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Botany
One of the most common
edible alga, 15 to 25 cm high. Fronds are elongated, cylindrical, 2
to 3 cm in diameter at thickest, gradually diminishing, soft, smooth
and irregularly branched. Purplish with a tinge of green when fresh,
yellowish white when dry. Branches are fastigiate, bare below, divided
above with tapering branchlets. Fructications consist of small, stalkless,
spherical elongated bodies.
Distribution
Plentiful in
rocky and sandy places.
Chemical constituents
and properties
Gelose, 60%; protein,
2.3%; fat, 0.1%; carbohydrate, 72.5%; galactose; fructose; pentose;
iodine, 0.05%.
Pectoral and antidysenteric, emollient, demulcent and alterative.
Parts
used and preparation
Entire plant.
Uses
Folkloric
Cough and consumption.
Poultice used for swollen knee joints and sores.
Strained mucilaginous decoction and take extracted jelly for constipation.
Intestinal and bladder difficulties.
Bladder irritiation, menorrhagia, leucorrhea.
In China, used for treatment
of chronic constipation with intestinal atony, tuberculosis of lymph
node, tumore of thyroids, abdominal mass, edema, beriberi, testicular
swelling.
Other
Members of the genus are highly prized as foodstuff or for the agar
content.
Food: Blanch the entire plant and eat as salad. In Japanese cuisine,
called ogonori or ogo.
Used in manufacture of commercial agar-agar.
Studies
•
Pharmaceutical Biology of Seaweeds: Study showed grown
seaweeds exhibited greater antibacterial activity than the green and
red ones. In elemental composition, green seaweeds had higher Ca, Cr,
and Pb; green seaweeds with highest Co, Cu, Fe and Zn; and red seaweeds
highest in Cd, K, Mg and Na.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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