Chondrus crispus — commonly called Irish moss or carrageen moss (Irish carraigín, “little rock”) — is a species of red algae which grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America. Also known as carrageen. Carrageen, that is found on the ingredient label of commercial products like almond milk and ice cream, is the cooked, processed form of Irish Moss. Carrageenan powder, which is a commercial thickener made from this plant but is processed and inflammatory. Some studies have linked food-grade carrageenan to gastrointestinal disease in laboratory animals, including ulcerative colitis-like disease, intestinal lesions, and ulcerations.
So try to avoid processed and cooked carrageenan powder. There was a reserch about whole raw Irish moss too, inflammation was less, probably due to reduced availability of the carrageenan, due to the other ingredients in the seaweed. The carrageenan in the Iris Irish Moss is raw and natural, its fresh condition this protist is soft and cartilaginous, varying in color from a greenish-yellow, through red, to a dark purple or purplish-brown, but for raw food it prefer to use the tan or clear varieties because they cannot be seen in dishes and have lighter flavors. The principal constituent is a mucilaginous body, made of the polysaccharide carrageenan, which constitutes 55% of its weight. The organism also consists of nearly 10% protein and about 15% mineral matter, and is rich in iodine and sulfur. When softened in water it has a sea-like odor and because of the abundant cell wall polysaccharides it will form a jelly in water, containing from 20 to 100 times its weight of water. It’s a very high nutrition and a lot of benefits! Well, you can search for fermented food for example, it has a lot of health benefits and also some toxins, same with spirulina, it’s so rich and has a lot of benefits but has also a very small amount of poison toxin. So I believe, it just so simple, you can choice what to eat, and a little of poisons with a huge portion of benefits can be only good for us. It’s hard to avoid 100% toxins our days, we need to detox regularly.
This amazing versatile seaweed makes is an awesome gel thickener for desserts while also boosting your skin and hair with collagen. Seaweeds are really high in minerals, protein, iodine and this one, in particular, helps plump up your skin and food. This is the real stuff, and it’s good for you, unlike Carrageenan powder, which is a commercial thickener made from this plant but is processed and inflammatory. Don’t use Irish Moss powder or flakes because it’s been cooked dry in an oven and doesn’t have the great qualities anymore that this fresh stuff does. Not only can you make beautiful desserts with this, but your skin, hair, and thyroid will thank you. You can eat it and also make a mask for your face. No boiling needed, just blend and refrigerate.
I use it for my skin as plant base collagen mask for face and hair, as a sickener for my raw food recipes and simply add it to my smoothies every day for 1,5 years now! All my family even don’t know that I put 1-2 tbsp Irish moss paste to our morning smoothies 😉 I feel a very nice result in my skin and mood condition, it helps me to keep my skin smooth and shiny. 😉 Well, not only this moss paste of course, but all my plant base raw diet and sport!
Irish Moss Paste for Health and Beauty Recipe
Rinse Irish Moss very thoroughly before soaking and blending into a paste. Since Irish Moss is a natural product, and you may find sand or pieces of netting mixed throughout.
Soak 1/2 cup (packed) of dry Irish Moss tendrils for 3 – 6 hours for use in the Garlic Bread recipe later today. Generally, Irish Moss should not be soaked for longer than 6 hours, or it can begin to lose its gelling properties. Be sure to soak the Irish Moss in room temperature water – if water is too hot, it can cause the Irish Moss to not set up properly.
- Only soak for 3-6 hours max. Beyond this and gelling properties of the moss decreases.
- 1 cup soaked Irish moss, thoroughly cleaned of all sand and netting.
- 1/2 cup water or less if possible
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Blend the Irish moss and the water at high speed in a blender. Moss Paste feels like a vaseline. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks. It can be portioned and frozen in ice cube trays to always have on hand. Irish Moss can function like agar agar, cornstarch, or gelatin in raw recipes, but does have a distinct smell if too much is used 😉
Where to buy:
Japan: http://www.organicseaweed.jp/
USA: http://shop.pe/9WPho (-7% coupon: rawfood7)