new idea. For 1,000's of years, many Asian cultures have
attributed their long life spans and overall good health to their
daily intake of sea vegetables. Seaweed as a staple item of diet
has been used in Japan and China since prehistoric times. In fact,
seaweed has been part of the traditional diet of all coastal
cultures, including the people of Japan, Korea, China, Iceland,
Sweden, Wales, Scotland, Hawaii, and the South Pacific Islands.
Seawater contains every mineral and trace mineral known in
organic form and in the proper ratios needed by human tissues. Dr.
René Quinton, French biologist/physiologist, proved that pure
seawater is virtually identical to mammalian blood plasma. With the
assistance of many eminent physicians, he successfully used
seawater as a healing agent on thousands of patients in France and
Egypt in the early 1900s. Navy doctors successfully used seawater
during the Second World War when blood serum supplies ran out.
Through the miracle of photosynthesis sea vegetables capture the
vital energy of the sun and a full spectrum of nutrients from the
sea. In fact, it is believed by some that a balanced combination of
sea vegetables may possibly contain every nutrient known to
mankind.
Organic Sea Vegetables are a gold mine of power-packed
vital nutrition with macro and micro nutrients, vitamins, plant sterols, antioxidants, trace
minerals, omega 3's, phytonutrients, enzymes, organic
iodine, fucoidan and a host of many more power packed nutrients!
Plus...it contains various naturally occurring compounds that have
been studied for their incredible health benefits. These
naturally occurring compounds can work as a great boost to your
immune system and assist in enhancing your overall health and well
being.
Seaweeds are really not a weed but large marine algae that grow
in the coastal waters of many countries. They include thousands of
species from microscopic plants called phytoplankton to huge
floating/anchored plants commonly seen washed up on shore. Many
kinds of seaweed are eaten by people because they are full of
vitamins and iodine. Asian cultures use seaweed like green beans
and carrots are used in the United States. One of seaweed's most
prominent health benefits is its ability to remove radioactive
strontium and other heavy metals from our bodies. Brown seaweeds
such as kelp contain alginic acid which binds with the toxins in
the intestines rendering them indigestible and carries them out of
the system.
Obesity is rare among the Polynesians and other races who
incorporate seaweeds as a regular part of their daily diet. This
plant influences the mucous membranes and lymphatics. It is a slow,
persistent agent, but it will accomplish the desired weight loss
results. It is stimulating to the absorbents and especially
influences the fatty globules. Its best action is observed in
individuals having a cold, torpid, clammy skin and loose flabby
rolls of fat. It is an agent that gives better results in sick,
overweight people than in cases of healthy, fat people (Luc:50).
Instead of being simply a weight loss agent, it is more a
normalizer, as thin people can put on weight while taking
Kelp.
Sea vegetables are virtually fat-free, low calorie and one of
the richest sources of minerals in the vegetable kingdom as they
have ready access to the abundance of minerals found in the ocean.
Nourishment is acquired across the sea vegetables entire surface
through the gentle wave action of underwater currents. Sea water
and human blood contain many of the same minerals in very similar
concentrations. As the natural iodine boosts thyroid activity, food
fuels are used before they can turn into fatty deposits. Vitamin K,
a fat-soluble vitamin in seaweeds, aids adrenal regulation, so a
seaweed bath also helps maintain hormone balance for a more
youthful body.
I use raw nori sheet seaweed instead of bread. I love the taste of Nori.
It is made in Asia from nourishing seaweed, rich in trace minerals,
vitamins and other important nutrients. It is non-fattening, rich
in fiber. I use it to make "taco" or "burito" stuffed with lettuce,
avocado, tomatoes, smoked salmon or raw cheese. My dog loves Nori too. I give it to him as a treat or mix
it with his food. Shirley
Sea vegetables contain high amounts of calcium and phosphorous
and are extremely high in magnesium, iron, iodine and sodium. For
example, 1/4 cup of cooked hijiki contains over half the calcium
found in a cup of milk and more iron than in an egg, important
concerns for vegans, those who refrain from eating any animal-based
products. They also contain vitamins A, B1, C and E, as well as
protein and carbohydrates.
The beauty of using the seaweed is that it can only do good, and
never harm. It does not deplete the energy of the body as some
reducing programs do; indeed, it strengthens the vital energy by
working in cooperating with the endocrine glands. It has been found
that there is a definite connection between the amount of energy
available and our iodine intake. In Kelp, as we mentioned before,
we have a perfectly natural source of all the iodine we
require.
Sea Vegetables Rich in Iodine
Emerald Sea is a rich and rare natural source of iodine from
the most nutrient dense species of seaweed on the planet. If
there is enough iodine in our bodies, radioactive fallout is no
longer able to concentrate in the thyroid and it will simply pass
through. This is just one of the many benefits of natural,
food-based iodine. It not only helps to ensure proper
operation of the thyroid and our entire endocrine system, it helps
to protect this vital gland from the dangers of radioactive
fallout.
