What Is Ecklonia Cava?
Ecklonia cava (Caviar) is a species of the genus Caviar. It belongs to the family Rosaceae, which includes such familiar members as Perilla, Grapeseed and Parsley. The scientific name for it is Eurycea caviae. It was first described by French botanist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1797.
The name “cava” comes from the Latin word caput meaning chest. It is a member of the Rosacea family. There are over 300 species of rosacea, but only three have been scientifically named: Eurycea, Rhus and Corynebacterium. They all produce similar symptoms including redness, itching and pain when exposed to sunlight or other environmental irritants. These symptoms usually begin at puberty and worsen with age.
Roses are commonly used in perfumes, soaps and cosmetics made from them. However, they contain no rosemary or any other essential oils.
How Does Ecklonia Cava Affect Skin?
The main active ingredient in ecklonia cava is called eck-LON-on-ah-VAH (ek meaning heart and LON-o-nuh for lanolin). It is a mixture of lanolin and rose oil that soothes, heals and repairs dry or damaged hair. It has been used in many beauty products as a substitute for lanolin. It is found in skin creams for the treatment of chapped lips, cracked heels, sunburned skin and minor burns. It can be applied topically to heal minor skin wounds and burns.
It eases external hemorrhoids when applied topically to the area. It is used to improve the appearance of scars caused by accidents, surgery or other trauma. It is used as an ingredient in hand cream to protect the skin from cracking or peeling. It is also added to some lotions and face creams as a moisturizing agent that protects skin from dryness. It works by creating a protective barrier between the skin and the environment, which reduces water loss and raises the temperature of the skin.
In food, it prevents oils and fats from becoming rancid. It is also used in chewing gum to improve elasticity and prevent sugar crystals from forming. It can be used to create a smooth texture in processed cheese.
Where Does Ecklonia Cava Come From?
Ecklonia cava comes from the ocean. It can be found off the coasts of Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Chile, the Galapagos Islands and Western Canada. It is a brown, red, pink and green seaweed that grows underwater on rocks, pilings, dock supports and other submerged surfaces. It is harvested by hand and is not allowed to dry out before being prepared for use.
Ecklonia cava is also known as laurel, bladderwrack, water lettuce or mermaid’s tea. It has been used in a variety of traditional Asian medicines for more than 5,000 years. In ancient China, it was used as an ingredient in potions believed to increase life span and promote general wellness.
In modern times, ecklonia cava has seen widespread use in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese medicine as an ingredient in formulas used to treat a wide variety of health conditions. It has been used to increase energy, treat depression, soothe sore throats and enhance the immune system, among other things. It has also been used as a general health tonic.
Ecklonia cava may cause mild side effects such as headache, stomach upset, nausea and diarrhea but they are rare and only occur when it is taken in large doses.
Sources & references used in this article:
Antioxidant activities of phlorotannins purified from Ecklonia cava on free radical scavenging using ESR and H2O2-mediated DNA damage by GN Ahn, KN Kim, SH Cha, CB Song, J Lee… – … Food Research and …, 2007 – Springer
Antioxidant potential of ecklonia cavaon reactive oxygen species scavenging, metal chelating, reducing power and lipid peroxidation inhibition by M Senevirathne, SH Kim… – Food science and …, 2006 – journals.sagepub.com
Enrichment of enzymatically mineralized gellan gum hydrogels with phlorotannin-rich Ecklonia cava extract Seanol® to endow antibacterial properties and promote … by TEL Douglas, A Dokupil, K Reczyńska… – Biomedical …, 2016 – iopscience.iop.org
