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Kelp is a seaweed that contains an amazing
amount of vitamins and minerals such as iodine, vitamin B2, niacin, choline,
carotene, alginic acid, 23 other minerals, and about 13 amino acids. The
most important of these is probably iodine because it has a normalizing
effect on the thyroid gland. If your matabolism is slow, iodine will
help speed it up. Of course the reverse is also true.
Iodine helps burn food, so it is not stored as unwanted fat. As early as
1862, a Dr. C. Dupare successfully used kelp as an aid to treat obesity.
In 1750, an english physician, Dr. Bernard Russell, burned dried kelp and used it successfully as a treatment for goiter, a condition caused by a malfuntioning of the thyroid gland. This use again depends on the iodine content, which kelp contains in natural form. Besides promoting the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, iodine helps provide energy, endurance, and relieves nervous tension. It promotes circulation, particularly to the brain, thereby contributing to better nourishment and to clear thought. An undersupply of this mineral can result in slow mental reaction, weight gain, and lack of energy/ Today's Herbal Health lists kelp as essentail during pregnancy. This same book claims eczema, fingernails, complexion, obesity and cleaning arteries as a few of the things theversatile seaweed is used for. The health handbook says a specific use is for preventing falling hair. Seaweeds are used principally in human food, animal food, fertilizer, and nutritional supplements. Agar-agar is used as a vegatation gelatin. Everyone would benefit from the habit of either taking tablets everyday, using kelp powder as a substitute, or using saweed in salads. You can eat as much as you like, it doesn't have any calories. Kelp averages 8 percent protein and 7.6 percent fibre. That represents 40 percent of recommended daily fibre and 10 percent of protein requirements per ounce of kelp. |
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