Use Seaweed to Treat Dry Skin

There are many reasons why a person can develop dry skin and given that we are in a world which is full of pollution it is very easy for the skin to become dry. It is therefore essential to have a range of products and other steps in action in order to be able to care for dry skin effectively.

Taking care of dry skin is important because if not treated the condition can become worse as the skin can start to peel and also even crack. And if this were to happen it could lead to a potential severe infection within the skin.

Now there are many treatments that are available for dry skin and as you enter any store or shop that sells only skin products, you will be spoilt for choice as to what to actually buy and what will prove to beneficial for your skin.

The main challenge is knowing what will actually work and help to relieve the symptoms of dry skin such as the itching that is also associated with dry skin. There are a number of recommended treatments that are useful for helping to treat dry skin.

Some of the best ingredients that can be used for treating dry skin are using olive oil. This is considered to be one of best treatments that are available as the oil is considered to be very similar to the oils that are produced by the glands within the skin. It not only helps to prevent the layers of the skin but will help to hydrate the skin and to also leave a layer on the surface of the skin to help retain any moisture content.

If you are not wishing to use olive oil there are other oils such as jojoba oil and also coconut oil. With coconut oil however you need to be aware that it is solid at room temperature, so you need to be prepared this so that it is in liquid form. This is also very good for helping soothing treating very dry and itchy skin and it is also very therapeutic if used warm and it also makes a great scalp massage. So if you are suffering from dandruff, coconut oil will prove to be very useful.

Japanese seaweed is also very useful and is considered to be one of the very best remedies that are available. This is full of vitamins and minerals such as iron and calcium and it is great for helping to keep the skin tight yet moist. This treatment also helps to reduce any swelling that may also be present on the skin too.

There are a number of considerations that you need to make when you select a product to help treat dry skin and you need to be asking yourself a number of key questions such as what does the product actually contain in terms of ingredients. You need to be educating yourself about the skin care industry and what synthetic ingredients are generally used. The main ingredients that you need to be aware of are alcohol, parabens, SLS and other chemical based ingredients.

Some of the ingredients that are used can actually be damaging to a persons health and given that 60% of what is applied to the skin is absorbed into the bloodstream there is a high chance of toxic overload within the body and this could lead to potential illness at some future date.

Most Commonly Used Species of Red Algae

Algae can be useful in many different situations. Algae are for instance used as food for humans as well as for live stock, and it is also included in various health products and cosmetics. Seaweed is predominately gulped down in South-East Asia, especially in China, Japan, and Korea, but it is becoming more and more popular outside this range for each year that passes.

If you want to include more algae in your diet you can for instance try red algae from the genus Porphyra for the help www.july4-recipes.com. In Asian cuisine, this alga is commonly referred to as nori. It is not commonly eaten fresh; it is instead harvested, dried and pressed into thin sheets. These sheets are then used in all sorts of dishes, from sushi and soups to sauces and condiments. The two most commonly used species of red algae are Porphyra yezoensis and Porphyra tenera.

Do you think that you have never eaten algae? I think you have! As a matter of fact, the next time you gulp down some ice cream or pour syrup over your desert you might be eating brown algae. Alginic acid, a popular stabilizer for emulsions and suspensions, is derived from brown algae. In addition to the food industry, it is also appreciated by paint producers.

Brown algae are not the only type of algae that can be used to stabilize food for cookies. Red algae are used to make the products Agar and Carrageenan which works wonders when you need to stabilize food products such as puddings and canned meat. Agar is also used by scientists who need to grow bacteria, fungi and cell structures on a nutritious gel, while Carrageenan is a popular addition to shampoos.

Wish to try some mouth-watering algae dishes in your own kitchen? Here is a recipe for Seaweed Soup.

Ingredients:
• 1 pound of chicken - sliced
• 2 quarts of water
• 1 cube of chicken bouillon
• 1 (8 ounce) can of sliced water chestnuts
• 3 sheets of nori (dry seaweed)
• 1 egg
• Salt to taste
• 4 green onions
• 3/4 teaspoon of sesame oil
What to do:
1.) Cook the sliced chicken over medium heat until browned. Use a large saucepan because you will be adding more ingredients.
2.) Drain off excess fat.
3.) Add water and bring it to a boil.
4.) Reduce the heat down to medium again and leave the dish to simmer without a lid on for roughly 15 minutes.
5.) Stir in the bouillon cube and make sure that it dissolves completely.
6.) Add the chestnuts.
7.) Break the nori into peaces and add to the saucepan.
8.) Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
9.) Stir in the egg.
10.) Add salt to taste.
11.) Chop the green onions.
12.) Remove the saucepan from the heat before adding the onions.
13.) Stir in sesame oil.
14.) Bon appetite!

