BLADDERWRACK

Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosis) is a wild-harvested, edible brown seaweed grown along the coastline of the cold, pristine North Atlantic ocean. The word Fucus is thought to be from the Greek work phykos, meaning algae, and the word vesiculosus is from the Latin word vesicula, referring to blisters. These ‘blisters’ are the small air bladders in the seaweed that help float the submerged fronds up to the water surface for photosynthesis.

Used since at least the early 1300’s, Bladderwrack played an important role in the discovery of iodine in 1811, when the French chemist Bernard Courtois first extracted it from two brown seaweeds, Fucus and Laminaria. It is still considered one of the best seaweeds for iodine supplementation.

Rich in antioxidant compounds, Bladderwrack contains a significant amount of fucoidan (a sulfated polysaccharide) and a wide range of bioactive compounds such as: phlorotannins, fucoxanthin (the pigment that gives Bladderwrack its brown color), fucophlorethol compounds, alginic acid and fucoidans (polysaccharides, classified as dietary fiber), fucitol, the carotenoids beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, mucilage (soluble fiber), and vitamins and minerals such as iodine, calcium, sulfur, potassium, magnesium, sodium, zinc and vitamin C.*