Irish sea moss with herbal tea infusion

We don’t just want Mara to taste good. We want to understand what’s in it. Working with our science partners at Teagasc, Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority, we tested both Mara blends against specific enzymes in the lab. In early lab work, Mara partly inhibited COX-1 and COX-2, two enzymes that researchers study closely.

When your body responds to injury or stress, two enzymes called COX-1 and COX-2 help produce the signals that cause swelling and soreness. They’re the same enzymes that common painkillers work on.

COX-1 and COX-2 are two versions of an enzyme called cyclooxygenase. Both do the same basic job: they turn a fat found in cell walls into hormone-like messengers called prostaglandins. Where they differ is when they work and what those messengers do.

COX-1 is the “everyday maintenance” enzyme. It’s switched on all the time in most of the body. The prostaglandins it makes protect the stomach lining, keep blood flowing to the kidneys, and help platelets clump together so blood can clot.

COX-2 is the “emergency response” enzyme. It’s usually quiet, but it ramps up quickly when tissue is injured or infected. Its prostaglandins cause the redness, swelling, pain and fever of inflammation. That response helps healing in the short term, but it causes problems when it lingers.