Lets try it....

Seaweed in Sushi Recipe

Sushi is a delicious, healthy and easy to prepare food. Deciding on and finding your ingredients, preparing the beautiful presentation, and enjoying your creation are all part of the fun of sushi. Finding a great sushi recipe is the first step in putting together a wonderful meal.

Sushi, traditionally, refers to rice, but it has developed to include the whole concept of the finger food. It commonly is a fish or vegetable, served with vinegar rice. A sushi recipe can be presented in several ways. Some common ways are wrapped in seaweed, served in a bowl, in bite size pieces or in a cone type wrap. Wide ranges of vegetables, seafood, and shellfish are used throughout a sushi recipe.

There are some common ingredients that you should always have on hand to prepare a good sushi recipe. These include seaweed, called nori, rice, and sushi vinegar. These are the base ingredients you will need to start with for any sushi recipe. Several sauces such as soy sauce, and wasabi; a spicy paste like substance, are commonly served with sushi to enhance the flavor. Common vegetables in a sushi recipe include carrots, cucumber, peppers, and avocado. Common seafood used in sushi recipes are crab, salmon, octopus, and shrimp. This is by no means an exhaustive list of what you can use in your sushi recipe. The sky is the limit. Get creative as you like with your sushi recipe.

Where can you find a good sushi recipe? There are several great places where you can find a good sushi recipe. A great place to start is the Internet. By doing a quick search through a search engine for sushi recipe, you can find some great websites that will provide you with a great sushi recipe. Often, they will provide you with detailed pictures and instructions that can help when preparing your sushi recipe. Also, try bookstores for their cookbook selections or local sushi restaurants to see if they will share their sushi recipe.

There are several pieces of kitchen equipment that can help you in preparing a sushi recipe. One of the most important pieces of equipment is a sharp knife. A sharp knife is essential in cutting and preparing the ingredients for your sushi recipe. It will allow you to cut your fish into thin slices, slice vegetables into attractive shapes and designs, and do all of these with ease. Another very helpful piece of equipment is a bamboo mat, traditionally called sushimaki sudare or makisu. This mat is what you use when you roll your sushi such as in a California roll. It is possible to roll with your hands, but the rice can be very sticky, so the mat can help eliminate a little frustration while preparing your sushi recipe. Other equipment such as rice cookers and sushi presses can also help make the preparation quicker, but they are not essential for preparing a good sushi recipe.

A final touch in the presentation of your sushi recipe is the plates and dishes you serve them on and the utensils that you use to eat them. Patterned china dishes, saucers, and cups are a beautiful touch. You can also use matching dispensers for items such as soy sauce. Often, chopsticks are used when eating sushi. Chopsticks come in all styles from wooded to metal and can complement your presentation beautifully. You can also eat sushi with your fingers, so make sure to have some nice matching napkins with the dishes.

It is easy to find the ingredients you need to complete your sushi recipe. Sushi recipes generally use basic ingredients that can be found easily. Many of the ingredients, if not all, can be purchased at most local grocery stores. If your grocery store does not carry what you need, try asking them to bring it in. Many companies will bring in supplies that are requested by their customers. For more complicated recipes that require special ingredients, many Asian specialty stores carry the more obscure ingredients on a regular basis. These stores can provide hard to find sushi recipe ingredients, often directly from Asian suppliers. A final option for finding your sushi recipe ingredients is online. There are countless websites that you can use to order everything from your good ingredients to equipment to finishing touches such as utensils.

Sushi is a wonderful food style. It's fun to follow a sushi recipe and see your final result. Many people consider preparing a sushi recipe an art form. It can be an exciting addition to your family dinner or an impressive dinner party concept. With a great sushi recipe, you can make out standing delicacies. It can be a great bonding event; gather the family together and everyone can make their own sushi dish. Grab your sushi recipe, your ingredients, your equipment, and have some fun.

