Seaweed Extract Bladderwrack is made from Bladderwrack Seaweed which is found on the coastlines of the North Sea, Western Baltic Sea and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
- Latin Name
- Fucus vesiculosus
- Family
- Fucaceae
- Extraction
- Solvent extraction
- Constituents
- Alginic acid, Iodine and Fucoidan are the 3 major constituents.
- Origin
- Europe
Bladderwrack is a very variable alga. It can grow up to 100cm or more and is easily recognised by its small gas–filled vesicles.
History
Seaweeds have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are high in vitamins A, B, C and E, many marine derived botanicals make excellent cosmetic ingredients. Also known by the common names black tang, rockweed, bladder fucus, sea oak, cut weed and rock wrack. It was the original source of iodine and was used extensively to treat goitre, a swelling of the thyroid gland related to iodine deficiency. In the 1860s it was claimed that bladder wrack as a thyroid stimulant, could counter obesity by increasing the metabolic rate and since then, it has been featured in numerous weight-loss remedies. It’s a common food in Japan and is used as an additive and flavouring in various food products in Europe.
