Kelp
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Seafood
Kelp
Latin:
Laminaria japonica Aresch.
Origin:
Kelp refers to any of numerous large seaweeds found in colder seas and belonging to the order Laminariales (about 30 genera) of brown algae. The term applies also to the ash produced by the incineration of various seaweeds. It is light brown to dark green in color.
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Until early in the 19th century this ash was an important source of potash (derived from the plant's stemlike stipe) and iodine (extracted from its leaflike blades). Giant kelp, of the genus Macrocystis, is rich in minerals and produces algin, a complex carbohydrate (polysaccharide) that is useful in various industrial processes, including tire manufacture. Algin is added to ice cream before freezing to prevent crystallization and is also used as a suspending and emulsifying agent.
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Several genera of brown algae are known as kelp. Laminaria, a large brown seaweed (1 to 3 m long) abundant along the Pacific coasts and the British Isles, is a source of commercial iodine and produces acetic acid when allowed to ferment. It has a stipe that superficially resembles the stem of land plants and lives several years, but the blade dies each year. Growth occurs, as in all kelp, at the meristematic region between the stipe and the blade.
Macrocystis, the giant kelp, and the largest known kelp, up to 65 m long, making this the largest variety of sea vegetable, is limited in distribution because it reproduces only at temperatures below 18━20° C. The complicated plant body, similar in appearance to that of higher plants, has a large rootlike holdfast for attachment to the ocean floor, a hollow stemlike stipe for the internal transport of organic material, and a long branching stalk with blades that stay afloat by means of hollow gas bladders.
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Nereocystis, or sea otter's cabbage, an annual kelp that grows primarily in deep waters and rapid tideways, can attain lengths up to 40 m. Internally the plant structure is similar to Macrocystis. Externally the stalk is tough and whiplike, terminating in a large bladder. The long leafy outgrowths from the stalk carry out photosynthesis and reproduction.
Kelp is sold dehydrated, and in flake and powder forms for use as a condiment.
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Also known as Kombu.
See also Herbs, Herbs for Clearing Phlegm, Kelp.
Properties:
Salty in flavor, cold in nature, it is related to the liver and kidney channels.
Functions:
Eliminates phlegm, softens hard masses, induces diuresis (increased excretion of urine), alleviates edema (excess accumulation of serous fluid in connective tissue or in a serous cavity), and expels pathogenic heat.
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It has the same functions and applications as those of seaweed and they are therefore often used in mutual reinforcement.
Applications:
1. Treats goiter, scrofula (tuberculosis of lymph nodes especially in the neck), painful and swollen testis, etc.:
Salty in taste and cold in nature, this food-herb can soften hard masses, eliminate phlegm and resolve masses.
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a) Goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland):
It is often used in combination with tendrilleaf fritillary bulb (Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae), etc., e.g., Haizao Yuhu Tang.
b) Scrofula (swellings of the lymph nodes of the neck):
The food-herb is often used in combination with selfheal spica (Spica Prunellae), Zhejiang figwort root (Radix Scrophulariae), weeping forsythia fruit (Fructus Forsythiae), etc., e.g., Neixiao Luoli Wan.
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c) Painful and swollen testis:
This food-herb is used in combination with tangerine seed, chinaberries (Fructus Meliae Toosendan), etc., e.g., Juhe Wan.
2. Treats beriberi with edema of the foot, edema of any other part of the body, etc.:
This food-herb can induce diuresis and alleviate edema.
This food-herb can be used together with dampness-removing herbs such as oriental water plantain rhizome (Rhizoma Alismatis), etc.
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3. Treats primary hypertension:
Use 60 g kelp, 150 g mung bean. Boil together and add some brown sugar. Serve as tea.
Dosage and Administration:
Kelp is used in soups and stews, stir-fried with vegetables, or cooked with beans or grains. It cooks quickly and dissolves in longer-cooking dishes. It contains a natural glutamic acid, a tenderizer that helps beans cook quickly and makes them more digestible. It also contains alginic acid, a substance used as a thickening and stabilizing agent in food production. Kelp can be pre-soaked or added dry to foods with liquids. Kelp absorbs up to five times its weight in liquid.
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Dehydrated kelp should be stored in an airtight container in a dark, dry place. Cooked kelp should be kept under refrigeration.
Cautions on Use:
Pregnant women are contraindicated to kelp administration.
Reference Materials:
'Other Medical Records of Famous Physicians' :
"12 types of edema, goiter, qi stagnation syndromes, scrofula and boils."
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'Annotation on Shen Nong's Herbal Classic' :
"Kelp can soften hard masses and cause laxation with its salty taste and remove heat and resolve masses with its cold nature. Li Dongyuan said: 'Goiter as hard as a stone cannot be removed without this herb. This is because it can soften hard masses with its salty taste.' To check in detail, we can find its tastes, natures, functions and indications are roughly the same as those of seaweed."
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Toxic or Side Effects:
Modern Researches:
Kelp contains alginic acid, laminarin, polysaccharides such as galactan, etc., and amino acids such as laminine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, etc. It also contains vitamins B1 and B2, carotene, protein, fat, iodine, potassium, calcium and other inorganic salts.
With its iodide content, kelp can prevent and treat goiter due to iodine deficiency.
Laminine and potassium salt can reduce blood pressure.
Alginic acid and laminine can reduce serum cholesterol.
This food-herb also has a mild cathartic effect.
Its ether extract inhibits the growth of tuberculous bacilli., 百拇医药