Seaweed the Toxic Eliminate

Did you know that seaweed has a lot of property for the body, such as detoxification.

Detoxification is a disposal process of toxic in the body. Typically, the process is done from within the body, such as drinking eight glass water a day, consuming fruits that contain fiber, and not consuming fatty foods or contain many ingredients such as sugar and salt at the time.

Now detoxification can be done from outside of the body and the one way to do that is with seaweed spa.

Seaweed believed have very good effect for the skin and often used to maintain and humidify the skin, helps the formation of new skin cells, offset mineral content in the body, and eliminate poisons in the body (detoxification) and this can be happened because seaweed containing mineral salt, protein and zinc. Seaweed also containing lot's of vitamin such as A, C, B1, B12, E, PP, K and vitamin D which can help your body to activating new skin cells and also helping your body metabolism to tighten the skin.

Seaweed are one of sea material which are easly merged to the skin and helping the formation of skin. Not only that, seaweed also good for your hair health.

For women who have problems with obesity or excess body weight, the seaweed spa treatment can also be relied upon to keep the process of weight loss and keep the mineral in the body in balance. You do not need strict diet for getting more slender body. Although getting heavy shrink for your body but your skin will remain tight.

The weight loss process using seaweed is very good for keeping your health.

The spa treatment process using seaweed started with body massage which using olive oil to make your body more relaxing and freeing.

Your tense body will come comfortable and relax after getting the massage. This is because the blood circulation in the body flows more smoothly and make the tired felt on your body lost instantly. After the massage finish the next step is put seaweed mask around your body.

After the seaweed mask being dry, the next is covering your body with heating blanket. This function is to remove poisons from the body through sweat that out. Set the heat to the temperature you feel comfortable.

The process using heating blanket is same like if you in a sauna.

The last process are going in to a bathtub filled with warm water and sowing rose sheath.

This seaweed spa need 90 minutes in time. If you don't have 90 minutes time, you still can use this threatment by reducing the amount of therapy.

Seaweed as Fertilizer

Seaweed is an all-natural, effective alternative to synthetic fertilizers.

Seaweed extract is highly regarded as one of the best natural fertilizers. Different varieties of kelp have proven to be effective in seed germination, root development, and disease resistance. An all-natural fertilizer, seaweed is a great organic gardening additive.

Kelp contains many healthful nutrients, including potassium to promote metabolism. Many extracts, such as algamin, are rich in amino acids and trace minerals that are low in other fertilizers. Some seaweed varieties contain up to 60 different chelated nutrients that boost the health of plants.

Leafy crops especially benefit from seaweed fertilizer. Tomatoes, peppers, and corn all benefit from vegetable-based fertilizers. Ask your garden care expert about which fertilizer is right for the plants you want to grow. Dried, crushed, and desalted seaweed may be mixed with other fertilizers to produce a superior composite.

Seaweed fertilizer can be used in hydroponics gardening. The proper extract will not gum up drip emitter lines. You'll get healthier shoots and stems. Seaweed is an all-natural, effective alternative to synthetic fertilizers. As many seaweed extracts are 100 percent soluble, they're ideal for the organic garden..

Seaweed fertilizers are an especially usefull product in organic gardening. They contain almost every micro-nutrient in a fully chelated (immediately available) form. They deliver a healthy dose of natural plant hormones. Seaweed is also loaded with carbohydrates, which the plants use as a building block and which large populations of beneficial micro-organisms use as a food source. There are many agricultural and garden applications for seaweed. It aids in seed germination, assists in nutrient uptake, helps plants resists insects, disease and frost; it aids in root development, conditions soil and acts as a fertilizer.

In addition to the horticultural applications, studies have shown that adding seaweed to livestock feed improves fertility rates, aids in gestation and birthing and reduces lameness. There are basically 4 forms of seaweed fertilizers you can use.

• Liquid supplements
• Kelp meal additives
• All purposes fertilizer
• Concentrated supplement
  

Seaweed is high in trace elements and potash. It is suitable for use around larger plants and some gardeners claim that the minerals in seaweed make plants resistant to frost damage and prolong the harvest of autumn tomatoes.

