Participants in these studies were genetically predisposed to high cholesterol levels, and they experienced limited side effects. Initial human studies showed significantly reduced serum cholesterol after six weeks of daily HMG supplements. 7 Thus, interfering with HMG-CoA reductase slows down the cholesterol production process. This is because HMG acts as a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which helps control cholesterol production in the liver. 4ĭuring the 1970s and early 1980s, multiple clinical trials were launched that focused on HMG as a tool for blood lipid management and bolstering cardiovascular health. A detailed investigation identified 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid (HMG) as the source of bioactivity in Spanish Moss the phytochemical was found at an average concentration of 2.8 milligrams per 100 grams of the raw plant. Construction and decoration of small dollsĪnimal studies of dietary Spanish Moss extracts incorporated into rats’ diets showed lower blood glucose levels and inhibition of diabetes development.1 Fibers gleaned from stripping the plant of its outer coating yield materials for:ĭry Spanish moss has traditionally been used for a variety of applications, including: Spanish Moss boiled in tea serves as an herbal remedy for chills and fever, but the plant also has more tactical applications. Spanish moss picks up compounds – good and bad – from air particles, inadvertently becoming a representation of air quality for a particular region. Locals traditionally used Spanish Moss as an herbal remedy to treat all sorts of ailments, either by brewing it into teas or stuffing it in shoes.

Spanish Moss is a unique plant with a long history of therapeutic potential. Common in coastal subtropical environments, this plant sits high in oak and Cyprus trees, living off the abundant moisture and nutrients extracted from the air. This moss clings to tree branches throughout much of the southeastern United States, and is the region’s trademark. Spanish Moss coexists peacefully with the trees it grows on, and it is considered a perennial “epiphytic” herb, meaning it grows on top of plants and absorbs moisture and nutrients from its environment. Commonly known as Spanish Moss, Tillandsia usneoides, is neither Spanish nor a moss it is a flowering plant that grows on trees in particularly humid locations.

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