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Kelp is a brown algae or seaweed that grows in shallow oceans. Kelp forest support a large number of marine animals.

A few of the uses for kelp:

  • Kelp ash, which is rich in iodine and alkali, is used in soap and glass production.
  • Alginate is a kelp carbohydrate which is used as a thickener for ice cream, jelly, salad dressing and toothpaste as well as in dog food.
  • Alginate can be used in dentistry for making impressions.
  • Alginate can be used as food additive to reduce fat absorption leading to obesity.
  • Some species of kelp are ingredients in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking to flavor broths and stews, garnish for rice, vegetable, primary ingredient in snacks.
  • Kelp sheets are an edible decorative wrapping for rice and other foods.
  • Kelp can be used in cooking or as pill to reduce intestinal gas.
  • Because of the iodine content, it is a treatment for goiter (hypothyroidism).
  • Large open-ocean kelp farms could be a source of renewable energy in the form of methane which is an easily attainable product of kelp decay.
  • Folk medicine: expectorant, demulcent, emollient, diauretic, thyroid tonic, antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory, metabolic stimulant, soothes irritated throat and coughs, dissolves firm masses, normalizes enlarged prostate gland, and much more.
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11y ago

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