Written by Jibblescribbits | 23 Sep 2018

Perna canaliculus is also known as the green-lipped mussel or green shell mussel. Since it is mostly found in New Zealand, it is referred as New Zealand mussel. It is cultivated organically in the clear waters of the South Island’s coast.

When grown in mussel farms, it is sold with the trademarked Greenshell name. It is an essential industry of NZ, with revenues ranging from the hundreds of million dollars annually. It is served in many luxury hotels and restaurants.

Most celebrity chefs have a recipe that uses this mussel in a dish.HistoricalBefore Europeans led by Captain Cook came in 1642, Polynesians called Maori have settled the islands. Most of them leave near the coasts, and mussels are a big part of their diet.

It was observed that most Maori reached old age without mobility problems. Unlike the European settlers, they seemed to have very few incidences of arthritis in their population. Pure New Zealand mussels are filter feeders.

They siphon water and trap planktons and algae in their filters to eat. They are also responsible for making the seawater that they inhabit clearer. Their meat is high in complex carbohydrates called mucopolysaccharides (MPS) or glycosaminoglycans (GAG). This nutrient is very versatile.

If ingested, the body can use it to synthesize different types of cells. It can be used to produce cartilage tissues and replace damaged ones in osteoarthritic joints. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage that covers the joint ends becomes thin and wears away from years of use.

The body can produce new cartilage to replace the old ones, but only if raw materials are available. Unfortunately, modern diet does not supply enough MPS to give the body enough materials to produce new cartilage.

Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements are available, but these two substances can also be produced from MPS. Also, green shell mussel is abundant in a unique mix of marine lipids from the plant and animal planktons it feeds on.

Aside from EPA and DHA that is also present in fish oil, mussel lipids also have alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and eicosatetraenoic acid (ETA). This unique mix of omega-3 fats is a potent anti-inflammatory substance comparable to NSAID but without the nasty side effects. It has been found safe for adults, children, and dogs. Dosage will depend on the specific condition and individual.

A medical professional should be consulted. Reduced Benefit Like any other food, green lipped mussels lose most of their health-giving benefits when subjected to extreme heat or exposed to air that starts oxidation.

Cooking the mussels takes away many of its healing properties, although taste improves. As a supplement, traditional freeze-drying process degrades the quality of the nutrients that very little of its healthy effects remain.

This patented process completes extraction of the mussel up to the conversion to powder in one step lasting only 30 minutes. This process enabled the powder used in mussel capsules to retain all of its healing properties.

Omega 3 is responsible for many of the anti-inflammatory properties of the green shell mussel.