Does Sea Moss Help with Anxiety and Depression?
About 1 in 4 American adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder, with a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the Covid-10 pandemic.
While medical treatments are sometimes necessary, many turn to alternative therapies with fewer side effects than antidepressants and sedatives. Lifestyle and diet changes can make a big difference. That’s where sea moss comes in.
Scientifically known as Chondrus crispus, this edible seaweed is one of the most nutrient-rich foods. Several of its minerals and vitamins are proven to positively impact one’s mood and help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Related article: What are the health benefits of sea moss?
Food and Mental Health Disorders
Reading that seaweed can improve your mental well-being may be surprising. Before opening the debate about sea moss for anxiety and depression, one must first understand how food can impact mental health.
The link between food, oxidative stress, anxiety, and depression
Food is pure energy. It's the energy that makes the body and the brain work. So what kind of energy you're feeding your brain greatly affects its function and, ultimately, your mood and mental health.
Think about your brain as a car. Like cars, your brain works better with premium fuel. Foods like sea moss, packed with healthy nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, are premium brain fuel. They nourish your brain and help protect it from oxidative stress.
On the other hand, foods with low nutritional value promote oxidative stress, inflammation, impaired brain function, and mood disorders. Moreover, diets high in refined sugars, processed foods, and saturated fats are harmful to the body and the brain.
Studies[1] have shown that oxidative stress is highly implicated in mental disorders like depression, stress, and anxiety. So eventually, eating foods that help prevent oxidative stress and inflammation is essential for your mental well-being.
What foods are good for the mood?
Certain foods are known to improve brain health and help with mood disorders. They include foods with high levels of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, anti-inflammatory, fibers, minerals, and vitamins such as:
- Dark chocolate
- Bananas
- Nuts
- Fatty fish
- Berries
- Fermented foods
- Leafy greens
- Fresh fruits and veggies
Sea moss is a brain superfood
Edible seaweeds are also on the list of the best mood-uplifting foods. They’re loaded with dietary fibers and packed with antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress, essential minerals for the brain such as potassium and magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids.
They’re also excellent sources of prebiotics that contribute to a healthier brain-gut connection for optimal well-being and psychological balance.
But sea moss is different from other edible algae. It’s like an extra-condensed seaweed with an even higher density and a wider variety of nutrients. In other words, sea moss is an absolute brain superfood!
It’s full of soluble fibers and potentially contains 92 of the 102 minerals our body and brain need to function, including many antioxidants, flavonoids, anti-inflammatory nutrients, omega-3, and plenty of vitamins.
By feeding your brain with these essential minerals and vitamins, sea moss participates in improving your mood and mental health.
Related article: The complete list of minerals and vitamins found in sea moss
Organics Nature's Sea Moss Capsules are Enriched with Bladderwrack and Burdock Roots
Sea Moss for Anxiety
In light of the above scientific explanation, sea moss is believed to help with stress and anxiety disorders. While scientific research still lacks on this specific topic, consumer testimonials leave little room for doubt.
What is anxiety?
Like any mental health disorder, anxiety is hard to define. But, according to the American Psychological Association, anxiety is “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.”
The statistics revealed by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America are extremely concerning, as anxiety is estimated to be the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting nearly 20% of the adult population (40 million).
Why is sea moss good for anxiety?
Sea moss can help ease anxiety, mainly thanks to its high magnesium content and antioxidants.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one serving of sea moss (10 grams only) contains 14.4 mg of magnesium. In comparison, a 10-gram serving of banana (one of the most popular magnesium-rich food) only has 2.7 mg of magnesium.
Various studies[2] have already revealed the positive effects of magnesium supplementation on anxiety symptoms. Because incorporating sea moss into your daily diet boosts your magnesium intake, it ultimately helps decrease your anxiety levels.
Related article: How does sea moss give you more energy?
Sea moss is not the only food that can help reduce anxiety symptoms. We recommend combining several ingredients to reap the most stress and anxiety-relieving benefits. Maximize the synergy with other anti-anxiety science-backed foods like turmeric, salmon, chamomile, dark chocolate, green tea, almonds, or berries.
Sea Moss for Depression
Depression and anxiety are distinct mental disorders, but they’re closely related. For example, nearly half of people diagnosed with depression also have anxiety symptoms.
The World Health Organization defines depression as “persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding or enjoyable activities.”
While depression is a severe mental illness that requires medical diagnosis and treatment, seaweed, like sea moss, can help prevent and cope with depressive episodes as it does with stress and anxiety.
Research on seaweeds and depression
One surprising but science-backed benefit of dietary seaweeds is their possible effects on symptoms of depression, including major depression disorders. Several studies have already flagged the links between depression and seaweed intake.
The first one was published by the Journal of Therapies in Medicine in 2015[3]. Patients diagnosed with major depressive disorders (MDD) and treated with standard antidepressant medicines were divided into two groups. Group A was administered Chlorella vulgaris extract, an antioxidant-rich edible alga, for six weeks, while group B was not. The results proved that Chlorella seaweed helped improve physical and cognitive symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The Nutrition Journal published another major study about seaweeds and depression in 2019[4]. It revealed “a clear relationship between higher seaweed intake and a lower incidence of depressive symptoms in Japanese adults.”
While no similar study was conducted on Chondrus crispus (sea moss), the results are logically transposable. Sea moss shares many common characteristics with Chlorella and other dietary seaweeds. In fact, it contains even more antidepressant compounds.
What's the bottom line, then? Clearly, we won’t imprudently claim that sea moss can treat depression itself. However, if taken along with other antidepressant therapies, it can help reduce symptoms.
How to Take Sea Moss for Anxiety and Depression?
Sea moss is a very safe supplement to use as it causes very few side effects. However, one must know how to take it to maximize its physical and mental health benefits.
For anxiety and depression, we usually recommend taking 1 to 4 tablespoons of sea moss gel or 2 sea moss capsules daily for at least 6 to 8 weeks.
It’s best to take it in the morning to benefit from its energy-boosting properties. In that case, most people add it to their morning smoothies.
However, if you have sleep disorders, you may prefer taking it before bedtime, as sea moss can help relax and improve sleep quality. It’s water-soluble and a great addition to an evening infusion, for example.
Because of its high iodine content, be careful not to overconsume sea moss. Always stick to the recommended dosage.
Related article: Find out how much sea moss you can take daily
Trusted sources and references:
[1] Bouayed J, Rammal H, Soulimani R. Oxidative stress and anxiety: relationship and cellular pathways. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2009 Apr-Jun;2(2):63-7. doi: 10.4161/oxim.2.2.7944. PMID: 20357926; PMCID: PMC2763246. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763246/
[2] Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress-A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017 Apr 26;9(5):429. doi: 10.3390/nu9050429. PMID: 28445426; PMCID: PMC5452159. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5452159/
[3] Yunes Panahi, Roghayeh Badeli, Gholam-Reza Karami, Zeinab Badeli, Amirhossein Sahebkar, A randomized controlled trial of 6-week Chlorella vulgaris supplementation in patients with major depressive disorder, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Volume 23, Issue 4, 2015, Pages 598-602, ISSN 0965-2299 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2015.06.010
[4] Guo F, Huang C, Cui Y, Momma H, Niu K, Nagatomi R. Dietary seaweed intake and depressive symptoms in Japanese adults: a prospective cohort study. Nutr J. 2019 Oct 7;18(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s12937-019-0486-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6781346/