Green Lipped Mussel Hong Kong

The green lipped mussel Hong Kong originated is a species of Perna shellfish, together with Perna canaliculus and Perna perna. From these three species known today, only the first two are actually called green lipped mussels, based on their shape and surface color.

Perna canaliculus' growth is restricted to the waters of New Zealand and according to scientific reports, this species is genetically different from the other two mentioned before. Responsible for these differences and for the transformations that occurred in each of these seafood types are environmental factors.

Both P. viridis and P. canaliculus are cultured for their active ingredients and used for obtaining dietary supplements, as they are a good source of proteins, fatty acids and complex carbohydrates. Also, they contain important amounts of vitamins and minerals therefore they have numerous health benefits in humans.

Main uses of P. viridis

The dietary purpose is not the only reason for which green shellfish is cultured. This mussel species is also used as a biomonitoring agent for detecting heavy-metal pollution in certain waters. From the regions cultivating green lipped mussel, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia and India are the most important ones.

These countries seem to have very polluted waters thus it is necessary for them to find a cheap method to detect the heavy metals that may contaminate fish, seafood and seaweeds, altering not only their appearance, taste and smell but also their composition and properties.

So when we refer to green lipped mussel Hong Kong originated, we're actually saying these shellfish was imported here for financial and health purposes. Having a rather sedentary lifestyle and a wide distribution as long as the environment is friendly enough, this species proved to be a great bioindicator of contaminants.

But how does this shellfish looks like? Is it similar to the green lipped mussel originated in New Zealand? Is it as health efficient as this Perna species?

Perna viridis description and health effects

The green lipped mussel Hong Kong cultivated is a marine bivalve measuring between 80 and 100 millimeters and reaching, occasionally, to 165 millimeters. The shell is colored in dark green with brown shades in adult mussels, respectively bright green in younger ones. The interior of the shell is pale-blue and the mussel has only one large, mobile muscle which it uses for climbing vertically.

In what concerns the uses of this seafood in humans, supplements containing P. viridis extracts are recommended to people suffering from rheumatoid diseases (including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), lumbago, fibromyalgia, polymyalgia and gout. The species is known to reduce the pain appearing in these ailments, to relieve the stiffness in affected joints and to stop inflammatory processes from spreading or developing.

As a result, it improves the mobility of painful joints and restores their normal functionality. Still, green lipped mussel Hong Kong cultivated don't provide all the health benefits New Zealand species do, so this is why we warmly recommend you to opt for dietary supplements obtained from NZ shellfish.

Besides being richer in valuable nutrients, these are also free of contaminants as the waters of New Zealand are among the purest in the world.