How do countries use the 'miracle drug' sea cucumber?
(Baonghean.vn) - Sea cucumber is one of the five classes of echinoderms, living in the sea and exploited as a source of food and medicine by humans since ancient times.
In the world, sea cucumbers are distributed in the Indian Ocean, the Southwest Pacific, the Maldives, Northern Australia, China, and Southern Japan. In Vietnam, sea cucumbers are abundant in the coastal areas of Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Tho Chu, and Phu Quoc.
Sea cucumbers live on muddy sand, dead coral reefs in estuaries, tidal zones or in lagoons at depths of 4 to 30 meters depending on the species.
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| Sea cucumber. Photo internet. |
There are about 134 species of sea cucumbers in the Chinese sea, of which 28 species are used as food and have medicinal value. In Vietnam, the common species of sea cucumbers are Actinopyga, Echinites, Actinopyga Mauritiana, Holothuria Atra Jaege, Holothuria Scabra Jaeger, Microthele Nobilis, and The Lenota Ananas.
Since ancient times, Asian people have known that sea cucumber is a particularly delicious and nutritious dish, a famous dish in the "Eight Treasures" of Eastern kings with the effect of nourishing, restoring health and increasing vitality, so it is called the "ginseng" of the sea.
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| Sea cucumbers have great economic value so they are being raised a lot in our country's seas. |
Sea cucumber is also a precious medicine, with the effect of enriching blood, nourishing the kidneys, strengthening yang, benefiting accumulation, nourishing qi, treating impotence, physical weakness, tuberculosis, diabetes, epilepsy, nervous breakdown, stomach disease, duodenal ulcers, constipation due to dry intestines, bronchitis, making wounds heal quickly, and anti-aging.
In the light of science, people have analyzed the chemical and biological composition to show: Protein content is very high, accounting for 63.23 - 67.22%, glucid content from 2.25 - 4.4%, lipid content is 1.35 - 3.05%, of which cholescherol is almost absent, trace elements iron: (Fe) 197.55 mg/kg, copper (Cu) is 62.00 mg/kg, Se has from 5.5 - 13.7 mg/kg, testosterone 20.4 mg/g prorgesteron 207.1 mg/g. In which the role of the elements Fe, Cu, Zn helps to increase red blood cells, improve the ability to absorb oxygen, and Cu, Zn, Br, Mn activates nerve structures, enhances memory, reduces anxiety, creates precision and concentration in action. The element Se helps reduce fatigue and is an antioxidant, eliminating free radicals produced when people work at high intensity. In the body of sea cucumbers, there are enzymes and connections that enhance the body's metabolism. In the connective tissue of the skin, perineum, body, and skin inside the ducts, there are many types of acids such as Mycopolysadiaride, which has the effect of restoring and developing the body, helping to calm the nerves, forming bones, preventing muscle aging and arteriosclerosis. Mycopolysadiaride is also an anti-tumor drug. Holotoxin extracted from sea cucumbers is an antimycin that has the effect of preventing many types of mold. |
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| Dried sea cucumber is a nutritious food, very good for health. |
China is the world's largest consumer of sea cucumbers. Annually consuming 10,000 to 12,000 tons (dry weight), the retail price of sea cucumbers has increased significantly from 18 yuan/kg in 1960 to 600-1,000 yuan in 1990 and now 3,000 yuan/kg.
The market imports sea cucumbers from Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and some other countries such as Canada, Russia. In particular, the Chinese market accepts all types of sea cucumbers, not only high quality ones but also small sized ones and even those with low commercial value. Including (fresh sea cucumbers, frozen processed, dried, salted, smoked...). The Chinese used to say "eat a sea cucumber a day, you will not need a doctor". Since the 90s of the last century, processed products from sea cucumbers have been sold in pharmacies, food stores and supermarkets in wholesale and retail forms.
Hong Kong is considered the world's largest importer of sea cucumbers. It imports the most dried sea cucumbers, followed by frozen and skinned sea cucumbers from New Zealand, supplying specialty restaurants in Hong Kong and the southern provinces of China. Hong Kong also imports cold-water sea cucumbers from Canada and the United States in frozen form, with their organs removed, to serve the high-end market in the mainland.
Singapore is not a country that produces sea cucumbers, but sea cucumbers are a popular specialty. Singapore imports sea cucumbers and processes them into value-added products, then re-exports them to other countries. Singapore's sea cucumber suppliers are Hong Kong, India, the United States, the South Pacific Islands, Maldives, Oapu New Guinea, Madagascar, Tanzania, Australia, and re-exports them to Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, and Thailand.
In Japan and Korea, sea cucumbers are not commonly used, so very little is imported. Every year, Japan imports about 10 tons, and Korea 20 tons, requiring very high quality. In the US, Canada, UK, France, and Belgium markets, imported sea cucumbers are mainly for the Chinese.
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| White sea cucumber is a rare mutation that sells for a high price. Photo: Flickr |
The demand for sea cucumbers in the world is increasing, but the resources are decreasing due to overexploitation. Nowadays, most countries have issued laws and ordinances to protect resources, and at the same time promote the farming and artificial reproduction of sea cucumbers.
China has focused on researching techniques for seed production and sea cucumber farming since the 1950s, but it was not until the 1980s that results were achieved in seed production and sea cucumber resource protection. China has established three systems for sea cucumber farming: pond farming, cage farming, sea farming and the establishment of conservation and protection areas for natural sea cucumber resources. Of which, sea cucumber farming has brought significant efficiency to the northern region of China and in some southern provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, and Fujian. It is estimated that over 55,000 hectares of farming have harvested over 6,500 tons of dry fresh sea cucumber, of which about 150,000 tons are farmed sea cucumbers and 550 tons are from natural exploitation. With the above quantity, it still cannot meet market demand and must be imported from many countries./.
Kim Ngoc
(Synthetic)
