Sea Moss 101
What is Sea Moss?
Seaweed! Although it resembles a plant, seaweed is actually a species of algae. Algae is the plural form of the Latin word Alga which means seaweed. The term “seaweed” is a general term used to describe a wide variety of algae. There are roughly 10,000 species of seaweed. All Sea Mosses are types of Red Seaweed known as Rhodophytes, one of the largest groups of seaweeds. Classified into three major groups: brown algae (Phaeophyceae), green algae (Chlorophyta), and red algae (Rhodophyta).
Like terrestrial plants (plants that grow on land), all types of seaweed and Sea Moss use sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to create food. For this reason, seaweed must grow near the ocean’s surface — within the reach of sunlight — to survive, and there must be an abundance of carbon dioxide in the water. Seaweeds absorb water and nutrients in all their tissues, directly from the surrounding water. Unlike their terrestrial counterparts, they don’t have the complex system of roots, used to obtain their needed nutrients and maintain hydration to survive, so they absorb it through the surface of their leaf and stem-like structures. For this reason, seaweed must constantly be partially or completely submerged.
Seaweed is autotrophic, which means it produces its own food; using sunlight, macroalgae (seaweed) converts carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and sugar (photosynthesis).
Fun Fact: Seaweed is the foundation of life for the entire ocean and provides most of Earth’s oxygen.
FACT: Irish Sea Moss & Sea Moss have a limited leaf and root system designed to anchor itself so it can feed off the oceans nutrients. They do not get its nutrients from the rocks that it attaches itself to! If this were the case then Sea Moss that is Open-Ocean Organically Farmed would not have the same nutrients (verified by laboratory analysis) as rock grown Sea Moss.
TYPES: There are three main types of Sea Moss available on the market today for consumption, they are:
Chondrus Crispus most commonly called ‘Irish Sea Moss’ grows abundantly in cooler water, typically Great Britain, the coast of Ireland, Maine, Canada, and other places where there are cooler waters.
Eucheuma Cottonii and Genus Gracilaria, most commonly called ‘Sea Moss’ grows abundantly in warmer waters, typically the Java Sea, Celebes Sea, Solomon Sea, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
How are they grown?
Sea Moss (Gracilaria and Eucheuma Cottonii ) are grown in
⦁ Their natural environment attaching themselves to rocks in order to gain their nutrients from the ocean
⦁ Open-Ocean Organic Farming attached to floating ropes
⦁ Gracilaria are naturally found in Asia, South America, Africa, and Oceania.
⦁ Eucheuma Cottonii are naturally found within the range of 20 degrees either side of the Equator in the Indo-Pacific region from eastern Africa to Guam, and are most concentrated in Southeast Asia. A few species are found on Lord Howe Island and in Southwswtern Australia.
Irish Sea Moss (Chondrus Chrispus) is grown in
⦁ Their natural environment attaching themselves to rocks in order to gain their nutrients from the ocean
⦁ Irish Sea Moss root systems does not have the ability to be organically grown in Open-Ocean Farming
⦁ Chondrus Chrispus naturally grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America.
Which of the three types of Sea Moss is best for me? If they are all grown in a clean water environment then they are all three equally of the same high level of quality with the same nutritional benefits.
Should I be concerned about buying Pool Grown Sea Moss? No. It is true that Pool Grown Sea Moss is of a very low quality, but with no real market to sell for human consumption with consumers wanting a premium high quality product, most Pool Grown Sea Moss ends up being sold for animal consumption.
FUN FACT: There is NO such thing as ‘FAKE SEA MOSS’ You will see this all over the internet and has no basis for truth. This typically comes from individuals, companies that have not done proper research. In many cases they are just scaremongering consumers into buying their Sea Moss, etc. Nobody is out there manufacturing a product that they are falsely claiming is Sea Moss.
Where did the name Irish Sea Moss come from?
It became a primary source of sustenance for the Irish people who lived in coastal areas between 1845 and 1849 during the height of the Potato Famine.
