Seaweed Treatment for Cancer

Many scientists, including those of Takara Biotechnology Research Laboratories, have discovered an association between low cancer incidences and regular seaweed consumption in Japan. Brown seaweed extract in particular is believed effective for treating various types of cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these claims.

Identification

• Brown seaweed extract (known as laminaria japonica) contains fucoidan, a long-chain carbohydrate. Fucoidan is a powerful immune-booster, which is what makes it an effective natural cancer treatment.

History

• The therapeutic treatments of seaweed for cancer have long been known to the ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures. Modern scientists only began investigating the use of seaweed for cancer treatment in the 1970s.

Function

• Scientists at the Research Institute for Glycotechnology Advancement and the Takara Biotechnology Research Laboratories claim to have proven that fucoidan causes rapidly growing cancer cells to self-destruct.

Types

• Researchers from both of these labs have discovered that fucoidan specifically causes the self-destruction of leukemia, stomach cancer and colon cancer cells.

Geography

• Brown seaweed used for cancer treatment grows in unpolluted water off the coast of the South Pacific island Tonga. Tonga is close to the island Fiji (near Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea).