Algae retain numerous beneficial features from the seawater. This is what makes them abundant sources of minerals like iodine, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, iron, cobalt, phosphorus, zinc, and fluorine. They also have good levels of vitamins, fats, amino acids, carbohydrates, etc. All these elements make algae adept in serving the antibacterial, antiviral, and cosmetic needs of people. They are good muscle relaxants, body cleansers as they flush out toxins from the body through sweating and cleanse the skin.
When used in foods, algae provides necessary nutrients to the body fight anemia, removes tiredness and fatigue and is very helpful for promoting various physiological functions. Algae bring your skin back to normal and prevent it from early ageing. It is a complete package for the beautification of your face, hair, and body. The most commonly used varieties of algae are –
- Red and Green Algae – used mainly for cosmetic purposes.
- Blue Algae – it is high on proteins and is used to cure certain diseases.
The healing qualities in algae has made it a sought after therapeutic treatment that is called – Algotherapy. The algae are collected from the seabed, powdered and then are mixed with water.
The type of application truly depends upon the type of problem. Following are some basic treatments that algotherapy uses:
- During a wrap, the whole body is coated with warm seaweed and then a blanket is covered over it so that the heat remains inside. The whole process is designed to heat up the body so that it sweats and eliminates the toxins out from the body. The procedure relaxes all the body muscles. This particular treatment has been included in the list of many spas worldwide.
- The marine balls treatment is a procedure to immerse hands in a warm seaweed mud. It aims to relieve joint pains and add flexibility in joints. It has a wonderful pain-relieving effect.
- Algae can also be used in baths, especially in Jacuzzi. The bubbling effect of Jacuzzi stimulates the ground seaweed and speeds up the biochemical exchange, which augments the curative powers of algae.
- Algae also are used as an ingredient in food supplements, for example, agar-agar. An item is taken out of seaweeds. By boiling several types of seaweeds together, this jelly-like substance is formed. You can find this product at a specific drug store and shops. Agar-agar thickens as soon as it encounters water. People use this substance in many recipes to make them increase in quantity.
Summary:
There are countless benefits of algae that indicate how powerful healing qualities are there in algae and algotherapy.