Tasha Greenwood (they/them) is an educator and herbalist with a background in marine science. They are a co-owner of Mxed Greens, an herbal apothecary in Northampton, MA, where they teach workshops in collaboration with local colleges and farms. Greenwood writes monographs for the online platform HerbMentor, LOAM magazine, and the Journal of the American Herbalists Guild. They hold a BS in environmental science with a focus on marine ecology and maritime studies from Northeastern University and received clinical herbalist training at the Hudson Valley School of Herbal Studies, Milk & Honey Herbs Apprenticeship, the California School of Herbal Studies, and the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism.

Proposed Table of Contents
1. Introduction (with Sargassum) - personal context, how to use this book
2. Botany Basics

Seaweeds vs Land Plants (structure/function)
Phylogenetic groupings (Green/Red/Brown)
Seaweed reproduction + growth habits

3. Ecology Basics

Intertidal zone overview (characteristics of this environment, shifts with latitude, seaweed aggregation by species across the intertidal zone)
Seaweeds in broader ecological scope (role as photosynthesizers, habitat builders, keystone species in food webs. Seaweed shifts as waters warm + sea levels rise, mariculture as a booming field for various applications)

4. Harvesting Techniques + A Note on Ethical Foraging + Wildcrafting

Harvesting/Foraging instructions + protocols, how to dry + preserve seaweed
Notes on ethical wildcrafting + foraging, the Honorable Harvest (Robin Wall Kimmerer)
Seaweeds

5. Seaweeds
Each section in this chapter is organized around a different species of seaweed. There is a contextual narrative about a location where I have observed or harvested this seaweed, then a deep dive on the specific botany, history, and traditional medicinal use of this species. Each chapter ends with Herbal Medicine Preparations and Culinary Recipes that include that seaweed along with bioregional produce, proteins, and herbs. Spread across the chapters are also vignettes on ‘Tasting Notes’ (salty, umami, bitter, sweet) that apply to seaweeds, ‘Phytochemistry Features’ detailing compounds in the plants that give them medicinal action as well as current clinical research, and ‘Intertidal Interviews’ with seaweed harvesters, farmers, and ocean stewards who are connected to these ecosystems. Order of chapters is flexible. *All recipes have not been filled in yet - all may be developed by me, or in conjunction with another recipe developer*

A. Chondrus crispus/Irish Moss (Nahant, MA)

Context: Part of my college experience studying marine botany, my first true introduction to the tidepools of the rocky New England shore.
Phytochemistry Feature: Carrageenan
Interview with herbalist Lauren Giambrone about using irish moss
Culinary Recipes featuring: irish moss
Herbal Medicine Preparations: Irish moss carrageenan for HPV, COVID-19, Irish moss carrageenan cough syrup.

B. Ascophyllum nodosum / Rockweed (Cape Cod, MA)

Context: another place I spent much of my early 20s, both in school and working.
Interview: Wampanoag Tribal Member (perhaps Ms. Tavares Avant, but there other folks too who know ethnobotanical uses of seaweed and continue to steward patches on the Cape and Martha’s Vineyard)
Phytochemistry Feature: Ascophyllan
Culinary Recipes featuring: cape gooseberries, kelp, Rosa rugosa, cranberries, squash

C. Saccharina latissima/Laminaria saccharina, Laminaria digitalis // All referred to as Kombu or sugar kelp (California Coast + New England Coast)

Context: two coasts I have lived on and harvested seaweed from. The coasts are very different from each other but united by kelp.
Tasting Notes: Sweet
Interview: Sarah Thorpe from Swell Seaweed Co. (Maine)
Interview with Seagrove Kelp (Alaska)
Culinary Recipes featuring: kelps!

D. Alaria esculenta / winged kelp or wakame (Gulf of Maine)

Context: the link between the ecosystems of the northern gulf of Maine and the places where many of my ancestors are from in Northern Europe. Winged kelp unites them.
Phytochemistry Feature: Fucoidans, Seaweed and metabolic syndrome
Interview with Nautical Farms (Maine)
Interview with Ironbound Island Seaweed (Maine)
Interview with Atlantic Sea Farms (Maine)
Culinary Recipes featuring alaria, wild greens, clams

E. Palmaria palmata / Dulse (Gulf of Maine)

Context: Lubec research station, herbarium pressings, learning to like bitter flavored foods.
Tasting Notes: Bitter
Interview with Micah Woodcock of Atlantic Holdfast Seaweeds (Maine)
Interview with Cup of Sea (Maine)
Culinary Recipes feat: dulse, potatoes

