What is Jamaican Irish Moss Drink? Bonus Recipe!
Jamaican Irish moss drink is a traditional Jamaican beverage made with sea moss, an edible seaweed and one of the best superfoods on earth.
Besides being an original, healthy, tasty drink, it provides strong support for your health and supplements your body with essential minerals and vitamins.
So, let’s zoom in on this surprising nutritious drink. What exactly is this Jamaican moss drink? What benefits can you expect? How to make it at home?
Related article: 10 great sea moss drink ideas and recipes!
What is the Traditional Jamaican Sea Moss Drink?
If you've traveled to Jamaican, you may have come across Irish moss on several drink menus. Jamaican Irish moss is a trendy and widely consumed drink all around the Caribbean.The main ingredient is sea moss, an edible red alga scientifically known as Chondrus crispus and renowned for its incredible nutrient variety and density.
The idea of sipping a drink made with seaweed may seem odd. But fortunately, it does not taste like the ocean! While raw sea moss has a strong taste, its gel extract incorporates easily into drinks and foods without altering the flavors of your recipes.
Traditionally, the Jamaican Irish moss drink is made by boiling sea moss in milk and adding natural sweeteners and spices such as honey, vanilla, nutmeg, or cinnamon. Other ingredients commonly found in Jamaican moss drinks include oats, linseed oil, isinglass, flax seeds, almond milk, condensed milk, and peanut butter.
It has a thick consistency coming from sea moss's high carrageenan content (a seaweed extract used as a thickener in the food industry).
Irish moss drink was mostly homemade and sold on the roadsides for centuries. But its increasing popularity led to massive commercialization, and the beverage is now sold at most local bars and grocery stores.
Some people like to mix it with alcohol, like rum or whiskey. However, we do not recommend such practices. Sea moss offers valuable health benefits and is more effective when taken within a healthy, nutritionally balanced, and alcohol-free diet.
Related article: How to make sea moss smoothies + 6 easy recipes!
Irish Moss Drink Benefits
In Jamaica and the Caribbean, Irish moss drink is considered a natural remedymainly used to cure digestive problems like ulcers and other health and mood disorders.It’s also marketed as a potent aphrodisiac for men. Indeed, sea moss has traditionally been used for centuries as an herbal remedy to increase men’s testosterone levels, cure erectile dysfunction, boost libido, and increase sperm count.
But whether consumed in drinks, foods, or alone, sea moss has much more to offer than just sex benefits.
Related article: How can sea moss improve your sexual life?
Sea moss benefits for health
Chondrus crispus contains most of the minerals and vitamins your body needs to function, including high levels of iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and vitamin B.
In many ways, taking sea moss is like taking multivitamins. It boosts your daily nutrient intake, which strengthens your immune system and helps prevent and treat most chronic health conditions.
The list of Irish moss's health and wellness benefits is quite extensive. It includes weight loss, blood sugar control, heart health, immunity support, improved thyroid function, gut health, energy boost, and even improved skin appearance, to name but a few.
Sea moss is also known as a great detox food that helps the body boost its natural detox process and remove the excess toxins we absorb from our unhealthy environment.
Related article: 18 benefits of sea moss for your health.
There are many ways to take sea moss and reap its benefits. Following recent discoveries about its properties, this superfood is now widely available in the U.S. You can find it in gel, capsules, powder, and even gummies! Preparing a Jamaican Irish moss drink is an excellent and original way to consume sea moss. So now, let's learn how to make it!
Organics Nature's Sea Moss Capsules
How to make Jamaican Irish Moss Drink
As mentioned above, there's no official Jamaican Irish moss drink recipe. Instead, every family in Jamaica has its secret added ingredient and preferred flavors.
The most important thing to be aware of when making a Jamaican moss drink at home is dosage. Sea moss is a safe, all-natural ingredient, but it’s also very nutrient-dense. Like with any supplements, overconsumption could cause serious side effects.
Always make sure not to exceed the recommended serving size:
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of sea moss gel
- 4 to 8 grams of dehydrated raw sea moss
- 1 to 2 sea moss capsules
- 1000 to 2000 mg of sea moss powder
Related article: Find out how much sea moss you should take daily!
Jamaican moss drink recipe with sea moss gel
The traditional Jamaican Irish moss drink recipe involves boiling sea moss. Centuries ago, we knew little about nutrient preservation. Today, research clearly shows that boiling temperatures kill most of the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Therefore, we do not recommend following the traditional recipe for optimal health benefits.Instead, here's how to make Jamaican moss drink without boiling the sea moss.
Ingredients (one serving):
- 2/3 cup almond milk
- 1/3 cup coconut cream
- 2 tbsp Organics Nature’s sea moss gel
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
- Natural sweetener to taste (honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar)
Instructions:
Add all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Serve cold or warm up in a saucepan over low-medium heat for a few minutes!
Related article: 4 easy ways to make sea moss gel at home!
Alternative recipe with sea moss powder
While most people prefer cooking with sea moss gel, sea moss powder offers the same health benefits and is just as easy to incorporate into your foods and drinks. Besides, it has a higher bioavailability and a longer shelf life.
Related article: Sea moss powder: uses, benefits, and recipes.
If you happen to have some sea moss powder in your kitchen, here’s how to make a delicious Jamaican Irish moss drink with it:
Ingredients (2 servings):
- 6 grams (2 teaspoons) sea moss powder or alternatively Organics Nature’s Collagen & Sea Moss Powder – Vanilla & Caramel flavor
- 2 cups almond milk
- 3 tablespoons coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup or another natural sweetener to taste
- ½ teaspoon grounded cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of nutmeg
Add the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy cold or warm!
Our unique formula combines sea moss with collagen peptides and is highly efficient in improving skin appearance, hair and nail strength, joint health, as well as heart health.
Sea moss is not magic. Like any superfood and health supplement, it requires a consistent daily routine to work. It takes time for the nutrients to build up in your body, especially if you have deficiencies. Most people start noticing changes and benefits after a few days or weeks. Be patient; the results are worth the wait!
What about you? Have you ever had a Jamaican Irish moss drink? Would you like to share a recipe with our readers?
