Minerals, vitamins, and other supplements are hugely popular these days. People are consuming pills and powders in such quantities that the health supplement industry pulls in over $100 Billion a year. This is good for business, but is it really good for us?  

If we look at the natural world around us, we can see that all of our nutritional needs are already met. Instead of using chemical processes to extract and synthesise the nutrients we need, why not go straight to the source? Nature provides many substances that seem to have the perfect balance of vitamins and minerals to meet our health needs, do we really think we can do better in a laboratory?    

Often, Western science tries to extract one “active ingredient” from a substance, assuming this will give better results (and hoping to make money from expensive supplements). But many plants have all sorts of different compounds in a perfect balance, working together in ways we do not understand. Instead of trying to outdo nature, we should appreciate the healing that it provides. 

In our Mind, Body and Soul Magazine, we ran an article about Dr Sebi, who proposed that the diseases faced in the modern world are caused by our separation from nature. We completely agree – many problems can be cured by returning to a more natural way of living.  From our experience, there are certain situations when a person may benefit from vitamin or mineral supplement, but where often the best results come from using something natural.

Two incredible plants from the sea, that contain a perfect balance of nutrients are Sea Moss and Bladderwrack. 

Sea Moss 

Also known as Irish Moss, is not really a moss at all, but a form of Algae. It grows in many parts of the world and was traditionally used in Ireland for a variety of medicinal purposes. It is widely used in the Caribbean; in the UK it can be found in stores that stock Caribbean products. 

Dr Sebi was a huge promoter of Sea Moss. He liked to demonstrate the strength of his bones by falling to his knees, on to concrete, in his late 70s! He credited the amazing mineral content of Sea Moss as the reason he could do this (it contains potassium, calcium and iodine).  

 “Drink it as much as you want, all day every day if you want to because the more you drink the better it is… it does everything” Dr Sebi on Sea Moss 

There are many benefits of Sea Moss. It has a high concentration of iodine, and other substances that help with the function of the Thyroid gland. Many Thyroid problems are due to a lack of iodine, and we always recommend Sea Moss to our customers when we suspect they are having thyroid issues. It can also help with colds and more serious respiratory problems since it contains potassium chloride which dissolves mucous. It also has anti-viral properties so we recommend it for people suffering from the flu. 

It really is natures multi-mineral and vitamin supplement, and in our opinion and superior one to anything you can find in a health food store. It contains a whooping 92 useful minerals, plus vitamin C, B vitamins and amino acids like Taurine. It is great for boosting the immune system, and the high fibre content means that it can aid digestion.  

Many people experience an energy boost when consuming sea moss, so we always offer it to customers suffering from lack of energy. Many of our customers have said it helped with their arthritis, we believe this is due to its nutrients being beneficial for joint health, plus its anti-inflammatory properties help the pain. 

 We noticed that a lot of the commercially available sea moss is not very high quality. Many vendors sell a mass produce sea moss which has thin strands and is dull in colour. The thin strands make it harder to clean, and we generally find that mass-produced products have a reduced concentration of nutrients. We sell the Eucheuma variety of sea moss, which has thick spaghetti-like strands and a light colour. It makes a very thick gel and contains a very high concentration of minerals. Our customers have reported that it gives them much better results than other brands.  

To prepare sea moss for use, we recommend soaking it over-night in mineral water. It will expand to around double the size. Then drain it, add new mineral water and boil for 10 minutes. After this, blend it with a hand blender and leave in the fridge over-night. You will be left with a gel that can be added to fruit juice, smoothies or soup for an instant boost of energy and nutrients.  

 
Bladderwrack 
 

Bladderwrack is another remarkable substance from the sea. It is not as well known as Sea Moss, but it is steadily gaining popularity. We have noticed more people are asking about it and we are trying to learn as much as possible about how it helps.  
 
Like Sea Moss, it contains many nutrients that can help with thyroid function. People are using it for all types of problems such as arthritis. We stock an organic variety of Bladderwrack which our customers find beneficial in combination with Sea Moss.  
 

Our Sea Moss is available online here, or in the store.  Bladderwrack is available in-store subject to availability. You are welcome to pop in for a consultation!