Plant of the week: Source of biodiesel also used to maintain blood vessels

Name: Cutweed (Fucus vesiculosus)

Otherwise known as: Black Tang

Habitat: A perennial seaweed member of the Fucaceae family, growing up to 1m in estuaries and coastal areas of Europe and the North Atlantic. The familiar olive green plant has rounded, forked fronds that contain air bladders that are used to keep the wrack floating towards the light. Once very popular but now avoided as it is known to absorb heavy metals such as Mercury.

What does it do: In the early Victorian period seaside pharmacists and manufacturers of patent medicines would produce ‘sea-pod liniment’ and ‘sea-pod essence’ for sale to city holiday makers; they were made by expressing the juice from the bladders and were alleged to treat rheumatism, sprains and bruises, and it was noticed that those taking the liniment were losing weight without any loss of health or strength.

Extracts from the plant were used by 19th century herbalists to treat rickets, scrofula, and iron deficiency ailments.

Modern herbalists recommend Cutweed to treat thyroid disease, thyroxin deficiency, simple goiter, myxoedema (deficiency of thyroid hormones), failed nutrition, listlessness, rickets, swollen glands, infections of the reproductive organs, as a stimulant for the liver, pancreas and gall bladder, for general debility, and it has been used as an emergency treatment for hypothermia. It is said to offset incipient arteriosclerosis by maintaining elasticity of veins and arteries, and the presence of Vitamin K helps prevent strokes.

In harsh winters in coastal areas of Scotland, Ireland and the Atlantic coast of France and Spain, the plant was used as an addition to sheep and cattle fodder. In addition the plant has long been used as a crop fertilizer; the Channel Islanders claimed that it was the secret ingredient that enabled them to bring in the ‘Jersey Royal Potatoes’ before their rivals the Cypriots.

It is now one of the Algae valued as a source of biodiesel.

 

Alexander McCowan is author of The World’s Most Dangerous Plants

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