/oss/taxonomy/term/2735/all en /oss/article/medical-history/seaweed-chernobyl-and-worlds-first-functional-food <p>Back in the early 1800s the production of potassium nitrate (saltpeter), an essential component of gunpowder, was a booming industry.</p> Wed, 31 Jan 2024 14:56:27 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9819 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-videos/right-chemistry-seaweed-and-its-surprising-subplots <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-ve8ch0jiovg" width="640" height="390" title="Dr Joe Schwarcz: Snacking on Seaweed" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vE8cH0Jiovg?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-ve8ch0jiovg&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr Joe Schwarcz: Snacking on Seaweed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr Joe Schwarcz: Snacking on Seaweed</iframe> </div> </p> Mon, 15 Jul 2019 14:45:26 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7830 at /oss /oss/article/health-history-you-asked/what-role-iodine-thyroid-function <p>“Take a dose of seaweed or burnt sea sponge twice a year!” That was the ancient Chinese remedy for goiter. Almost four thousand years ago Chinese medical writings described the troublesome swelling of the neck we know as goiter and noted the remedy which had somehow been arrived at through trial and error. Of course Chinese physicians had no idea why it worked, but work it did. Later Hippocrates and Galen gave the same recommendation and by the 12th century the treatment was taught in the School of Salerno, one of the first formal medical schools.</p> Sat, 10 Nov 2012 01:38:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1779 at /oss