July 19, 2021

Bladderwrack Seaweed - Benefits and Side Effects

Are you looking up bladderwrack sea weed on the internet because you heard people talking about it? Someone from your friend, family circle, or one of your colleagues was talking about Bladderwrack seaweed and you are wondering what exactly it is.

You have come to the right place. We have gathered ample information about this seaweed along with its benefits and side effects. Go through the rest of the article to find out all you need to know about Bladderwrack seaweed.

Let’s Get Started

Bladderwrack sea weed is a type of brown seaweed that has been linked to medicine for centuries. It goes by a lot of other names as well like red focus, rockweed, rock wrack, bladder focus, and black tang. In terms of its physical appearance, it can grow up to 35 inches (90 cm) long and is typically found near the coasts of Canada and the US.

Black tang is a rich source of plenty of vitamins, minerals, and other essential antioxidants. Here are the few nutrients that are found in this seaweed: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iodine, vitamin A, zinc, and vitamin C. The list can go on but this was just to give you some idea about how incredible this sea vegetable is.

Let's Check the Potential Health Benefits of Bladderwrack

Again, the list here might be long but we have narrowed down a few of the best ones.

Bladderwrack, a.k.a, red focus is also believed to be helpful for thyroid functionality as well. Since it's also high in iodine; it's an element that promotes healthy thyroid function. Apart from that, being iodine deficient can also be devastating as several health-related problems may attack the person such as goitre. So using a bit of seaweed can certainly save you from numerous health-related issues.

Moreover, since it’s also a great source of fiber, fucoxanthin, alginic acid, fucodians, phlorotannins, and other vitamins, it is also said to have some amazing anti-inflammatory benefits. Not only that, all these are known to promote a healthy gut (system) as well as the wellbeing of human bodies.

Takeaway

Even if you're not suffering from a specific health condition, you should also start thinking about adding a bit of seaweed to your daily life as it is beneficial for human health. You can add it to your soups and stews. And in case that's too much 'cooking' for you, you can simply add them to your smoothies and enjoy the taste along with several health benefits (minerals + vitamins).

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On the other hand, excessive use of the Bladderwrack seaweed (or any other) would not be recommended. For example, it has a significant amount of iodine, which may not be suitable for certain people. So what is important to remember here is that the use of seaweed should be carefully conducted. If you are suffering from any medical conditions, it would be better if you consult your doctor before starting consuming it.

References

Choudhry, H, and Nasrullah Md. Iodine consumption and cognitive performance: Confirmation of adequate consumption. Food Sci Nutr. 2018 Sep; 6(6): 1341–1351. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6145226/

Catarino, M, Siva A, and Cardoso, S. Phycochemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Fucus spp. Mar Drugs. 2018 Aug; 16(8): 249. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6117670/

Afonso, N, Catarino M, Silva A, and Cardoso S. Brown Macroalgae as Valuable Food Ingredients. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 Sep; 8(9): 365. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769643/