Cal-a-Vie
Anyone who has enjoyed spa therapies has encountered a number of treatments containing the greens of the sea – seaweed and algae. They are used as primary ingredients in bath preparations, external wraps, cosmetics and creams. The nutrients and plant based medicines found in sea greens and their benefits are not to be underestimated.

The sea contains all the known nutrients. The plants growing in the ocean or salt lakes contain all the necessary trace and macro-minerals, vitamins, enzymes and chlorophyll together with carbohydrates, proteins and essential fatty acids necessary for life. Seaweeds and algae are also an incredibly rich source of DNA and RNA - the nucleic acids from which our genetic material is made and renewed. Chlorophyll alone is a powerful detoxifier and healing agent, very similar to the hemoglobin molecule in blood, the carrier of life giving oxygen. Additionally, seaweed is high in alginates, which are known to absorb heavy metals and even radioactive materials. In various studies, animals fed sea seaweed and algae were protected from liver damage when exposed to toxic chemicals, and very resistant to radiation sickness when exposed to high levels of radiation. These studies point to the power inherent in sea greens to detoxify even the most toxic of bodies.

In addition to the nutrients found, the enzymes in the sea greens act as catalysts to stimulate metabolism, oxygenation of the blood, circulation and the removal of wastes. Seaweed is rich in iodine, which stimulates the thyroid to speed up the metabolism, and thus energy production, repair and weight loss. Sea plants are loaded with organic sulphur (the same found in cruciform vegetables of the cabbage family), which is a known anti-carcinogenic agent and which helps restore collagenous tissues such as skin, joints, connective tissues, hair and nails. Sea plants are strongly anti-biotic, anti-viral and anti-parasitic agents. Seaweed is used variously in the treatment of scar tissue, to stop bleeding, to arrest ulcers, to speed healing post injury or surgery and to prevent infection. Medical use of seaweed has enjoyed a very long history including use in traditional Chinese and Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine as well as broad applications in folk remedies and now spa treatments. But enough talk about applying seaweed externally. Let's enjoy a little internally.