Dulse Seaweed Information

NAME
Dulse


LATIN NAME
Palmaria palmata
Also known as sea parsley, sea lettuce flakes, dilsk, creathnach and sol.

ORIGIN
Northern coasts of the Atlantic, and Pacific oceans.

PARTS USED
Whole plant.


TRADITIONAL HERBAL USES AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Dulse is a sea vegetable, which is a reddish brown to dark red seaweed. It has been harvested as a medicine and food for thousands of years. It is used traditionally in Northern Ireland, Iceland and parts of Canada.
It is harvested and generally dried, then it is eaten or powdered into ground Dulse or Dulse flakes. It can also be eaten straight off the rocks and in Iceland it is eaten with butter.
Dulse is an excellent source of iron, potassium and fluoride but relatively low in sodium. It contains all the trace minerals from sea elements which are needed by humans.
Dulse contains calcium and magnesium and is a natural source of iodine which is essential for thyroid health and hormone secretion. It contains vitamins C, E and A and is high in vitamins B6 and B12, dietary fibre and protein.
Dulse has been used traditionally as a medicine both externally and internally. A fresh plaster of Dulse leaves has been used traditionally to treat skin disease, headaches and expel the placenta during childbirth. The leaves have also been used as chewing tobacco after being dried and rolled. The dried powered Dulse has been used to treat worms. Dulse is very high in Iodine, which can be used to prevent goitre, and has been indicated as useful in the prevention of tumours, lumps and cysts. Dulse is indicated as being good for relieving constipation and is known to play a part in weight loss.


FOLKLORE AND HISTORY
Dulse is a native food of Northern Ireland where it has been eaten for thousands of years. In Ballycastle it has been sold for many years at the Ould Lammas Fair, as a tasty snack. Dulse and yellowman are sticky hard toffee like snacks and have been the traditional food of the fayre for centuries. Traditionally Dulse was used to treat scurvy of sea faring folk, as it is a rich source of vitamin C. It was also seen as a cure for kidney stones.


CONSTITUENTS
Dulse contains Alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, vitamin C, cobalt, iodine, and iron. Dulse also contains lutein, manganese, magnesium, calcium, chrominum, niacin, phosporous, potassium, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, sodium, tin, zeaxanthin and zinc.


TYPICAL PREPARATIONS AND DOSAGE
For medicinal purposes 5 -10 grams of Dulse can be taken daily.


PRECAUTIONS
None known.