Acanthophora spicifera

A. spicifera occurs throughout the tropics in the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean to the Guyanas,
tropical Africa), on almost all coasts of the Indian Ocean and in the western part of the Pacific
Ocean (north to Japan, south to Hawaii). In South-East Asia it is widely distributed and
recorded from Burma (Myanmar), Thailand (Gulf), Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore,
Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, and is always more frequent than A.
muscoides (L.) Bory (Okamura, 1909). It is available all year round; abundant on reefs and in
tidal pools, river mouths and lower intertidal areas with fine silt; grows in small clumps
attached to coral rubble, shells or stones. Spines get entangled with other small plants, which
often grow on top of Acanthophora (Buchan, 1983).
Health benefits:
 Inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
 Extracts in 70% aqueous ethanol show antiviral activity for several Indian strains of
livestock viral diseases.
 The extracts show haemagglutination activity for several kinds of erythrocytes.
 It contains lambda carrageenan, a phycocolloid of very limited occurrence. In samples
of this alga (dry weight basis) 950 ppm bromine as well as 80 ppm copper have been
measured. The major xanthophyll is antheraxanthin; it also contains β-carotene and b-
cryptoxanthin; lutein is found in trace amounts.
 High in calcium and iron; helps lower blood cholesterol and prevent blood clots.

Colpomenia peregrina
C. peregrina, sometimes referred to by its vernacular names oyster thief and bladder weed, is a
species of brown seaweed. This species is native to the Eastern Pacific Ocean, but has been
introduced to other areas. It was first noticed in Europe in 1906 on oyster beds. It has now been
recorded throughout the eastern north Atlantic, from Norway and Sweden to Portugal (Minchin,
1991). Colpomenia is found in shallow depths on rocks, rubble or coral flats and in tide pools
on moderately exposed shores and fringing reefs. It often grows on top of Sargassum and
Turbinaria, and grows large in more sheltered areas. Colpomenia is found only during the dry
season.
Health benefits:
 Contains algin, laminarin and folic acid.
 Laminarin is good preventive medicine for heart disease
 Folic acid is good for pregnant women.
 Contains anti-tumour compounds (Bird, 1978).
Ulva lactuca
U. lactuca, also known by the common name sea lettuce, is an edible green alga in the family
Ulvaceae. It is the type species of the genus Ulva. U. lactuca is a thin flat green algae growing
from a discoid holdfast. The margin is somewhat ruffled and often torn. It may reach 18
centimetres or more in length, though generally much less, and up to 30 centimetres across.
The membrane is two cells thick, soft and translucent, and grows attached, without a stipe, to
rocks or other algae by a small disc-shaped holdfast. It colours range is from Green to dark
green, this species in the Chlorophyta is formed of two layers of cells irregularly arranged, as
seen in cross-section. The chloroplast is cup-shaped in some references but as a parietal plate
in others with one to three pyrenoids (Geertz, 1993). There are other species of Ulva which are
similar and not always easy to differentiate. It can be found worldwide such as Europe, North
America (west and east coasts), Central America, Caribbean Islands, South America, Africa,
Indian Ocean Islands, South-west Asia, China, Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand.
Health benefits:
 High in iron, iodine, vitamins A, B and C.
 help prevent goitre.
 Blades are applied to burns to speed healing.
 Used as worm medicine.
 As a folk remedy it is used for gout (Kim, 2011).

References
Okamura, K., 1909. Icones of Japanese algae. Vol. 1. Okamura, K., Tokyo, Japan. Pl. 8 -
fig. 6-7 (detail of vegetative apical part, sporophyte with tetrasporangia)
Buchan-Antalan, T.A. & Trono Jr, G.C., 1983. The morphology, growth and seasonality
in the reproductive states of Acanthophora spicifera (Vahl) Børgesen in Bacoor Bay.
Natural and Applied Science Bulletin (University of the Philippines) 35: 17-27.
Minchin, A. 1991. Further distributiona; records of the adventive marine brown alga
Colpomenia peregrina (Phaeophyta) in Ireland. Ir. Nat. J. 23:380 – 381
Geertz-Hansen, O.; Sand-Jensen, K.; Hansen, D. F.; Christiansen, A. 1993. "Growth and
grazing control of abundance of the marine macroalga, Ulva lactuca L. in a eutrophic
Danish estuary". Aquatic Botany. 46 (2): 101–109.
Kim S.-K., Pangestuti R., Rahmadi P. 2011. Sea lettuces. culinary uses and nutritional
value. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, 64 , pp. 57-70.
Bird, C.J. & Edelstein, T. 1978. Investigations of the marine algae of Nova Scotia XIV.
Colpomenia peregrina Sauv. (Phaeophyta: Scytosiphonaceae). Proc. N. S. Inst. Sci. 28:
181-187.