Are there different qualities of Sea Moss? Yes, What makes a premium quality Sea Moss is the area it is grown in. Data-rich geographic information systems enable companies My Grind Is Organic to make smarter decisions about where to locate open-ocean organic Sea Moss farms. Testing Sea Moss grown from a variety of areas allows farmers to focus on the growing and harvesting in the world’s cleanest waterways. The conditions of the water are vital to any farmer in order to get a clean, and mineral dense Sea Moss.
FACT: The quality of a Sea Moss is based only on how clean the water is in which it grows. Rocks or the harvesting method of wildcrafting bears no impact on a Sea Moss’s quality.
What is Wildcrafting? Wildcrafting is the practice of harvesting plants from their natural, or ‘wild’ habitat, primarily for food or medicine purposes. The practice of wildcrafting can be done on land or ocean. Wildcrafting is not unique or exclusive to Sea Moss harvesting.
Myth: ‘Wildcrafted’ is a type of Sea Moss.
Is Wildcrafting Sea Moss harmful to our planet? Yes. Now that there is a world wild explosion of demand for what is now called a ‘SuperFood’ Sea Moss, the widespread commercial wildcrafting of Sea Moss is putting tremendous pressure on sustainable harvesting and management procedures that are no longer being followed. With the demand and lack of regulatory oversight, our ecosystem is being destroyed. In addition to the harmful effects to our environment, wildcrafted seaweed is taken from a balanced environment that really needs it to be where it is as a food source for other localized marine life, and it is a key part of sustaining the immediate habitat. What wildcrafting seaweed fails to do is to put ‘more’ seaweed into the oceans than it takes out.
What are the benefits of Open-Ocean Organic Harvesting of Sea Moss?
⦁ Open-Ocean Organic Harvesting eliminates Dead Zones. Dead Zones are oxygen depleted large swaths of ocean waters, caused by tons of nutrients from fertilizer use and sewage spewed from human waste water. Dead zones become oceanic deserts, devoid of normal aquatic biodiversity. Open-Ocean Organic Harvesting of Sea Moss increases the health of the water by helping to reduce the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and acidity (pH) levels in the water. Replenishing the water’s oxygen.
⦁ Open-Ocean Organic Harvesting increases the volume of Sea Moss in our oceans, unlike Wildcrafted Harvesting that depletes the volume of Sea Moss.
⦁ Open-Ocean Organic Harvesting eliminates the harmful environmental impact on our ecosystems.
⦁ Open-Ocean Organic Harvesting provides an ethical standard for sustainability for our planet.
⦁ Open-Ocean Organic Harvesting increases the amount of Seaweed and Sea Moss, the more oxygen being produced which helps mitigate global warming, and the water is alkalized as a result.Think of this as the ocean’s version of a tree planting program. With more seaweed comes more oxygen.
⦁ Seaweed and Sea Moss can play a huge role in fighting climate change by absorbing carbon emissions, regenerating marine ecosystems, creating biofuel and renewable plastics as well as generating marine protein. Seaweed along with Sea Moss is in fact the most effective way of absorbing carbon emissions from the atmosphere. Unlike tree planting, seaweed does not require fresh water or fertilizers and grows at a much faster rate than trees. But it’s biggest comparative advantage is that it does not compete for demands on land. Since 2014, seaweed has increasingly been in the spotlight as a solution for climate change due to its ability to offset carbon, be a sustainable food source, and its regenerative properties for ocean ecosystems.
Open-Ocean Glacilaria Sea Moss Farm
Should I buy wildcrafted Sea Moss? Purchasing Sea Moss is no different than when you go to your local grocery store. Every time you make a decision to purchase you are placing a ‘VOTE’ on what items you want to have your grocer carry. Processed foods, or healthy organic foods. In this case your decision on which supplier you buy from will be your ‘VOTE” on what impact our planet will have from a supplier who sources and grows sustainably or a supplier who condones the practice of wildcrafting.
Myth: Wildcrafted Sea Moss is better quality. False! As mentioned earlier it is the water conditions that dictate a Sea Moss’s quality. This is a common unethical marketing practice designed only to increase a company’s sales. Profit before Truth!
FACT: Sea Moss also comes in a powder form or capsule. In order to cut costs most suppliers typically fill with additives, fillers and often Carrageenan. You want to make sure you purchase from suppliers who are using refined Sea moss, suppliers committed to your health & wellness not your money.