There are green, brown and red seaweeds, all of them good to use. Soft fleshy seaweeds rot fairly quickly, (kelps for example), while seagrass rots very slowly........There is no need to wash the salt off seaweed, especially if it is just one among many mulches....... Seaweed is absolutely weed free, doesn't harbour any plant diseases or insects and looks much better than you think. Let's try!

Seanol - Most Powerful Antioxidants From the Sea

Most people think of seaweed as something to avoid at the beach or as an ingredient in Asian foods. However, scientists are discovering the many health benefits of seaweed health products that have been used in Asian countries for years. For centuries, plants have been used for nutritional and medicinal purposes for all sorts of ailments and detoxification. Seaweed is one of the most powerful anti-oxidants on earth. It is rich in vitamins and minerals that include calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, iron and zinc as well as vitamins C, B1, B2, B6 and B12. The ocean is an excellent source of nutrient rich plants compared to land based plants that are affected by depleted nutrient levels in our soils. Often land plants are bombarded with harmful pesticides and insecticides, containing harmful toxic chemicals. Seanol is a natural and effective health promoting seaweed extract free of any toxic chemicals. Recent scientific studies are discovering the many benefits of this miracle supplement.

Seanol, Powerful Ingredient

Seanol is another breakthrough supplement that improves your cholesterol and has many other benefits. Cholesterol and cardiovascular problems run deeply in my family history and my goal is to find natural supplements to take care of my problems and prevent problems before they start. Divers harvest the seaweed by hand, let it dry naturally and the key nutrients are extracted manually to protect the nutrient content of this ocean grown superfood. Seanol is made from the ocean grown superfood, a powerful nutrient with incredible health benefits.

This super anti-oxidant is extracted from the Ecklonia cava marine algae, which grows 100 feet below sea level off the coast of Japan and Korea. This powerful extract is called Seanol and is up to 100 times stronger than anti-oxidants contained in land-based plants. Clinical studies have shown remarkable improvement in mental alertness, circulation, joint function, energy and cardiovascular health. It is an all-natural food supplement that is safe. Additionally, it can be taken with medicines and other supplements without risk of reducing their effectiveness. The Fibronol website offers two of the most beneficial supplements available with this rich seaweed extract. Both products offer tremendous benefits for improved health.

Fibronol Supplements

If you are looking for nutritional supplements to improve both your health and quality of life, you have come to the right place. Fibronol and FibroBoost are two of the best products on the market that have been clinically tested and shown to significantly improve health and quality of life. Our seaweed based Fibronol supplement has additional nutrients and vitamins added that help you to sleep better, lose weight, improve your heart health and increase your energy. Many fibromyalgia patients find our product beneficial in treating their debilitating symptoms. For increased energy and stamina on days when you need the extra energy, we recommend FibroBoost. It contains only Seanol for more powerful results and energy. Order your seaweed health products today and improve your health.

Taking Seanol for just 8 weeks can improve your cholesterol and helps raise your protective HDL (good) cholesterol. There are not many nutrients that can raise your HDL cholesterol. Seanol improves your cholesterol, keeps your mind alert, and comforts your joints. Nearly every part of your body responds to this amazing product.

Seanol contains two antioxidants called polyhenols and phlorotannins. Phlorotannins is the one that does the magic. The two special antioxidants are found in sea vegetables and are not found in land-based plants. The sea is where Scientists expects to find our next nutritional discoveries and Seanol is one of the first.

Benefits of Seanol:

*Promote cardiovascular health
*Enhance circulation and blood flow
*Promote normal cholesterol levels
*Increase protective HDL cholesterol
*Increase blood flow to the brain
*Boost attention and mental sharpness
*Keep you alert
*Improve joint function and joint comfort
*Provide powerful antioxidant protection to your entire body
*Boost your energy levels
*Improve your stamina

A Cure from the Sea - seaweed beauty

Traditionally the seaweed bath is used to re-hydrate and moisture skin, relieve of conditions like psoriasis, acne, aid back and muscular pain; ease rheumatism and arthritis and assist circulation. Now it is different; the emphasis more on health, cleaning, detox; on nourishing the skin, body’s cells, regeneration, improve of micro circulation, elasticity, appearance, tone. Protection of skin and hair, assist in weight loss and wellness, de-stress, relax, re-vitalizing and aging.

Since seaweed is packed with easy-to-absorb proteins, vitamins, minerals and lipids, it can protect against environmental pollution and even ward off aging.

