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Red Marine Algae can assist the body's immune response
to viruses. This can help to reduce the number of
outbreaks and the severity of your outbreaks.
Red Marine Algae can reduce the formation of herpes
virus colonies, also helping to reduce the number and
severity of your outbreaks.
Red Marine Algae can be useful for weight-loss and
lowering cholesterol, helping improve your overall
health.
Red Marine Algae, or Dulse, has been used by people as a
food staple for thousands of years. Often referred to as
a sea vegetable, research has shown that the sulfated
polysaccharides in Red Marine Algae may provide
nutritional support for immune health.
The active agent of red marine algae are carrageenans, a
family of sulfated polysaccharides that in 2006 were
found to be very effective against the sexually
transmitted diseases HIV and genital herpes. In fact it
is already being used in some condom lubricants where it
has been found to inhibit HPV, human papilloviruses that
cause genital warts. Carrageenans seem to be able to
identify unfriendly proteins such as viruses and prevent
them binding to human cell surfaces.
Red marine algae have been used for a variety of
purposes in Asia for more years than have been recorded.
Originally probably, used as a food, it then found many
medicinal applications for a wide variety of conditions
depending upon the species of algae. In fact, one of the
earliest written records from China dating to 600 BC
mentions algae as being a food suitable for a ‘king
himself’.
In Chinese medicine red marine algae have been looked
upon as allowing the flow of qi by removing obstructions
to this flow caused by wetness and heat. By maximizing
qi we attain a maximum feeling of well being and energy.
The algae, then, have been used by the Chinese since
ancient times as a general medicine or tonic.
Red marine algae have long been known to assist the
body’s immune system to respond to virus attacks, and a
regular intake can reduce the number of viral attacks
and their severity. It has been used traditionally for
many ailments, including boils, urinary infections,
asthma, goiter and stomach problems, and also for ulcers
and tumors with varying degrees of success. The
scientific basis for these applications is varied, but
it is the topical use to eradicate cold sores that it
best known for in the West, though it has been claimed
to be an effective means of reducing the cholesterol
levels in the blood.
At one time, those who suffered chronically from cold
sores had no long term relief. In fact frequently the
short term relief was sleep! It is not so much the pain
that causes the distress of a cold sore, but the
constant irritation, much like a painful itch. Temporary
relief could be obtained by the use of some herbal
remedies, such as chamomile and licorice root, although
they were not genuine remedies in that they did not cure
the condition, but provided relief from the symptoms for
a short time.
However, St. John’s Wort and lemon balm were real
remedies in that they killed the virus, and were likely
the best antiviral remedies available other than red
marine algae. The virus killed, however, were only the
active ‘soldiers’ while the main body remained dormant
deep within the nerve cells ready to become activated at
some future date.
Herpes I, or cold sores, are not nice viruses because
they can lie dormant for years and then be activated by
one trigger or another. These triggers include
menopause, stress, dental work (so probably stress!),
other infections, sunburn and fatigue caused by
overwork. It starts of as a small blister, perhaps one
or two, with a slight burning sensation. You don’t take
much notice of it but suddenly it expands and becomes
very painful. Like an itch on your skin, you can’t keep
your tongue or your teeth off it, and it simply gets
worse.
Many people confuse a cold sore with a canker sore, but
the latter is a mouth ulcer, and is always inside your
mouth while a cold sore is always on your lip or very
close to it. This is because the virus that causes them
affects the nerve endings that are on your lip or
adjacent areas. They can also occur inside the mouth,
but only slightly inside, and then only if the nerves
targeted are those just on the inside of the lip.
Although the cold sore virus is extremely contagious, it
is possible for you to get the virus by kissing your boy
friend or girl friend. The reason for that is due to the
fact that it is so contagious. Normally you will get it
in childhood from a kiss form a relative or your
parents. If not them, then by coming into contact with
toys that are infected with the saliva of other infected
children. Children need not show the symptoms themselves
to be carriers of the virus, and the same is true of
adults. Once you have the virus, you will suffer a dose
of cold sores, but once it dies down the virus will not
be eliminated.
The virus will live on in your nerve endings until the
trigger previously mentioned activates it. Although most
people develop antibodies against it, about 40% are said
to get repeat infections. This seems a low figure since
everybody I know gets cold sores now and again. However,
the main point made is that the virus never really gets
killed off.
There are many species of red algae used in China, Japan
and the Pacific region in generally, though the family
Dumontiaceae has been particularly useful in the
treatment of herpes I and II. Herpes I is cold sores and
Herpes II is genital herpes. It has been proved
unequivocally to alleviate the symptoms of herpes
topically and to prevent a recurrence by oral
administration.
The active agent of red algae are carrageenans, a family
of sulfated polysaccharides that in 2006 were found to
be very effective against the sexually transmitted
diseases HIV and genital herpes. In fact it is already
being used in some condom lubricants where it has been
found to inhibit HPV, human papilloviruses that cause
genital warts. Carrageenans seem to be able to identify
unfriendly proteins such as viruses and prevent them
binding to human cell surfaces.
The polysaccharides are thought to stimulate the
production of interferons, which work with the immune
system as antiviral agents. They also improve the
activity of T-cells and B-cells that destroy
virus-infected cells in our body. These polysaccharides
are generally contained within the tough cell walls of
the Dumontiaceae that also bind with heavy metals,
carcinogens and other harmful impurities and remove them
from the body before they can do any damage. It is a
very useful seaweed!
In fact the sulfonated carregeenans of red marine algae
are now thought to be natural antiviral agents superior
in effect to acyclovir, and to effectively cure herpes
zoster (shingles) infections which is a definite
breakthrough in the treatment of viral infections and
the understanding of the immune system. The effect of
extracts from dumonticeae delivered orally on other
viral infections such as Candida have been very
encouraging, resulting in very rapid improvement in the
condition
Acyclovir can create immunity if used frequently, in
much the same way that antibiotics do, but red marine
algae do not appear to. The full benefits of this
supplement, used by the Chinese and Japanese for
thousands of years, have yet to be determined, but it is
thought to be of more value to those that suffer
regularly from cold sores than Acyclovir, which
chemically is a glycosamine named acycloguanosine. |
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