Wakame Seaweed Profile
Also known as- Alaria Marginata
Introduction
Wakame is a seaweed that looks and tastes like a slippery spinach. Wakame can be used in the same ways as kombu in soup and as an addition to green or fruit salads. When dried wakame is soaked in water it expands to at least 10 times its dried size.
Constituents
Mucilages, fucoidan.
Parts Used
The whole plant, dried. Wakame should be chopped after it is reconstituted.
Typical Preparations
Dried wakame is reconstituted before use. Place up to 1 oz (30 grams) of wakame in a large bowl or pan you have filled with water and allow to soak for 30 minutes. After the wakame has swollen to a much greater size, remove the seaweed from the soaking water and place on a cutting board with the stem facing you. Cut off the leaves and discard the stem (or save for use in soup stock). Chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces and dip briefly into boiling water to bring out their color before use.
Summary
There is no doubt that eating small amounts of wakame prevents constipation. Recent research has found that some of the fibers in wakame help prevent colon cancer by providing antioxidants in addition to preventing the "fermentation" and oxidation of food as it passes through the large intestine. The fucoidan sugars in wakame are antiviral against cytomegalovirus and herpes; a study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine reported that taking an extract of wakame prevented and reduced the severity of recurrent herpes outbreaks. Daily consumption of small amounts of the reconstituted seaweed (a tablespoon of reconstituted seaweed prepared by soaking one-quarter teaspoon of dried seaweed) may lower blood pressure. The Japanese Journal of Cancer Research reports preliminary findings that daily consumption of small amounts of wakame may be more beneficial in treating certain kinds of breast cancer in women than chemotherapy.
Precautions
Avoid excessive consumption. Consuming large amounts (more than 3-1/2 oz/100 g) of dried seaweed every day (a very large volume of reconstituted seaweed, several plates full) can cause hypothyroidism, which reverses if there is no consumption of iodine-rich seaweeds for 3-4 months. Use of a few grams (up to 1/4 oz) of dry wakame per day will not have an adverse effect on thyroid function.
