Spa stones and a dropper bottle with sea moss

History of Sea Moss: How Cultures Have Used It Over the Centuries

By Suhail Rivera, JD, founder of Alkaline Herb Shop

Like many elements of the aquatic world, sea moss has long been imbued with a sense of mystery.

For all their diversity, many sea mosses are similar in appearance with a common frilly look and a tendency to be found on rocks and rock pools along the shore. They are edible and grow naturally along rocky coasts like the northern Atlantic ocean and Europe.

While sea moss is often red, it can also grow in a wide range of other colors depending on the particulars of water temperatures and the local climate.

Over the centuries, many cultures have embraced different uses of sea moss, it’s even been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. There is some evidence that people around the world have leveraged the benefits of sea moss for as long back as 14,000 years, or even as far back as 600BC in some parts of China. [1]

You may be interested to learn that sea moss was widely eaten as an everyday food in the British Isles around the same period. [2] Of note, it was also cultivated near the Irish coast as well, which is where the term “sea plant” was first coined.

It has especially tended to be used by cultures where it is found in abundance, with local communities adding it to food. An example is using sea moss as a thickener for Irish pudding.

It would also go on to play an important role in Ireland during the Irish Potato Famine that dominated the 1800s [3], when it became an important food source. Many Irish citizens, desperate for affordable nutrition options, would simmer red seaweed into a warm, nutrient-enhanced drink to help them contend with the shortage of edible options. This sea moss drink happens to still be drank by some across Ireland and the Caribbean to this day.

Some examples of sea moss-based products you’ll find at Alkaline Herb Shop include Sea Moss Supplement Capsules, Raw Chondrus Crispus Sea Moss Gold, Raw Chondrus Crispus Sea Moss Purple and Gold, and Sea Moss & Bladderwrack Supplement Capsules.

You can learn more about these and other products online throughout the Alkaline Herb Shop. To help you get the most from sea moss, check out our detailed guides on its benefits for skin, hair, blood pressure, and more.

[1] International Food Additives Council - https://www.foodingredientfacts.org/irish-moss-the-history-of-carrageenans-roots/

[2] US News Health - https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/what-is-irish-moss-is-it-a-superfood

[3] Irish Times - https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/eat-up-your-seaweed-1.238698

Suhail Rivera, JD, is the founder of Alkaline Herb Shop. She has spent years sourcing, handling, and selling the herbs she writes about, working directly with growers and third party testing labs. She holds a Juris Doctor. She is not a medical professional. This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any herb, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition. Read more about her and the store on the About page.