Chlorella Algae to Remove Heavy Metals, Mercury and Pesticides
Chlorella have been found to be very effective in Germany for
mercury elimination. Chlorella was first identified by a Dutch
scientist in 1890. But it was not until the 1950's that Japanese
studies threw light on its enormous potential. Researchers
discovered that some of chlorella's beneficial health effects
appeared to stem from a high concentration of chlorophyll
and
beta carotene, as well as from its unusual cell wall.
Cell wall of this alga binds with heavy metals, pesticides, PCB,
... and carries these toxins safely out of the body.
Chlorella is an important part of the systemic mercury
elimination program, as approximately 90% of the mercury is
eliminated through the stool. Using large doses of chlorella
facilitates fecal mercury excretion. After the intestinal mercury
burden is lowered, mercury will more readily migrate into the
intestine from other body tissues from where chlorella will
effectively remove it. Chlorella found to be very effective for mercury elimination
Chlorella has been demonstrated to remove heavy metals and
other synthetics from the body by actually binding with them so
they may be pulled from the bloodstream. However, this result can
only be measured if the level of heavy metals in the bloodstream
are known before and after a person starts taking chlorella. It
takes approximately 3-6 months once starting chlorella for heavy
metals to begin to be removed from the blood depending on the
amount of chlorella taken. If it has been determined that a person
does have heavy metals in their body, they should begin by taking
15-20 grams per day depending on the level of heavy metals that are
present. Detoxification - How Chlorella
Works
It contains Chlorella Growth Factor ( CGF ). CGF
strengthens immunity by improving the activity of T- and B- cells,
which defense against viruses. CGF strengthens immunity by
improving the activity of macrophages , which destroys
cancer. The Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF) was isolated in the 1950s
and indicates the level of chlorella's nucleic acids, says Paul
Pitchford. Nucleic acids -- RNA and DNA -- in the body direct our
cellular growth and repair, yet they decline as we age, and they're
depleted by stress, pollution and poor diet.
Sometimes called the green blood tonic and cleanser, it's
reported to be beneficial in cases of anemia, and studies have
shown its ability to stimulate regeneration of tissue, accelerate
the healing of wounds and inhibit the growth of some tumors. Some
scientists think chlorella may help to prevent degenerative disease
and even slow down the aging process, while American researcher Dr.
David Steenblock believes it has great potential in the treatment
of cancer, AIDS, Epsteir Barr disease and other equally chronic
viral illnesses.
Chlorella is not tolerated by about one-third of people
due to gastrointestinal distress. Chitosan can be effectively used
as an alternative in these individuals. Chitosan makes up most of
the hull of insects shellfish and also bind metals like mercury
from the lumen of the intestines.
Detoxification with Chlorella
It no longer takes 40+ years to accumulate enough acid waste in
your tissues, to cause degenerative diseases such as cancer,
diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. These
degenerative diseases are striking Americans at increasingly
younger ages because of our polluted environment and our ferocious
appetite for acid forming foods.
There have been numerous studies on Chlorella's detoxifying
effect on cadmium, heavy metals, PCBs, and chlordecone (a harmful
insecticide). In addition there have been recent findings of
chlorella's potential radioprotective effect against
Gamma-rays.
In 1984, Drug and Chemical Toxicology published a study by Dr.
Pore of the West Virginia University, School of Medicine, in which
chlorella administered to rats increased the rate of detoxification
of chlordecone (a harmful insecticide). It was shown that chlorella
caused the toxin to be removed from the body more than twice as
fast as the control group. Dr. Pore found two active absorbing
mechanisms in chlorella; sporopollenin (a carotene-like polymer)
and the cell wall itself.
In 1975, Japanese researchers, Hagino et al., found that
chlorella increased excretion of cadmium in individuals suffering
from cadmium poisoning. Dr.Steenblock sites other examples of
Chlorella's ability to detoxify in his book Chlorella Natural
Medicinal Algae: In one study "brewer's yeast culture was poisoned
and killed by the addition of P.C.B., mercury, copper and cadmium.
When Chlorella extract was added to these toxic substances, the
brewer's yeast remained alive!" "Other studies have shown that
chlorella cell walls absorb and hang onto uranium and lead."
"Chlorella has been used to detoxify people suffering from P.C.B.
exposure. Doctor Ueda of the Kitakyushu City Institute for
Environmental Pollution Research in Japan gave 30 patients who
suffered from P.C.B. exposure, daily doses of 4-6 grams of
Chlorella for a one year period. As a result almost all improved
(less tired, better digestion, normal bowel movements)"
Chlorella to Remove Mercury and Pesticides
Dr. Mercola - "Chlorella is an incredibly powerful
nutrient from the sea and is a form of algae. I use it quite a bit
for mercury detoxification as it
binds very strongly to mercury to eliminate it from the body.
