Did you know that if you want to find some of the longest living species on the planet you won’t find them on four-legs, or even two-legs? In fact, you won’t find them with any legs at all – but in the deep blue sea!

Marine creatures have some of the longest lives of any living things on the planet. This is largely because of the remarkable abilities built into their cells to resist and thrive within the harsh environments of darkness and pressure in which they live.

And the hardiest of these undersea super-creatures is not some kind of shark or whale as you might imagine – but marine plant-life such as seaweeds and algae.

One marine plant in particular has created quite a buzz among proponents of anti-aging medicine. It is a seaweed called Ecklonia Cava. The plant itself is not only incredibly hardy, but other sea creatures who feed off of it seem to benefit from extreme longevity and lack of free radical damage. Ecklonia is a member of the Brown Algae family. Brown Algae has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of arthritis and other joint diseases, cancer, fibromyalgia, and cardiovascular disease.

An extract created from Ecklonia by Korean scientists known as Seanol-P, is being widely touted as one of the most powerful antioxidant supplements ever created. Seanol claims to have antioxidative properties 100s of times more powerful than any extract derived from terrestrial sources, even more so than the catechins in green tea and anthocyanins in dark berries and grapes.

Ecklonia Cava Extract

Ecklonia Cava Extract or ECe as it is used in Seanol-P does contain important antioxidants such as polyphenols and phlorotannins, similar to those found in terrestrial plants. But what makes these chemicals more significant in ECe is that they are fat-soluble. As opposed to water-soluble antioxidants that you might find in other foods and supplements – the main advantage of fat-soluble molecules is that they stay in your body longer, offering greater effect and free-radical protection. Fat-solubility also means that these vital and antiaging chemicals can cross the “blood brain” barrier, entering the nervous system – having a positive effect on memory, performance, coordination and cognition.

Ecklonia extract in the form of Seanol has been used to increase stamina, improve joint health, improve memory loss and fight and/or reverse just about every other aspect of the aging process you can shake a stick at!

But, is there any evidence that backs up such claims? There is!

ECe has been widely studied in Japan and Korea for more than four decades, were seaweed is a regular part of the diet. There have been numerous published studies in respected and peer reviewed medical journals that have shown its effectiveness as an antioxidant, its ability to repair and protect damaged cartilage, even protect cells from the damaging effects of ionizing radiation!

Here in the US there have been recent traditional double blind studies that have indicated ECe’s effectiveness as a fibromyalgia treatment. It has been shown in animal studies to increase the production of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is the brain chemical most closely associated with memory. Another human trial found that ECe was as effective for the treatment of knee pain and Arthritis as the prescription drug Celebrex.

A Super Supplement From the Sea?

Is brown algae extract such as Seanol-P the Fountain of Youth? Maybe. But for its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory benefits alone, I have no doubt that it is one super supplement – and one that you should really consider adding to your daily anti-aging regiment.