Sea vegetables include kelp, dulse and the green sheet of nori wrapped around your sushi roll and are typical ingredients in Japanese and South Korean food. Fulvic acids are part of the decomposition process both on land and at sea. Sea vegetables are good for your health because they are rich in minerals. However, the mineral content varies depending on the season and where the sea vegetable comes from, making it an unreliable dietary supplement, according to information from the American Cancer Society.
Fulvic Acids
All natural bodies of water contain fulvic acids in some concentration, according to information from a 1994 issue of “Limnology and Oceanography.” Fulvic acids are a humic substance, which is decomposed organic matter not digested by micro-organisms. You can find fulvic acids in the sediment of water-based ecosystems, in the soil of land-based ecosystems and in your backyard compost pile. You can buy fulvic acids as a dietary supplement, but little clinical evidence exists to support using fulvic acids to prevent, cure or treat any health condition.
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer’s disease results in progressing dementia. Tangled proteins in the brain called amyloid plaques cause this mental malfunction. Fulvic acids have potential as a natural Alzheimer's treatment, according to an in vitro study on human cells from University of Chile reported in the July 2011 issue of the “Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.” The results of the study show fulvic acids can untangle these proteins, which may lead to new natural Alzheimer’s treatments.
Reduce Copper Toxicity
Fulvic acid can reduce copper toxicity in sea vegetables living in marine and brackish water, according to a study from Stockholm University in Sweden published in the May 2011 issue of "Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety." High-traffic waterways can contain toxic levels of copper because it’s a common ingredient used in boat-bottom paint. The copper leaches into the water and builds up in some marine animals and plants. Researchers tested the toxic effects of copper in different fulvic acid concentrations using the sea vegetable red macroalga Ceramium tenuicorne. The data shows that, independent of salinity, fulvic acid seems to reduce incidences of copper toxicity.
Microbes in Compost
Kelp in combination with molasses as an amendment to compost optimizes microbial load, according to a study from the Center for Plant and Water Science in Australia published in the September 2011 issue of "Bioresource Technology." You add it while aerating the compost – turning it over with a pitchfork or other implement. Researchers also found inoculating the compost pile used in the study with one part compost extract to 10 parts water, produces the most fulvic acid content in comparison to other dilutions, which is favorable for compost decomposition.
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