KELP
(Fucus vesiculosus,)


Popular Name(s): Kelp, Seawrack, Kelpware, Black-Tang, Bladder Fucus, Cutweed, Bladderwrack and Sea Weed.


Kelps are large seaweeds (algae) belonging to the brown algae (Phaeophyceae) in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera.


Kelps grow in underwater "forests" (kelp forests) in shallow oceans. The organisms require nutrient-rich water with temperatures between 6 to 14 degree celsius. They are known for their high growth rate — the genera Macrocytis and Nereocytis can grow as fast as half a metre a day, ultimately reaching 30 to 80 m.


Kelp-is actually the richest known source of natural (organic) iodine, which is vital for the prevention and treatment of iodine deficiencies. Iodine is also important to the function of the thyroid gland, and is a key component of thyroid
hormones, which are required for normal development and metabolism.

Close-up of bladder wrack's
eponymous vesicles

Close-up of bladder wrack's eponymous vesicle

Fucus vesiculosus, known by the common name bladder wrack or bladderwrack, is a seaweed found on the coasts of the North Sea, the western Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, also known by the common names black tang, rockweed, bladder fucus, sea oak, black tany, cut weed, dyers fucus, red fucus, and rock wrack. It was the original source of iodine, discovered in 1811, and was used extensively to treat goiter, a swelling of the thyroid gland related to iodine deficiency.


Part used: whole plant.
properties: demulcent, nutritive, alternative, diuretic.
What it affects: thyroid, nerves, brain, kidneys, and bladder.


Preparation and amount: 
Infusion: steep 5-15 min. and drink 1-2 cups daily.
Tincture: Drink5-10 drops 1-2 x a day.
Fluid extract: drink 10 drops 1-2 x a day.
Powder: Sprinkle on food. Take 1 tsp 1-2 x a day.
Powder:Take 3-5 #0 capsules (10-30grains)1-2 x a day.


Purposes:
California kelp, Norwegian kelp, Nova Scotia, and European Irish moss are all primarily useful for the trace minerals they contain. (California kelp is not as nutritionally good as the others.)


Internally, this seaweed provides an abundance of natural iodine which is missing from mush of the soil on the continents. In addition to their nutritive value, when eaten, the seaweed absorbs waste from the body fluids binds with poisons, and carries them off. A factor, called sodium alginate, in kelp binds with radioactive strontium 90 in the intestines and carries it out of the body. This is an extremely important discovery.


Warning: 
It is said that, because of their high iodine content, very large quantities of seaweed could produce goiter-like symptoms. But, in reality, the excess trace minerals tend to, rather quickly, be eliminated in the sweat and through the kidneys.