These nutrients are known for there nourishing benefits for the skin. Give the skin greater pliability and improves elasticity. The colloidal form of the minerals is very important, meaning that these minerals have retained their molecular identity while in liquid suspension. Colloids are very small in size and easily absorbed by the body’s cells. Therefore also beneficial effects on cellular repair, cellular growth and tissue regeneration which have let many to believe that seaweed can lessen the signs of ageing.

Scientific research also indicates that seaweed’s ability to increase micro circulation and the metabolism promotes detoxification and enhances slimming and weight loss; improve vitality and to maintain a youthful appearance.

By increasing the circulation, a positive effect on local fatty overloads and helps maintain the tone of the tissue. To firm the skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite!

Seaweed is a natural product. No genetic manipulation, the use of pesticides or fertilizer, just the sea, waves and light.

Most of our customers use seaweed flakes.

• (Add a spoon full of flakes to big pot and boil it and steep it for half an hour. Pour it through a sieve and add the liquid to the bath).
• Other will fill muslin bags, large tea infusion balls, or old stockings with dried seaweed.
• (The bags are needed to keep the seaweed from going down your drain. Boil water in a large pot, add the seaweed and steep for half an hour or so. Pour into the bath (seaweed in its bag and all).

The boiling water will help to extract more nutrients from the seaweed. By boiling it, you will at the same time destroying others sensitive silky oils and substances like Vitamin C. If you choose to add it straight to the bath place a fine sieve at the drain to make sure your drain does not get blocked.

We sell flakes not powder for use in a seaweed bath to minimize/avoid these problems. Another option: wrap the seaweed in linen, cheese cloth before use.

Massage: Softly rub your body using a sponge, massage it into your skin using long strokes towards the heart, starting with your feet, ‘It’s excellent for soothing itchy and dry skin and helps detoxify by pulling out toxic waste from the pores.

Aromatherapy oils like lavender, make your soak in the tub even more relaxing.. ‘It’s a great way to de-stress after a long day at work.

Some claim that seaweed can reduce/absorb toxins by up to 50 percent of its dry weight. Rinse off with warm water.

It is very important to create the right environment at home.

Use something that appeals to every sense you have. Good music, For scent, light candles that produce the scents of flowering plants (such as plumeria or citrus).

But most important: make the Sea or Ocean experience a regular part of your routine, you reap a bounty of beauty and health benefits, you need it. It takes just 20 minutes. Try to control the environment/ avoid disturbances, choose the time/moment carefully. Not only cleansing and relaxing but make it revitalizing and rejuvenating as well.

Use between one and two ounces of seaweed. Our hydrated seaweed contains less than 10 % moister. Its wet weight is between 15 times its dried weights.

Caution: Those with high blood pressure or other health problems should consult their doctors before having a hot seaweed bath.

Seaweed Supplement

For most of us the word seaweed conjures up images of beaches strewn with brown weed, particularly after stormy weather, when it lays in great heaps along the high tide mark. Not so long ago the idea of eating seaweed or kelp as it is also known, would have been considered very strange to say the least.

Times change, however, and seaweed along with many other exotic and unusual foods are now considered practically mainstream for people wanting to improve their health and well-being. Of course some food sources, that we considered unusual have been known to other cultures for centuries and have long been used for health or healing purposes.

The knowledge about plants and their beneficial properties has been handed down through the generations with little or no scientific evidence to back it up. Only now can modern research techniques find out so much more about these plants and pinpoint the sources of goodness they contain.

Findings in recent years, from the research that has been done on seaweed suggest that it is very beneficial in several ways. It is well-known that seaweed contains iodine, vitamins and minerals as well as the by-products, algin and agar. Algin offers good protection against pollution carcinogens and toxins and is also used to normalize bowel functions.

What is not so well known, and is the subject of much more research, is the ingredient known as Fucoidan. One of the major health benefits of Fucoidan is the ability to interact with and modulate the immune system. Modulation in this context is a term describing the process of reducing the extremes of cellular activity. Fucoidan has also shown an ability to regenerate cells, thereby enabling tissue and organ regeneration. This is beneficial for a long and healthy life, since it helps to slow the aging process.

