Irish Moss
Parts Usually Used
The entire plant
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Irish moss is a purplish, edible red algae or seaweed. The plant consists of a greenish frond that turns purple when dried.
Where Found
Found on the rocky shores of northern Europe and North America. Grows among submerged rocks off the coast of France and naturally, Ireland.
Medicinal Properties
Demulcent, expectorant, mucilaginous, laxative, emolient, alterative, nutritive tonic
Biochemical Information
Proteins, mucins, amino acids, iodine, bromine, calcium, carrageenan, chlorine, iron, sodium, and manganese salts, phosphorus, potassium, copper, sulphur
Legends, Myths and Stories
Named after Carragheen, Ireland. Irish moss, or carrageen, is a seaweed found in great abundance off the shores of Ireland on the submerged rocks. At low tide it is raked up, washed and dried in the sun, which bleaches it to a tan color. The dried moss has little odor or taste. It forms a stiff mucilage when boiled in water; contains considerable amount of sulphur and small amounts of iodine and minerals.
When cooled it becomes a jelly-like substance. Cold water does not dissolve Irish moss, it swells it up. This is why it is used as bulk in the diet for promotion of bowel elimination. Used in soups, custards, puddings, cold sweets, jelly and wherever thickening is desired. Good for clarifying beer and as a base for skin creams.
Uses
Historically, herbalists utilized Irish moss as a decoction and a nourishing food for individuals during convalescence, debility, or general recovery from illness. Practitioners frequently combined it with Iceland moss, comfrey root, and honey to create a mucilage intended for coughs, bronchitis, and sore throats. In traditional digestive applications, the plant was administered for dysentery, diarrhea, and colon disorders, valued both for adding bulk to stools and serving as a mild laxative.
Historical accounts also note its administration for thyroid complaints such as goiter, swollen lymph glands, enlarged prostate glands, and obesity. Topically, extracts of Irish moss were prepared as hand lotions and incorporated into salves for burns and dry skin.
Bibliography
American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Old Ways Rediscovered , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.
David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F. D. and Phyllis A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974