Kelp is a common ocean plant that has been used in eastern diets and herbal remedies for hundreds of years. It is now becoming all the rage in western diets as well, and for great reason. Kelp is loaded with nutrients, vitamins, and has some pretty special healing abilities as well.
Kelp supplements can be taken almost as a vitamin themselves. women in particular can benefit from this, because it contains iron, calcium, and potassium. These are the vitamins women often are deficient in.
Because kelp grows in the ocean, it has a high salt concentration. In fact, some chefs will use it instead of salt to season certain soups, salads, and other foods. But kelp’s biggest contribution to basic health of the body is iodine. Kelp is one of the biggest natural sources of iodine, and it is this iodine that allows for proper endocrine system function.
Iodine specifically works within the thyroid to create two hormones, triiodothyronine and thyroxine. These hormones are necessary compounds for proper metabolism. Iodine is needed for the brain to develop properly, to ward off goiter, and for regulating the proper metabolism and ensure a proper body weight. In fact, a lack of iodine can result in large amounts of weight gain!
Kelp is a great source of nutrients and iodine, and works better for most people in terms of absorption than iodized salt does. As a rule, absorption of nutrients from natural sources as opposed to chemical or artificial sources (enriched breads, pill based vitamins, fortified foods, etc) is superior. Iodine is absorbed more slowly and more completely when it is taken in via natural sources like kelp, and rare allergic reactions to iodine are almost non-existent when iodine is taken in via natural sources.
Kelp is also great for healthy nails and many natural remedies specialists recommend it for healthy hair growth. One type of kelp called Laminaria has some lab studies that demonstrate it lowers the risk of breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and will decrease obesity in some people. Some folks use kelp for circulation issues, particularly to help blood flow for people with low body temp problems.
Kelp is also helpful to the prostate gland and the pancreas. It can help rebuild cell membranes, improve the digestive tract, and can help remove dangerous radiation from the body. In fact, if a woman plans on carrying a baby to term, iodine is necessary for a healthy pregnancy. Kelp can be just the herb for this particular job.
Because kelp is such a concentrated natural source of iodine, it can help the immune system function properly. Iodine itself is a natural antibiotic, and in the case of an oral or throat infection, sipping a kelp based tea can have the effect of killing the infection. Many herbalists will recommend a person drink kelp tea to cure strep throat. The easiest way to do this is to add a gelcap of kelp to tea, make sure it dissolves, and then slowly sip it. The iodine in the tea will kill bacteria on contact in the mouth and the throat.
Kelp can be of benefit for those who want to lose weight. Between the iodine helping to achieve an optimum metabolism, and the diuretic effects of kelp itself, you can help yourself achieve your weight loss goals.
But like all good things, kelp can be overdone. Iodine toxicity does exist, and can really throw your body out of whack. So please speak with a medical or herbal professional before you start adding kelp to your diet.
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