Nori (海苔)
“is the Japanese name for edible seaweed species of the red algae genus Pyropia, including P. yezoensis and P. tenera. It is used chiefly as an ingredient (wrap) of sushi. Finished products are made by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking.
Originally, the term nori was generic and referred to seaweeds, including hijiki. One of the oldest descriptions of nori is dated to around the 8th century. In the Taihō Code enacted in 701, nori was already included in the form of taxation. Local people have been described as drying nori in Hitachi Province Fudoki (721–721), and nori was harvested in Izumo Province Fudoki (713–733), showing that nori was used as food from ancient times. In Utsubo Monogatari, written around 987, nori was recognized as a common food. Nori had been consumed as paste form until the sheet form was invented in Asakusa, Edo (contemporary Tokyo), around 1750 in the Edo period through the method of Japanese paper-making.
The word “nori” first appeared in an English-language publication in C.P. Thunberg’s Trav., published in 1796. It was used in conjugation as “Awa nori”, probably referring to what is now called aonori.
The Japanese nori industry was in decline after WWII, when Japan was in need of all food that could be produced. The decline was due to a lack of understanding of nori’s three-stage life cycle, such that local people did not understand why traditional cultivation methods were not effective. The industry was rescued by knowledge deriving from the work of British phycologist Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker, who had been researching the organism Porphyria umbilicalis, which grew in the seas around Wales and was harvested for food, as in Japan. Her work was discovered by Japanese scientists who applied it to artificial methods of seeding and growing the nori, rescuing the industry.
Nori is commonly used as a wrap for sushi and onigiri. It is also a garnish or flavoring in noodle preparations and soups. It is most typically toasted prior to consumption (yaki-nori). A common secondary product is toasted and flavored nori (ajitsuke-nori).
Since nori sheets easily absorb water from the air and degrade, a desiccant is indispensable when storing it for any significant time.”
Hs = Human study
When dried purple laver (nori) was treated by toasting until the laver’s color changed from purple to green, the toasting treatment did not affect the Vitamin B12 contents . The Nori B12 has better bioavailability when taken with anything at a low PH level (something sour). See link /PMC4042564/ chapter 4.4
Consumption of approximately 4 g of dried purple laver (Vitamin B12 content: 77.6 μg /100 g dry weight) supplies the RDA of 2.4 μg/day.
Contains vitamin B12& iron (Excerpt from research:” dried purple laver (per 100 g) contains various other nutrients that are lacking in vegetarian diets, such as Vitamin A (3600 μg of Vitamin A equivalent as provitamin A), iron (10.7 mg), and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (1.19 g), as well as Vitamin B12 (77.6 μg). “) *see research link 10642899 Hs , PMC4042564/ , 10794633 , 19256490/ , 29161815
Can contain about 16 μg/g of Iodine per sheet ,which is low, depending on source location and genetic engineering . Boiling or heat treatment can lower iodine contents * see research link PMC3204293/
Contains a lot of minerals including, Magnesium *see research link PMC3892503/
Rich in Taurine ,Glutamic acid & Alanine *see research link PMC3892503/
Potent Antioxidant , best in ethanol extract , 2nd best in dried nori, antioxidant potency is as strong as Vitamin E (excerpt from research:” PTVO (nori oil) exhibited a high superoxide radical scavenging activity of 54.27% at 500 µg/mL , while the reference compounds, BHT and α-tocopherol, exhibited 49.89 and 54.03% scavenging at 50 µg/mL, respectively “) *see research link PMC3999807/ , /PMC5392187/
Improves gut-health , acts as an pre-biotic *see research link PMC4557026/
Reduces high cholesterol *see research link 17697429
Anticancer properties *see research link 8620448
Can maintain normal blood levels when combined with mushrooms (excerpt from research:” (10 vegans without B12 supplementation who consumed Nori algae and wild mushrooms.. In the vegan group without supplementation, all means were within the tolerance (holotranscobalamin, homocystein) or normal, except for elevated methylmalonic acid and diminished vitamin D. This group developed significantly higher vitamin D2 levels. “) *see research link 25651739 Hs
Too much Nori intake could result in a Vitamin A overdose *see research link 9830271 Hs
Could decrease mineral levels/ absorbability of Zinc and Copper *see research link 17697429
Anti-allergy properties due to a compound called Porphyran *see research link 16244430/
Research about Nori:
