“Beyond the Bedroom: Sea Moss Secrets No One Told Me

Growing up in Antigua, sea moss lived in that mysterious corner of our culture—the “grown folks” ingredient the elders whispered about. All I really heard was that it was “good for a man’s sexual prowess,” so as a young girl, it felt off-limits, like something that had nothing to do with me.

They said it made the man's "back strong", which, by the way, only made sense as I got older. No one told me sea moss could also be a gentle and powerful ally for my body.

I wish I’d known it might support my hormones and digestion, and that adding it to tea or smoothies could have helped me move through painful periods and stubborn teen acne with a little more ease.

I wish I’d known about its nourishing, mineral-rich, properties when my grandma was healing from her diabetic amputation. I imagined making her sea moss soups, puddings, and broths to heal her body from the inside out.

I wish I’d known I could make creamy, low-calorie desserts and hearty soups with sea moss gel instead of heavy creams and processed thickeners. As a teenager, I chased every quick-fix diet, never realizing I could create foods that felt indulgent and still supported my weight and wellbeing.

Now I see sea moss differently—not as a whispered secret, but as a versatile, traditional ingredient that can be used intentionally for everyday nourishment.

In the end, that’s the lesson for me: our cultural foods aren’t just rumors and remedies. They’re tools for caring for our bodies at every stage of life.