Corallina officinalis (Coral Weed)
is an important species to the medical and cosmetic industries so the distribution and factors which affect the species abundance would be important to pharmaceutical chemists, drug manufacturers and cosmetologists. It is also important in providing habitats for rare of important marine species. Climatologists may also be interested in the presence of Corallina officinalis due to its neutralising properties which may be useful in providing solutions to devastating effects of climate change such as ocean acidification.
Corallina officinalis was once used as a treatment for intestinal worms or parasite, and although it is no longer used in this way, drug companies may be interested in using it to develop more effective vermifuges. However Corallina officinalis is still used in many medical treatments. One of the most important is the process in which the geniculate fronds are dried and then changed into hydroxyapatite (a naturally occurring mineral and an essential part of bones and teeth). This can then be used to form new bones.
Coral Weed is also important to cosmetologists. The dried fronds are used, in powder form, in many skincare and cosmetic products. Coral Weed has inflammatory properties, so it is used in many products that aim to soothe or reduce redness. It has also been shown that marine calcium which is found in the fronds of Corallina officinalis is absorbed by the skin 100 times faster than mineral calcium. Calcium is essential for skin repair and cell respiration.
 Corallina officinalis attaches to the rocks using a calcified holdfast, this and the geniculate fronds provide ideal substrata for epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) and habitat for a diverse range of invertebrates. This is mainly due to the deposition of marine sediment in its fronds. Fauna found among Coral weed can include copepods, amphipods, ostracods and isopods and serpulids such as the Spirorbis corallinae which is found almost exclusively of Corallina officinalis. It can also provide an alternative food source for sea urchins such as the Tetrapygus niger in Chile
This means that the threats or factors which affect the abundance of Coral Weed would be of extreme importance to marine biologists and ecologists as it is a fundamental microhabitat which can affect the distribution of other coastal marine organisms. They also produce chemicals that affect the larval stages of many marine animals.
Coral Weed is an effective neutraliser. In acid environments the Lithothamnion in the cells breaks down and is able to neutralise the acid. It is good as it is a slow release buffer and acts extremely effectively over a long period of time. In trials after 6-8 hours at pH 5.5, the Lithothamnion has released 100% of its calcium has been released and 98.66% of its magnesium shown. This neutralising property may also be of interest to crop scientists who need to find effective soil neutralisers without synthetic chemicals or for climatologists trying to find a solution to ocean acidification.
Corallina officinalis was once used as a treatment for intestinal worms or parasite, and although it is no longer used in this way, drug companies may be interested in using it to develop more effective vermifuges. However Corallina officinalis is still used in many medical treatments. One of the most important is the process in which the geniculate fronds are dried and then changed into hydroxyapatite (a naturally occurring mineral and an essential part of bones and teeth). This can then be used to form new bones.
Coral Weed is also important to cosmetologists. The dried fronds are used, in powder form, in many skincare and cosmetic products. Coral Weed has inflammatory properties, so it is used in many products that aim to soothe or reduce redness. It has also been shown that marine calcium which is found in the fronds of Corallina officinalis is absorbed by the skin 100 times faster than mineral calcium. Calcium is essential for skin repair and cell respiration.
 Corallina officinalis attaches to the rocks using a calcified holdfast, this and the geniculate fronds provide ideal substrata for epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) and habitat for a diverse range of invertebrates. This is mainly due to the deposition of marine sediment in its fronds. Fauna found among Coral weed can include copepods, amphipods, ostracods and isopods and serpulids such as the Spirorbis corallinae which is found almost exclusively of Corallina officinalis. It can also provide an alternative food source for sea urchins such as the Tetrapygus niger in Chile
Coral Weed is an effective neutraliser. In acid environments the Lithothamnion in the cells breaks down and is able to neutralise the acid. It is good as it is a slow release buffer and acts extremely effectively over a long period of time. In trials after 6-8 hours at pH 5.5, the Lithothamnion has released 100% of its calcium has been released and 98.66% of its magnesium shown. This neutralising property may also be of interest to crop scientists who need to find effective soil neutralisers without synthetic chemicals or for climatologists trying to find a solution to ocean acidification.
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