THE average traveller often goes by without stopping to enquire about the dried-up-looking seaweed adorning stalls on the main road in Whitehorses.

However, for the men who believe in its ability to increase their sexual prowess, the seaweed is a must have, and those who make this commodity available often risk life and limb to do so.

Zeco ‘Zaba’ Stewart, operator of the ‘One Love’ stall located on the busy St Thomas thoroughfare, has been diving to retrieve Irish moss from the sea bed ever since he was a child.

Today, it is the main source of income for him and many others living along the coastline in this eastern parish where the commodity is to be found in abundance.

“Sometimes to get the amount that I want I have to go out far into the sea and dive it out and sometimes we even run into shark and all kind a danger when we out there,” Stewart told the Observer North East.

Stewart explained further that he and his colleagues rely on the use of a diving device known as a ‘free lung’ as they often cannot afford the required oxygen tank necessary to provide them with air while they are on the sea bed.

As a result, he said, they have learnt to dive quickly to the bottom, fill their bags with the moss and return to the surface before they run out of air.

The danger element, he said, makes this job not one for the faint-hearted since persons can lose their lives if they do not return to the surface quickly.

“Some men even faint down dere when dem put on the glass (goggles) and see what is around them,” he said.

According to Stewart, the best time to dive for the moss is when the sea is calm and the water is clear. He explained further that although the moss does not grow everywhere in the sea, a lot of it can be found in Whitehorses.

“People come from elsewhere to Whitehorses just to dive for it,” he said.

Explaining how the process works, Stewart said he dives to the bottom of the sea to collect the moss, a crocus bag full at a time. On his return to land, the product is spread unto the beach where it is allowed to dry. The moss is then washed with fresh water and again put in the sun, this time to dry for two days.

When it is dried, the moss is parcelled and sold at a cost of $100 for a small bag weighing less than eight ounces.

According to Stewart, the moss, which is boiled with other products to make a “stamina punch” to build the body and the sperm count, can also be used as an ingredient in cake.

Stewart stocks two types of moss, namely the flat moss, which is not as thick when it is boiled, and the coarse moss.

Irish moss is said to contain 15 of the 18 essential elements that make up the human body. This includes great amounts of calcium, iodine, sulphur, and potassium as well as Vitamins A, D, E, F and K. This is why the seaweed is thought to be able to cure everything from bladder disorders, bronchitis, halitosis (bad breath), intestinal disorders and glandular problems to swollen joints, lung difficulties, thyroid conditions, tuberculosis, tumours, and ulcers.

Recent studies have also found that Irish moss does in fact have some great anti-viral properties and can help fight the Influenza B and mumps viruses.

But although his customers hail from far and wide, Stewart’s dream is to identify an export market which will help him to dispose of the excess moss. As such, he hopes the Government can help to make this happen for him and the many other traders of the seaweed.

“Sometime ah lady come buy it to take to foreign, but ah want to get a proper link to sell it abroad on a bigger level,” he told the Observer North East.

For now he concentrates on growing the wholesale side of the business as he often takes the moss into Kingston where it is sold by the pound to vendors for resale.

“More time it pile up on me, and so me just bag it up and carry go Coronation Market,” he said.

And although he sometimes does construction work across the island to supplement his income, Stewart said he always returns to diving for moss.

“Sometimes me go all the way ah MoBay (Montego Bay) go do construction work and when me remember me stall and me customers me come right back fi take care of it,” he said.

In addition to the moss, Stewart also sells other products such as linseed, which is used with the moss; molasses; as well as seasonal fruits.

“Me do everything to survive,” said a jovial Stewart. “If you no work, nobody nah give you nutt’n.”