This is rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum), a kind of seaweed that covers the rocky shore of Maine in massive amounts. It is also known as knotted kelp and is famous for its use as a garden fertilizer because of its nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, manganese, copper, iron, and zinc content. But as if that weren’t enough, lately it has been extensively studied for its “fucoidan” content. Fucoidan is a complex sugar that has shown anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immune-enhancing, and anti-viral properties. What is unique about this seaweed is that its ion structure is very close to human blood plasma and the interstitial fluid of our body structure.
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| Two separate plants of rockweed along the shores of Maine. |
It was hard for me to find these two plants alone like this
because usually they grow in massive mountains all over the rocks on the
shore. They’re extremely slippery, and
when the tide comes in they become buoyant.
Sometimes swimming by the shore can be a bit of a hassle, unless you don’t
mind swimming with the seaweed. While
you’re at it, you can gather some and bring it back to dry it and use it
however you would use other seaweeds in recipes. Seaweeds are delicious! You can buy this seaweed in a health store,
but it sure is expensive.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always called rockweed “mermaid’s
hair” because that’s what it reminds me of.
When my daughter was little, I used to tell her that the mermaids were
swimming close to shore when the seaweed moved back and forth with the
current. I see no reason to change this
belief. When you’ve lived here as long
as I have, you get used to mermaid sightings on a regular basis. And who can prove this isn't their hair,
anyway?
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| Massive amounts of rockweed are draped all along the rocky coast of Maine. |