F. Fucus vesiculosis / Bladderwrack (Long Island Sound, CT/NY)

Context: A body of water that I lived and worked on aboard a tallship. An ecology very linked to urban places and cities, but where seaweeds are still abundant.
Phytochemistry Feature: Iodine + the Thyroid (& how to use bladderwrack medicinally as thyroid support)
Interview: Stonington Kelp Co (CT)
Herbal medicine: preparations for taking bladderwrack as a thyroid support (capsules, tea, infusions

G. Cystoseira spp. (California Coast)

Context: the first seaweed that I ate straight out the tidepool without any cooking or preparation and it changed my culinary world.
Tasting Notes: Umami
Culinary Recipes featuring: Cystoseira, Bull Kelp
Herbal Medicine Preparations: seaweed ferments and the gut microbiome

H. Pyropia spp. / Nori & Laver (Sonoma County Coastline, CA)

Context: Where I lived for a year of herb school, and the start of COVID.
Interview with Autumn Summers or her connections.
Phytochemistry Feature: Porphyran
Culinary Recipes feat: nori and laver, CA local produce

I. Mazaella splendens / rainbow seaweed (California Coast)

Context: continuation of pacific coast experiences, seaweed harvesting in the tidepools and leaning on their cooling, soothing properties during the intense fire season of summer 2020.
Herbal Medicine Preparation: Seaweed cream (topical)

J. Ulva spp / sea lettuce (Hawaiian Islands)

Context: I lived in Hawaii for various short stints, and sailed there as well. Indigenous use of seaweeds. The cultural context of this Pacific island as a meeting place of asian immigrants, white settlers, and indigenous communities.
Tasting Notes: Salt
Phytochemistry Feature: Chlorophyll
Recipes feat: sea lettuce

J. Gracilaria spp. / Caribbean Sea Moss (South Florida)

Context: grows prolifically in the Caribbean, easily available in Southern Florida markets because of geographic proximity and demographics of Caribbean immigrants. Has gained huge interest in the wellness market in the last 5 years.
Phytochemistry Feature: Agar
Interview with a sea moss company
Recipes feat. agar as a thickener or gelatin alternative
Herbal medicine: immune boosting elderberry syrup gummies set with agar

K. A Few Other Common Edible Varieties

Hijiki, Arame, Caulerpa (sea grapes) - these are found on coasts of Japan, China, Korea. Analogues exist on the coasts of North America, but not the exact same species.
A few recipes featuring each of these.

Preliminary Recipe List
I divided these into general recipe categories rather than by seaweed type so you can get a sense of the breadth of recipes represented overall. I generally cook vegetarian + seafood. My cooking revolves around quality herbs and produce, and bright spice flavors. I love a pop of coriander or cardamom, the zesty play of citrus and chili, layers of ginger and garlic, and creative sweet/savory combos. Texture is a crucial consideration when cooking with whole seaweeds, balancing the unique mouthfeel of sea vegetables with other, perhaps more familiar, ingredients.

Sauces/Condiments

Seaweed and herb infused salts (ie furikake)
Spring tonic vinegar with herbs and seaweeds
Seaweed infused fire cider
Seaweed kimchi
Pickled seaweed (cystoseira, kelp, and others)
Seaweed hot sauce
Seaweed infused vinaigrette
Seaweed pesto
Broths + Soups
Broths/Soups- Dashi with kombu and mushrooms
Broths/Soups - Miso with wakame and tofu
Broths/soups - traditional veggie or meat stock with seaweed
Broths/soups - Pho with wakame or Alaria
Broths/ soups - Immune support broth with seaweeds, reishi, astragalus
Broths/Soups- Seaweed + herb instant bouillon mix for quick broths
Congee made with seaweed veg broth or with dashi
Tidepool Beans in the crockpot (with rockweed or kelp)
One pot rice and beans with sea lettuce

Bread/Pastry

Seaweed boule (could be sourdough or traditional yeasted dough)
Savory seaweed cornbread or corn muffins
Sweet potato, scallion & seaweed savory galette

Small Meals + Sides

Sushi rolls w plum and avocado (nori)
Fresh Spring rolls with kelp noodles and herbs
Cold seaweed salad with wakame and jicama
Seaweed miso maple roasted radishes
Sea moss + fruit smoothies

Main Dishes

Katsu curry with dulse
Macadamia nut ‘hollandaise’ sauce with sea lettuce or dulse over roasted vegetables
Seaweed clam bake (in the sand… or on your stove)
Burdock and seaweed pasta with arame
Seaweed wrapped baked fish
Peanut noodles with sea lettuce and dulse

