What is Seamoss?

Our Sea moss from St Lucia is wild grown and hand harvested from the warm waters of the Caribbean sea that surround the island. It's dried in the sun after harvest. You'll notice this sea moss looks very clean and pure because it's been carefully harvested and sorted by hand. Sea moss which is harvested by rake tends to include ocean debris which is picked up from the sea bed. This breed of sea moss is highly regarded for its quality and flavour and is believed to be of superior quality because it's made up primarily of young shoots / tendrils that surround the thicker central stem. This Sea moss is also believed to be particularly nutrient dense because of the rocks that it grows on and the minerals it leeches from them.

Did you know that Sea moss contains 92 out of the 102 minerals and vitamins that the human body needs, great for improving mental and emotional health, joint related pain, boost metabolism and lastly it's used for face masks and creams for skin and really good for hair.

How do I Identify Fake Sea Moss?

Here are some tips to help you quickly spot “fake” sea moss.  

Spotting “fake” or pool grown sea moss is really quite simple once you know how. Here I’ll walk you through how to notice pool grown sea moss with four straight forward tips. The main things I look for on the surface is large grains of processed salt, not enough imperfections that occured naturally, and evidence of chemical interference. 

Tip 1 – The Salt Grains  

There will be surface salt that naturally show, but it’s the size of the salt grains, and the taste that easily gives this away. 

Sea moss absorbs up the salt water it grows in. And as a result, when it dries up, this shows up on the  surface. 

Is your sea moss slightly dusted with salt that is as fine as icing sugar? This is Real Authentic sea moss. If it is filled with grains of salt that looks more like table salt, typically it’s fake. This shouldn't be confused with sand. Sand and salt looks totally different.  

There’s also a very different taste of natural sea salt and processed salt. Have a taste and see for yourself. 

Tip 2 – The Perfect Look  

Does your sea moss have that perfect look? Meaning, is it all around the same size and thickness? 

Sea moss grows in a specific way. You’ll know pool grown compared to ocean harvested just on the look. 

Similar to being able to tell the difference between home grown or organic vegetables and the commercially grown vegetables you buy at the store. 

Real sea moss that is grown in the open ocean will be uneven thicker in some parts than others. It will also have some variations on the length and density of the thallus.

Tip 3 – Other Seaweed with it  

Real sea moss that is grown in the ocean will occasionally have loss pieces of another type of seaweed with it. Sometimes you will find quite a few pieces mixed in there. This is perfectly normal.  

In pools and tanks there are no other species of seaweed, just sea moss. Pools also lack sand and the occasional ‘sea dirt,' which can be seen on sea moss. 

Tip 4 – Differences in colour or tone  

Authentic sea moss which has been grown naturally in the ocean will have some colour variations, or slight differences in tones. Knowing how to spot fake sea moss is really easy with this tip. If you’ve got a batch of sea moss that is all the same colour, it may be fake, or even worse it may be bleached.  

Sea moss naturally comes in a few different colours. This is a result of the country of where it is grown, and  some slight species variations in the seaweed family. This means that for it to be golden white it  has required some processing. 

This processing is typically a simple application of exposure to sunlight. Depending on the colour  of the sea moss, it can often have some tonal variations after the sun drying stage. 

But how is the colour changed? It’s a simple process to take sea moss from being olive green,  purple, brown, red, yellow or a warm orange to the golden white colour you’re familiar with. This  requires no chemicals when done properly, just controlled exposure to the direct sunlight to remove out the colour. 

Where bleaching has been applied there’s a constant white look to the sea moss. No little darker patches, no pieces that are more fawn than golden white. It looks very processed. 

These colour variations after sun drying come from the sea moss growing in natural conditions  where it is exposed to slight variations in light, temperature and water movements. 

Tank farmed sea moss will typically not have these variables as it is grown in an extremely  controlled conditions. There’s no room for nature to create such noticeable differences. 

How Common is Fake Sea Moss? 

Fake sea moss isn’t as common as you may believe. Internationally, the rise of seaweed farming in the ocean is on the increase. Pool grown sea moss in the laboratory like conditions that Dr. Sebi warned us about is not able to compete with the awesome power of  Mother Nature and the Ocean. 

DID YOU KNOW: What is more common is the lower grade quality of sea moss that is intended for animal consumption or industrial application being sold as food grade for human consumption.

This is the present threat that is faced today by companies like ours and individuals sourcing high quality sea moss. 

To add this lower grade sea moss is grown in the ocean, but not the quality of waters that you would be happy to have your sea moss grown in. Often, collected in areas that are close to commercial ports and harbours, or waters that are polluted or currents from ocean dead zones . 

 The waters condition is vital so that you know you are getting a clean, and mineral dense supply of sea moss.