Chlorella also is a useful source of chlorophyll, and it adds
magnesium and protein to the juice. Binds to other heavy metals and
pesticides in the juice. The normal dose is one teaspoon in the
juice. However, about 30% of people cannot tolerate the chlorella,
so if it makes you nauseous you should definitely avoid it.
Spirulina is another algae that has many similar benefits and is a
good balance to chlorella. However it does not bind to heavy metals
like chlorella."
Spirulina, Chlorella, and wild
blue-green ( Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) contain more chlorophyll
than any other foods. Dried micro algae, are the richest
source of proteins, beta-carotene, and nucleic acids (RNA and DNA),
and very rich source of GLA. Micro algae have been successfully
used to improve immunity of people with AIDS, Cancer, Colitus,
Diabetes ...
Ocean Superfoods: Protection against tumors and environmental pollutants
There is no family of foods more protective against radiation
and environmental pollutants than sea vegetables.Scientific
studies show that sea vegetables, such as kelp, contain sodium
alginate, which has the ability to bind to radioactive strontium.
Eating sea vegetables such as kelp will detox and protect from
radiation. Kombu, a member of the kelp family, is one of the most
radioprotective sea vegetables because it is high in fucoidan, a
potent radioactive detoxifier. Bladderwrack, another type of sea
vegetable, is also rich in fucoidan and can protect and detox from
radiation. Sea vegetables are also rich in iodine, which has a
protective effect on the thyroid in the event of a nuclear disaster
(see information on potassium iodide tablets above). They also bind
to and detox heavy metals. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
recommends that we consume two to three ounces (wet weight) of sea
vegetables per week, or two tablespoons daily to protect from
radiation toxicity. This should be increased fourfold during or
after direct exposure to radiation.
In 1974 a report was published by I. Yamamoto et. al. in the Japanese Journal of Experimental
Medicine, (44: 543-46). These scientists reported that several
varieties of Kombu Mojaban (common sea vegetables eaten in Asia and
traditionally used as a decoction for cancer in Chinese herbal
medicine) were effective in the treatment of tumors in
laboratory experiments. "In three of four samples tested,
inhibition rates in mice with implanted sarcomas ranged from
89-95%." "The tumor underwent complete regression in half of the
mice in each treated group." Similar experiments on mice with
leukemia have also shown promising results."
Algae are ubiquitous; a multitude of species ranging from
microscopic unicells to gigantic kelps inhabit the world's oceans,
freshwater bodies, soils, rocks, and trees, and are responsible for
most of the global production of organic matter by photosynthesis.
They thus play a fundamental role in the world's ecosystems and a
reliable and modern introduction to their kaleidoscopic diversity,
systematics, and phylogeny is indispensable. In this textbook, the
main groups of algae (divisions or phyla) are considered in turn.
Each chapter begins with a summary of the principal characteristics
of the group and interesting aspects of ecology and evolution. The
final chapter is a synthesis, in which the phylogeny of the algae
is discussed in relation to the evolution of other living
organisms, primarily on the basis of evidence from recent molecular studies.
The high density of nutrients found in algae is extremely important for many reasons.
Perhaps the most important (as noted above) is that these nutrients
maintain human cell membranes in structure and function. This is
vital for cell
detoxification, and for the overall metabolism of human
cells. In fact, the causes of diseases have been simplified to very
specific mechanisms, all of which center on cell membrane function
and structure. Inflammation, Oxidation, Toxicity, and Mitochondrial dysfunction keep cell membranes from doing their job
effectively. Algae contain high levels of antioxidants, and
anti-inflammatory micronutrients to fuel metabolism and
detoxification.
Linda Page, N.D. Ph.D. - "Sea plants can transform
your health. A seaweed bath is a great way to get the benefits of
sea plants all over your body. Seaweed baths are Nature's perfect
body-psyche balancer, and they're a good way get natural iodine.
There are many reasons why I recommend sea vegetables as part of my
healing programs -- weight loss, cellulite control, detoxification, beautiful hair and skin, and
more. Sea vegetables can transform your health! I believe that when
we eat sea vegetables, and when we take seaweed baths, we are
tapping into the ancestral and restorative source of all life- the
ocean. Include sea vegetables into your diet every day and you 'll
see a difference. I do! Sea plants -- gifts from the sea!"
Thalassotherapy or Hot Seaweed Bath - Ancient Bathing Remedies for Modern Living
Ocean therapy encompasses the
understanding that the element of water provides a restorative
balancing of emotions through tuning-in to the cyclical rhythms of
the ocean. From swimming with dolphins to incorporating ocean
healing into traditional Ayurvedic medicine, Ocean Therapy is
becoming more popular as a tool for healing deep emotional scars.
