Common knowledge tells us that melanin is responsible for the pigmentation of the skin. The truth is, however, that Melanin is a key component to maintaining a healthy organism. Melanin is a semiconductor; it is found in bodily regions where energy exchange is occurring. Its function can be likened unto the function of chlorophyll for a plant. Without chlorophyll there would be impaired conversion of carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and glucose.
Melanin is an organizing molecule. In fact one noted author, Carol Barnes, calls it the “Chemical Key to Black Greatness”. This exemplifies why Melanin is a most appropriate term to denote our group and objectives. Its function, as is ours, is to create a healthy organism.
We are organizing, exchanging information and ideas. We seek to optimize our energy and become much more efficient and productive. It is interesting to note that the melanin found in the brain, neuromelanin, may be more important to the function of the body than the melanin in the skin. The following statement from the book The Science and the Myth of Melanin by T. Owens Moore, Ph. D. speaks to the properties of melanin in the nervous system and we can clearly see how this correlates:
“…it [Melanin] helps to heighten mental awareness, it speeds reaction time, and it greatly enhances the capacity of the brain to transmit neural impulses.”
It is apparent that our Afrikan Ancestors of the Nile Valley were well informed about melanin and our complex nervous system. The locus coeruleus is the location for several dark melinated nerve cells. Coeruleus is an Indian Sanskrit word that is derived from the Ancient Ethiopian name, Celeno, which means black. Dr. Richard King, the author of the book Melanin: Key to Freedom, relates this to the Black Dot which is the doorway to the Amenta, the collective unconscious.
We also see the emphasis on the pineal gland as being the third eye in Nile Valley Spiritual Traditions. From a biological standpoint it is well understood that the pineal gland secrets melatonin. Melatonin is one of the most studied substances in the modern scientific community with several research studies, books and products relating to this neurohormone. It is accepted to be an effective antioxidant with anti-aging properties and it is being studied as an effective treatment for a host of degenerative conditions.
