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WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF CORAL CALCIUM?
The utilization of stony corals in human nutrition, as a source of minerals, dates back to ancient Persia, to about the first century A.D. The first documented history of the use of marine drugs dates back to the 9th century by Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq al Kindi (800-870 A.D.). Abu Yusuf, known as the philosopher of the Arabs, was also a physician and was the first to systematically determine the doses to be administered of all the drugs known at his time . His work provided a unique look into the emerging world of pharmacy of the early period, including a limited use of marine drugs. Contained within Al Kindi's text of prescriptions was the prescribed use of marine organisms as medicinal agents, some of which specifically included the use of corals. These corals came from the Mediterranean region.
During this same time period, the Moors were expanding their territories into Europe. As a result of these conquests, Islam and Christendom came into intimate contact in Spain and Sicily, the two principle points from which the Latin West drew on Greco-Arabic medicine. When the Moors conquered Spain in the eighth century, they brought with them their knowledge of medicine and their various natural therapies, including minerals derived from stony corals.
The oldest pharmacy in Spain, established in 1685, is situated in Periacanda de Duero, near Arando de Duero, in northern Spain. Now part of a museum, this pharmacy clearly reflects some of the therapeutics introduced by the early Arab conquerors. Among the pharmaceuticals present in the pharmacy is a container of ground-up coral with the inscription, "The blond coral is the only coral used for medicine". The inscription further states that the coral has a beneficial effect upon the heart and elevates the mood of the person taking it.
On the Asian continent, minerals derived from stony corals have been used in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan since ancient times, However, only in the last several decades has their importance as a food mineral nutrient come to light and only in the last two decade has that knowledge been formulated into a nutritional supplement form in the United States. That supplement is Coral Pure Calcium.
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