Fucoidan has also been shown to help maintain a healthy blood flow. Tests also suggest that it helps to slow the absorption rate of glucose or sugar into the bloodstream. A slower absorption rate can help to minimize the potential damage caused by high blood sugar levels. Due to the modulating properties of Fucoidan it has also been shown to support joint function and cartilage health.

In layman's terms these benefits are:

· Assisting the immune system and the increase of circulating white blood cells

· Enables tissue and organ regeneration thereby assisting longevity

· Supports the circulatory system allowing better blood flow and cardiac functions

· Decreases the clotting ability of blood

· Reduces high blood sugar levels

· Maintains healthy levels of cholesterol

· Supports proper joint functions and cartilage health

· Assists in the elimination of harmful cells

· Aids in maintaining proper gastrointestinal function and health

· It is a potent antioxidant

· Plays a significant roll in maintaining optimal kidney function

· It is an aid for low thyroid activity

It would appear that the brown weed washed up on the beaches is beneficial to health in more ways than we can imagine! So why aren't we eating it by the bucket full? Well some Asian countries like Japan do, and their longevity is renowned. For the western world though the taste of seaweed has stopped the use of this wonder food.

The good news now is we don't actually have to eat it. Kelp or seaweed in tablet form has been available for some time, but even so the taste is hardly palatable. However, with suspended gel technology the manufacturers are able to create a very palatable version.

Seaweed - Fucoxanthin Extract

Fucoxanthin is a natural compound found in brown seaweed. For hundreds of years Asian cultures have consumed seaweed as a regular part of their diet. When researchers realized Asian cultures were much healthier than those in the west, Asian diets were examined. Brown seaweed was one of the food sources that interested these researchers and Fucoxanthin was found to be a benefit of this diet. Over the years researchers found many interesting results surrounding seaweed and the Fucoxanthin extracted from this seaweed.

Today Fucoxanthin extract is found in a long line of Fucoxanthin supplements available to the public. The extract has several common uses and people all over the world are consuming Fucoxanthin and Fucoxanthin extract for these reasons. Continual research continues to reveal surprising results and the extract has become quite popular as new research results are revealed.

There are several extraction processes that are utilized to extract Fucoxanthin from the brown seaweed. One process utilizes organic compounds in the extraction process while another uses a freeze dried method. Both processes result in extraction of Fucoxanthin from the brown seaweed found in supplements today.

As stated above Fucoxanthin is found in brown seaweed and this brown seaweed may be the best natural source of Fucoxanthin. But seaweed is not palatable to many people where Fucoxanthin extract in gel cap form is quite easy to ingest with no unpleasant taste. Another benefit of these supplements is the high dosages available in supplements. If a little is good then surely more must be better, that's the motto for many and these supplement manufacturers seem to subscribe to this line of thought as well. You can find Gel caps containing as little as 5 mg all the way to 1200mg available for purchase.

Seaweed and daily diet

Of all the snacks on the shelf of the junk food section in a hypermarket, one particular packing just seemed to have grabbed my attention the most. The label read: "Japanese Crispy Seaweed". There is also some description stating that the product is "delicious with good nutrients from the sea".

Seaweed has been consumed in Asia since a very long time ago. Here are some of the health benefits which were proven by the science and technology of our era.

We can get all the vitamins and minerals we need for our body. These minerals include calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, iron, and zinc; and vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B6 and B12. We can hardly get any vitamin V12 from land vegetables.

The consumption of seaweed leads to the expulsion of toxic pollutants from our body. Seaweed contains alginic acid, which bonds with heavy metals in our intestine to form an indigestible substance. This substance then leaves the human body along with all the other indigestible matters we consume.

Seaweed also promotes a healthier hair growth. Notice that most Japanese have nice long hair. The high mineral content in seaweed helps turn the existing hair into a much thicker and shinier hair.

Besides all the points mentioned above, the consumption of seaweed would help to enrich our bloodstream, plus to maintain the youthfulness our mind and body.

With all these health benefits, no wonder the Japanese are consuming seaweed as part of their daily diet and nutrition. Perhaps we could follow them so as to have a healthier life.

Seaweed wines are more healthy but have antioxidation issues

Green seaweed (chlorophytes) and red seaweed (rhodophytes) are commonly consumed as vegetables in Eastern Asian countries. The sulfate polysaccharide in seaweed is believed to have functional properties related to health, including thrombus prevention, antiviral and anti-cancer activity.

