When we talk about melanin rarely does the discussion include its actual biological benefits. Studies show that Africans and Indians have the highest amount of melanin, with no significant difference between the two. Those with the highest amount of melanin should know about the benefits of dark melanin skin and how those benefits can be blocked. Sadly, most do not. In this article, we will continue to uncover these melanin secrets. In the passage from Song of Solomon taken from 1:5 from the Septuagint Translation, it says, “I am black, but beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” How many of us actually embrace our blackness that way? When we truly understand just how powerful this chemical called melanin is, and how beneficial it is to us, we would love and appreciate our blackness even more. So let’s now focus on things that are a danger to our melanated bodies, because these are the things we rarely hear about. It would appear that this information is known, and what we didn’t know, did indeed hurt us. Again, this chemical in our bodies called melanin is there for a reason. It is now known to be functioning more like a supercomputer, but there are things that can neutralize its effectiveness or cause it to work against us.
Did you know there are certain drugs that are so similar to melanin that it will bind with it. Now that’s important because when it comes to certain drugs the chemicals in it will bind with melanin and cause our people to become addicted to it quicker and cause the addiction to last longer. Some of these include codeine, morphine, caffeine, nicotine, etc., and then some of the more dangerous drugs. What else is a danger to those with more melanin in their bodies? Mercury! And guess where it’s found? In skin-lightening products. The use of mercury-containing products is a multi-faceted issue with potential severe implications. This is extremely important for us to understand. It goes beyond just using some cream to get rid of a spot. No! This is trying to create or model ourselves after this ideal of beauty, as presented to us by a people, who have very little melanin! What’s sad is that a lot of our people don’t even know that bleaching is actually a toxin. Or the bleaching creams, and you can find these creams in most stores, but it’s a toxin! It’s destroying functions in the body.
As I said before, we have to educate ourselves about melanin. Those who have very little of it, don’t have much of an incentive to educate us about the value of our black skin, especially when it’s known that melanin is essential for the body to function properly. Those with the highest amount of melanin, should be the ones to know about the benefits of dark, melanated skin, as well as things that pose a threat to it. Learn more in this accompanying video Uncovering Melanin Secrets 4 | Benefits of Dark Melanin Skin.
