Irish Moss Health Concerns
Go figure, I finally jump onto the Irish Moss train, which has been touted as a super food in the raw food community for years, only to wake up to a weekly email in my in-box from Dr. Andrew Weil warning about the dangers of carrageenan. What does this have to do with Irish Moss? Carrageenan is extracted from Irish Moss.
Alarmed, I started digging and emailing. I even went to the woman who is considered to be the one of the top experts in carrageenan research, Dr. Joanne Tobacman of the University of Illinois. Dr. Tobacman has been studying the effects of carrageenan for over a decade.
It seems that carrageenan can cause inflammation (one of our greatest enemies) and intestinal distress. Even more alarming, when carrageenan is extracted from the irish moss, this form of carrageenan has been associated with human cancers.
But wait, haven’t we all read about the wonderful health benefits of Irish Moss? Isn’t it supposed to be great for us? I wondered if there was a difference between consuming Irish Moss in it’s whole form vs an extraction, the carrageenan.
I asked Dr. Tobacman if we needed to be concerned with consuming Irish Moss in it’s whole form. While the extraction is the most dangerous form (and widely found in many organic and non-organic products for sale), Dr. Tobacman stated, “When we tested Irish moss, we found that it also caused inflammation, similar to the effect of the derived carrageenan. The degree of inflammation was less, probably due to reduced availability of the carrageenan, due to the other ingredients in the seaweed. The answer to your question is yes, I think that Irish moss should be avoided, due to the likelihood that the carrageenan in the Irish moss will lead to inflammation.”
So there you have it. Armed with that information, you will not see Irish Moss used in any more recipes designated for consumption on this website. I am also redoing the Lemon Raspberry Souffle Tart that I published last week, replacing Irish Moss on the ingredient list.
Because of the prevalence of carrageenan in so many of the products that we use, including many organic varieties, I am including some links that I think are important for you to visit to educate yourselves on this dangerous food additive.
Dr. Tobacman’s studies can be viewed here: Studies on Carrageenan (these are published medical studies)
Another excellent, easier to read article by Rodal Press: Carrageenan, The Natural Ingredient that is Wrecking Your Gut
From the Cornucopia Institute: Carrageenan: Linked to Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Colon Cancer This article also discusses the attempts to get carrageenan removed from organic foods and the push-back the ensued.
After researching, reading and communicating with Dr. Tobacman, I would suggest that you remove Irish Moss from your raw food pantry and also make sure you look for carrageenan on your food labels and avoid it. Cornucopia has compiled a list of food producers that use carrageenan and those who don’t. You can find that list here: Shopping Guide to Avoid Carrageenan.
dave wrote on February 19, 2013
Please reference “Controversy Over Carrageenan” by Terry Shistar, Ph.D in the February 2013 Acres U.S.A.
Carrageenan has now been removed from infant formula. However, the National Organic Standards Board voted to allow the continued use of carrageenan with its cancer causing contaminant in organic food! Hello!!
Thanks Susan.
Dave Strz wrote on February 1, 2013
Please send your unwanted Irish Moss my way. I will use it to clarify my homebrews. 😀
Angel Woodsville wrote on January 8, 2013
I don’t want to take a chance and discarded my Irish moss. Would you know of a good substitute for Irish moss? Thanks!
Mr P wrote on December 28, 2012
Please becareful of what you are saying about irish moss one of the most healthest food/herb.
please check out Dr. Sebi who has been healing A.I.D.S and every other disease from 1987
with real alkaline herbs not fake cultivated chemicals.
Irish moss is highly alkaline hench very healthy. try the thiner kind of irish moss
not the thick one, becare of hybrids which maybe acidic.
Who you think is more credible some one has and is healing every disease or
someone who is just guessing, arm chair doctors or those actually doing what
other claim is impossible.
May the blessings be.
Susan wrote on December 28, 2012
I do not approach things with a flippant attitude. I stand by what I wrote.
Julia wrote on November 22, 2012
I mean no offense here, but one person’s opinion (doctor or not, it’s still an opinion) re: the inflammatory effects of Irish Moss in it’s whole form, without any cited scientific backup (I looked at the posted studies on carrageenan, but saw none for Irish Moss specifically), should not lead us to foregone conclusions. There are so many factors that come into play, including the methodology for testing the Irish Moss, the variables controlled for, etc…….it’s also important to find out if other researchers corroborate the conclusions. There are too many factors involved in the process of inflammation to rely on one study as the basis for a conclusion.
It makes sense that carrageenan, a highly processed extract, would cause problems, and the studies seem to back that up……but there are many instances where the extracted, processed elements of a food, e.g., hydrogenated oils from seeds, powdered fructose or high fructose corn syrup, etc., are detrimental to human health, while the original food source is not.
Sara wrote on November 14, 2012
I am so glad it can be used a face mask! My skin has never looked better and I would be devastated if I could not use it on my skin.
Janel wrote on November 3, 2012
Susan,
Thank you for this information. I have been giving my toddler almond milk the last year, believing it was a better alternative to animal milk. I checked the brand I’d been using (Organic Pacific) and found carrageenan listed. So frustrating!!! I hope it hasn’t caused her any problems. Thank you for the shopping list, I have been able to find a brand without the ingredient. note: since reading this article, I realized Tom’s toothpaste has carrageenan listed in ingredients.
Karielyn wrote on November 1, 2012
Thanks for the great article!
I know exactly how you feel…I had to break ties with my coconut milk because of concerns with carrageenan.
In fact, pretty much all boxed non-dairy milk has it added (hemp, almond, soy, coconut, rice). I guess it’s good I found out though, because now I have been making my own homemade almond milk and have never been happier!
Susan wrote on November 1, 2012
There is a great link in the post that gives you many options for non-dairy milks, etc. that don’t have it in them. Cheers!!
My Recession Kitchen wrote on October 22, 2012
Thanks for posting this, a very thought provoking discussion!