Desserts + Sweets

Blancmange pudding (with irish moss)
Dried fruit + rockweed infused chocolate
Coconut and passionfruit haupia (with agar)
Seamoss jam or marmalade
Chocolate seaweed truffles (with bladderwrack)

Medicinal Benefits of Seaweed
Seaweeds are incredibly nutrient dense, with up to ten times the vitamin and mineral concentrations of land plants living in the same ecosystem. Seaweeds are particularly high in A, C, and B vitamins, as well as iodine, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. All are key to tissue form and function within the body, and consuming seaweed is an easy way to bolster the body in times of illness, stress, or convalescence. The high levels of antioxidants in seaweeds reduce cell damage from oxidative stress. There is a reason why so many bath and body products contain seaweed extracts - they really shine for rejuvenating and protecting skin and external tissues. The following paragraphs are an overview of additional medicinal benefits of each seaweed grouping (greens/Chlorophyta, reds/Rhodophyta, and brown/Phaeophyta.)
Green seaweeds are primarily utilized as a nutritive food. I think of them like a good romaine lettuce - delicious with a nice texture, but not as nutrient dense and complex as spinach or nettles. For this reason, I think that sea lettuce can be great as a salt and mineral source in an electrolyte replacement switchel, but not so much for other medicinal preparations.
Red seaweeds contain polysaccharides called carrageenans that form gels when extracted in water. These gels are demulcent and emollient, soothing to tissues internally and externally. Carrageenan has a long history of use as a digestive support, to ease dyspepsia much in the same way as we use marshmallow root mucilage. There is also evidence for carrageenan gel promoting metabolic regulation by both slowing the absorption of sugars and providing necessary soluble fiber. It’s also great antispasmodic and expectorant for coughs and respiratory congestion that often come with living in the cool, damp climates of the shores where these seaweeds grow. Carrageenan also exhibits some interesting anti-viral properties against HPV and HSV-1; and is currently being studied against SARS COVID-19.
Brown seaweeds contain the polysaccharide fucoidan, which has been extensively studied. Brown seaweeds are a powerful adjunct therapeutic for treating diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Similar to carrageenans, fucoidans have demonstrated antiviral activity against HIV, Hep-B, and Influenza in vitro, and hopefully clinical trials are on the way. Likewise, even though clinical trials have not been published yet, brown seaweeds have extensive history of use to treat cancers in Traditional Chinese Medicine and in vitro studies corroborate this. Brown seaweeds contain the highest concentrations of iodine and are fantastic support for hypothyroidism. While not a replacement for thyroid hormone treatments (i.e. levothyroxine), the extra boost of iodine can significantly improve thyroid function in those with borderline hypothyroidism and improve medication efficacy for those with clinical hypothyroidism.
When consuming seaweeds for culinary or medicinal use, quantity and frequency are important. Because seaweeds are so nutrient-dense, you don’t want to just eat a huge portion of seaweed once in a while. That is akin to storm runoff washing excess agriculture fertilizer into a body of water, resulting in a massive algae bloom and eutrophication, and an unbalanced ecosystem that takes time to recalibrate. In order to get the most benefits from seaweed, the ideal is to eat small amounts, routinely. This moderated approach allows your body to actually take in and use the nutrients effectively without being flooded in a boom and bust cycle. The same is true for internal medicinal applications - small doses frequently allows the body to use the carrageenans or fucoidans to the most effect.

Medicinal Recipes
*note that many of these could also be placed in a ‘nutritive’ category of medicinal benefits and some of these have been mentioned in the culinary recipes section above due to significant overlap*

Topical Preparations

Seaweed skin cream (with Irish moss or Mazaella spp)
Seaweed facemask (with kelp)
Seaweed + clay for muscle pain (with kelp)
Seaweed bath soak
Irish moss personal lubricant

Immune System

Spring tonic vinegar with herbs and seaweed (with kelp, dulse, or sea lettuce)
Seaweed fire cider
Irish moss tincture
Elderberry gummies gelled with agar

Thyroid

Bladderwrack tea blends
Bladderwrack chocolate truffles for thyroid support

Respiratory System

Irish moss cough syrup / respiratory tonic

Digestive System

Seaweed kimchi for prebiotic and probiotic GI support
Irish moss or Caribbean sea moss gel smoothies for digestive support
Broth blends for GI support, immune support, and general convalescence feat various seaweeds other medicinal herbs (ie reishi, astragalus, codonopsis, sage, rosemary, hawthorn)
Seaweed and ginger electrolyte switchel

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