Sea Cucumber

Other names : Holothuroidea, beche-de-mer, Holothurian, Haishen
One species that has remarkable medicinal properties and can be used for human consumption is Stichopus hermanii (trepang or sea cucumber gold).
See also : Sea vegetables

Special Precautions of Sea Cucumber

Don't use if you have bleeding disorders or if you take Anticoagulant medication.

Benefits and uses of Sea Cucumber are

• Cancer : Sea cucumber extract is a highly promising natural medicine for cancer. There are currently two clinical trials using it (with other natural extracts) against myeloma and multiple myeloma, but more trials against breast and lung cancer are clearly called for, as a start. A study published in the journal Pancreas in 2010 suggests that Frondanol-A5P (a substance extracted from a sea cucumber species called Cucumaria frondosa) may aid in the prevention or treatment of pancreatic cancer. In tests on human pancreatic cancer cells, the study's authors observed that sea cucumber extract may fight cancer by inducing apoptosis (a type of programmed cell death essential for stopping the proliferation of cancer cells).
• Anti-Inflammatory Activity : contains compounds such as mucopolysaccharides, chondroitin and glucosamine, which can help relieve arthritis disorders. Such compounds help in the regulation of the balance of certain lipids known as prostaglandins. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis usually have high concentrations of certain prostaglandins, according to a study published in 2008 in the “American College of Rheumatology.” Contains chondroitin sulfate (a substance found naturally in human cartilage and sometimes taken in dietary supplement form to treat arthritis).
• Wound Healing : Eating sea cucumber or its extracts may have therapeutic effects such as speeding up wound healing. It does so by facilitating the formation of new tissues within a short time -- a property that is believed to stem from the ability of a sea cucumber to regenerate its own body tissues quickly when it is injured.
• Anticoagulant Activity : Sea cucumbers contain a compound known as chondroitin sulfate. A study by Brazilian scientists published in September 1996 in the “Journal of Biological Chemistry” found that chondroitin sulfate has anticoagulant activity.
• Cholesterol : Some animal-based research indicates that sea cucumber may help keep cholesterol in check. In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2002, for instance, tests on rats demonstrated that sea cucumber may help reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol and total cholesterol levels while increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol levels.
• Gum Health : Use of a toothpaste containing sea cucumber extract may be beneficial to people with gum disease, according to a preliminary study published in the Journal of Oral Science in 2003. For the study, 28 adults with chronic gingivitis or early stages of periodontitis brushed their teeth with either a sea cucumber-enriched toothpaste or placebo toothpaste twice daily for three months. At the study's end, participants who used the sea cucumber toothpaste showed significantly greater improvements in several markers of gum health (such as plaque buildup and bleeding) compared to those assigned to the placebo.
• has a very high protein content, which is almost 82% and is also rich in essential acids. Both of these essential substances work encourages the liver cells that secrete antibiotics.