Cuttlefish

The cuttlefish, sepia officinalis, is a cephalopod mollusk that lives in the sea on sandy seabeds. Very appreciated in cooking, cuttlefish brings a few calories and contains proteins, vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B12, C and D, mineral salts such as selenium, zinc, copper, iron and phosphorus. Cuttlefish contains cholesterol and purine, so it is a food that should be limited in those who suffer from hypercholesterolemia and gout. The cuttlefish produces, to defend itself, the characteristic ink, whose color is given by melanin. This substance does not just have the advantage of making the dishes colorful, the cuttlefish ink is a defense for the mollusk, for this reason it has antimicrobial properties, antioxidants against the free radicals and the aging processes, an anticancer action according to laboratory studies that have shown the ability of this ink to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and cause their apoptosis, namely the cancer cells death (Journal of Nutrition Science and Vitaminology, 1997 by a Japanese team). The cuttlefish ink improves the function of the hematopoietic system, that is constituted by all the organs that produce red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, which may be affected by chemotherapy, this result is reported in the Marine drugs scientific Journal in an article published in 2009 by Chinese researchers. But this ink helps also to control blood pressure when too high because it promotes dilatation of blood vessels, in addition to this it has a protective effect on the intestinal mucosa against chemotherapy damages as reported in a study of 2015 and published on the journal Nutrition and Cancer by a team of Chinese researchers. Dried cuttlefish ink is the basis for sepia homeopathic medicine used to treat nervous system problems such as exhaustion, depression, apathy but also headache, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, recurrent urinary infections, irregular periods. Homeopathic granules can have a dilution of 9, 15 or 30 CH and they can be taken from once a day to once a week, consult a homeopath.