Scientists at the University of Georgia and elsewhere wanted to produce healthy wines using green and red seaweed and to determine their chemical and sensory attributes. Their work indicates that seaweed wines might be better consumed fresh because they eventually lose their antioxidation activity.

In experiments, both green and red seaweed were heated at 90 C for 1 hour and adjusted to an acidity of 0.7 to 0.8 mg per 100 ml and to a range of 22 to 23 brix. Researchers then inoculated the seaweed broths with Saccharomyces cerevisae. The broths were fermented at 22 C to 23 C. Volatile compounds from the wine samples were analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS). The sulfate content of the products was monitored using the rhodizonate method. The investigators determined the sensory qualities of the samples as well as of commercial fruit wine products using quantitative descriptive analyses.

Investigators found that the alcohol content in the green and red wines was 12.7% and 12.4%, respectively. The sulfate content in the green seaweed wine was 12.6 g per ml, while that in the red seaweed wine was 14.23 g per ml. After a 12-month storage period, the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging capacity declined by 34.6% to 41.3%. The phenylethyl alcohol volatile compound levels in green seaweed wines were 54.15 ppm and 74.45 ppm in red seaweed wines. The levels of diethyl succiate were 2.59 ppm in green seaweed wines and 1.79 ppm in red seaweed wines. The levels of these compounds closely approximated the levels found in grape wines.

The absorbencies at 270 nm were 1.32 to 1.27 for the green seaweed wine, and 1.22 to 1.16 for the red seaweed wine during a 12-week storage period. The sweetness level of both seaweed wines was close to the level found in Burgundy wines. Astringent scores were lower than those found in Bordeaux wines.

Further information. Yao-wen Huang, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602; phone: 706-542-1092

Seaweed gives clues about early humans in Americas

WASHINGTON -- Remains of meals that included seaweed are helping confirm the date of a settlement in southern Chile that may offer the earliest evidence of humans in the Americas.

Researchers date the seaweed found at Monte Verde to more than 14,000 years ago, 1,000 years earlier than the well-studied Clovis culture.

And the report comes just a month after other scientists announced they had found coprolites -- fossilized human feces -- dating to about 14,000 years ago in a cave in Oregon.

Taken together, the finds move back evidence of people in the Americas by a millennium or more, with settlements in northern and southern coastal areas.

The prevailing theory has been that people followed herds of migrating animals across an ancient land bridge between Siberia and Alaska, and then moved southward along the West coast. Proof has been hard to come by, however. The sea was about 200 feet lower at the time and as it rose it would have inundated the remains of coastal settlements.

A team led by anthropologist Tom Dillehay of Vanderbilt University reports on the new seaweed study from Monte Verde, Chile, in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

There is a continuous mountain chain along the western side of the Americas, Dillehay explained in a briefing, with thousands of rivers and streams flowing down the mountains to the ocean.

This would have encouraged north-to-south migration, he explained, with some groups choosing to turn and follow rivers inland.

Places like the Paisley Caves in Oregon and Monte Verde in Chile are ideal locations for such settlement, he said.

"We really don't know," he added, but genetic and linguistic evidence is beginning to build a fairly strong case that movement was primarily along the coast, he said.

"I tend to think that, even if they came down the coastline, it is a slow process," Dillehay said. "We're just not finding all of the archaeological sites, yet."

Nine species of seaweed and marine algae were recovered from hearths in the ancient settlement, about 500 miles south of Santiago and about 10 miles inland.

Between 20 and 30 people appear to have lived at the site. Other food remains found there include vegetables, nuts, shellfish, an extinct species of llama and an elephant-like animal called a gomphothere.

Some of the seaweed had been chewed, including two types still used by local natives for medical purposes. Other examples were burned, indicating cooking.

Beach stones and other materials were also found at the inland site, Dillehay said, indicating the people at Monte Verde had a stronger coastal tradition than was previously known.

Dillehay said Monte Verde was originally studied several decades ago, but the seaweed remains were only just discovered in a new analysis of recovered materials.

The materials in Oregon and Chile were radiocarbon dated at 12,500 years ago which, Dillehay said, translates to between 14,200 and 14,500 calendar years ago.

The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Chile's National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development, the National Geographic Society and the University of Chile.