Ocean Therapy also includes the bathing hydrotherapies that have
applications to skin nutrition. Traditionally these therapies are
referred to as Thalasso Therapy.
Thalassotherapy is an ageless, health-restorative technique.
Thalassa is the ancient Greek word for sea. The Greeks indeed used
the sea for their well-being. I myself have seen 2500 year-old
healing sites on the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu, and the
ancient Greek healing center at Pergamum in what is now Turkey.
Thalassotherapy comes from the Greek word thalassos, or sea, and
is a treatment system using fresh heated seawater which
induces an exchange of minerals and toxins between the blood and
the water. It is extremely popular in Europe, especially France. As
with thermal spas, thalassotherapy centers benefit those with
certain medical conditions such as arthritis, and also those
without.
Even judging by the therapeutic centers still known to
us, much of the population of the ancient Greek and Roman world
soaked in sea water hot tubs and heated seaweed baths, drank and
inhaled sea water for health, got sea water massages, had sea green
facials and body wraps, and used sea water pools for hydrotherapy and
detoxification. Today we are learning, once
again, about the ability of the sea to reduce tension and de-stress
our bodies, detoxify the skin and improve circulation, speed weight
loss and cellulite control, and even ease menopausal
discomforts.
Typically, a stay at a thalasso therapy center would include
daily bathing in a heated seawater pool with jets, and other
facilities such as massages, aromatherapy or algae wraps.
A therapeutic clay bath is an excellent medium for whole body
rejuvenation. The skin, being the largest organ and riddled with
capillaries, ducts, and nerve endings, constitutes a major
eliminative and absorptive system. Engaging this system plus the
olfactory and dermal neural senses with the healing modalities of
Aromatherapy, Herbology, and Mineral Thallasotherapy (sea water
therapy) in one medium, can bring about profound changes in both
mind and body. A hot seaweed bath is one of the most effective
treatments in natural healing. When we take seaweed baths, we
are tapping into the ancestral and restorative source of all life-
the ocean.
For additional information on sea plants (kelp)
or to purchase bulk kelp in powder or granules (hand harvested off
the NW Coast of Iceland); Natural Sea Kelp Conditioner or Shampoo
and Sea Kelp Herbal Facial Scrub,
Kelp, a Rich Marine Plant
Commonly known as Rockweed, kelp, the Ascophyllum nodosum
seaweed is widely recognised to be the richest marine plant for
animal feed and for agricultural use. This unique seaweed grows
exclusively on the North Atlantic coast of North America and
Europe. It is found in particular abundance on the North Atlantic
coast of Canada, where its cold and clean growing environment is
continuously replenished by the world's highest tides.
Although this may be news to us, ancient
maritime cultures such as the Japanese, the Chinese, the South-Sea
Islanders and the Greenland Eskimos have known of the ocean's
secrets for hundreds of years. Kelp, or common seaweed, has long
been a favorite vegetable source amongst these nations.
This seaweed works like a sponge, absorbing from
the water almost all the nutrients, minerals and trace elements
that are essential to life. Kelp was first used medicinally to
treat enlarged thyroid glands. Physicians didn't know why kelp was
effective, until it was discovered that it was exceptionally rich
in iodine and that enlarged thyroids were due to an iodine
deficiency. Because iodine worked by stimulating the thyroid gland
that controls the metabolism, it was noted that those who took
iodine lost weight more easily.
From these observations, kelp was
then used to assist in weight loss. It has been suggested that
kelp's positive effects in assisting metabolism may help in
lowering cholesterol. This versatile seaweed is also widely used to
maintain healthy skin and hair. Kelp's most dramatic application is
its ability to neutralize heavy metal pollution and radiation in
the body. Studies have shown that the active ingredient in kelp,
sodium alginate, can prevent the absorption of newly ingested heavy
metals, but it has little effect on past exposures. Health
authorities in America have discouraged people from collecting kelp
along the shoreline because it could be contaminated by industrial
pollution. It was suggested that deep ocean kelp be obtained
commercially, either as a food or in supplement form.
Health Benefits of Kelp
Kelp contains over 60 minerals and elements, 21
amino acids, simple and complex carbohydrates and several essential
plant growth hormones. Being rich in amino acids, vitamins,
minerals and trace elements is one of the key reasons why kelp is
known as a great promoter of glandular health, especially for the
pituitary, adrenal and thyroid glands. Kelp also supplies a natural
source of iodine, which acts as an antibiotic to kill germs. Since
the thyroid and pituitary glands regulate certain functions of
digestion, kelp is beneficial in balancing out humans and animal's
total system. Nature has offered us this marvelous "herb of the
sea" in a complete and balanced form.