Seaweeds have been around since well before the dawn of mankind and have had varying degrees of influence on societies throughout history. Today, they have a well-established position of value after much scientific endeavour and commercialisation of applications. In the distant past, however, seaweeds were seen as a fundamental component of the sea and the beings associated with it, and they also held an essential connection to the land and the people who dwelt there. In the absence of science, myths and legends typically prevailed, and in the case of seaweed science today, many kernels of truth have now been exposed. This review traces myths and legends and some poetry which has been influenced by macroalgae over the ages, and it describes some of the early uses of seaweeds by humankind across the globe. With such a prominent role in the minds and imaginations of story tellers, artists, musicians, and poets, seaweeds command a position of respect in the evolution of ecological goods and services. While not strictly scientific, the information reviewed and laid out in this article underpins some of those uses of seaweeds that have now been established following thorough evidence-based research. Such research leads to a myriad of values of the goods and services rendered by seaweeds and their extracts, providing significant benefits to mankind, both currently, and into the future. Seaweeds were around well before the Anthropocene and are very likely to survive and contribute to global survival much longer than this current epoch.

海藻早在人类黎明之前就已经存在，并且在整个历史上对社会产生了不同程度的影响。如今，在经过大量科学努力和应用程序商业化之后，它们已经在价值中确立了地位。然而，在遥远的过去，海藻被视为海洋和与之相关的生物的基本组成部分，并且它们还与陆地和居住在那里的人们保持着必不可少的联系。在没有科学的情况下，神话和传说通常盛行，而在如今的海藻科学中，许多真相现已被暴露出来。这篇评论追溯了神话，传说和一些受到大型藻类影响的诗歌，并描述了全球人类对海藻的早期使用。在讲故事者，艺术家，音乐家和诗人的思想和想象力中，海藻发挥着举足轻重的作用，在生态产品和服务的发展中，海藻享有崇高的地位。尽管不是严格的科学知识，但本文中审阅和列出的信息为海藻的某些用途奠定了基础，这些用途是经过充分的循证研究后建立的。这样的研究导致了海藻及其提取物所提供的商品和服务的无数价值，无论是现在还是将来，对人类都将带来重大利益。海藻早在人类世之前就已经存在，并且很可能生存下来，并且对全球生存的贡献要比当前时代更长。海藻在生态商品和服务的发展中占有重要地位。尽管不是严格的科学知识，但本文中审阅和列出的信息为海藻的某些用途奠定了基础，这些用途是经过充分的循证研究后建立的。此类研究导致了海藻及其提取物提供的商品和服务的各种价值，无论是现在还是将来，对人类都将带来重大利益。海藻早在人类世之前就已经存在，并且很可能生存下来，并且对全球生存的贡献要比当前时代更长。海藻在生态商品和服务的发展中占有重要地位。尽管不是严格的科学知识，但本文中审阅和列出的信息为海藻的某些用途奠定了基础，这些用途现已通过全面的循证研究确定。此类研究导致了海藻及其提取物提供的商品和服务的各种价值，无论是在当前还是将来，对人类均具有重大益处。海藻早在人类世之前就已经存在，并且很可能生存下来，并且对全球生存的贡献要比当前时代更长。本文所回顾和介绍的信息为通过彻底的循证研究而建立的海藻的某些用途奠定了基础。此类研究导致了海藻及其提取物提供的商品和服务的各种价值，无论是在当前还是将来，对人类均具有重大益处。海藻早在人类世之前就已经存在，并且很可能生存下来，并且对全球生存的贡献要比当前时代更长。本文所回顾和介绍的信息为通过彻底的循证研究而建立的海藻的某些用途奠定了基础。此类研究导致了海藻及其提取物提供的商品和服务的各种价值，无论是在当前还是将来，对人类均具有重大益处。海藻早在人类世之前就已经存在，并且很可能生存下来，并且对全球生存的贡献要比当前时代更长。