Bladderwrack, or Fucus vesiculosus, is a species of brown seaweed that primarily grows along the coast of the North Atlantic Ocean. It's a very common type of seaweed and goes by many other names, including bladder, bladder fucus and brown algae. Bladderwrack is a common part of Asian cuisine and it also has many uses an herbal medicine.
Distribution
Bladderwrack is most common along the British coastline. You can also find it as far north as Greenland and as far south as Morocco. It also grows along the coast of North America from North Carolina to Hudson Bay. Bladderwrack grows best on sheltered shores and specimens are shorter in areas exposed to the open ocean.
History
Bernard Courtois isolated iodine for the first time in 1811 from bladderwrack extract. Doctors began prescribing iodine supplements at that time to treat goiter, a thyroid disorder caused by iodine deficiency. Bladderwrack was a commercial source of iodine during the 18th and 19th centuries, although this is no longer viable.
Cuisine
Bladderwrack is a common food for Asian populations, especially the Vietnamese, who eat many other types of algae. They commonly eat bladderwrack raw as a leaf vegetable in salads and it's also popular in its pickled form. Other culinary uses for bladderwrack include soups, jellies and relishes.
Herbal Medicine
Bladderwrack extract is a common treatment for goiter, although there's insufficient research to support this use, according to MedlinePlus. Proponents of herbal medicine also prescribe bladderwrack extract for a variety of ailments including cancer, diabetes and obesity. Medline plus generally considers these claims to be lacking in scientific evidence.
Dosing
Bladderwrack extract is an herbal supplement rather than a medication, and therefore does not have specific dosing information. Commercial products typically consist of soft capsules with up to 600 mg of bladderwrack. A common regimen begins with three capsules per day and gradually increases the dosage to 24 capsules per day. You shouldn't administer bladderwrack extract to children or pregnant women due to its high levels of iodine.
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