Bladderwrack is seaweed, or brown algae harvested from the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is also known as brown kelp seaweed and Marine oak, or called by its scientific name Fucus vesiculosus. East Asian populations view bladderwrack as a common culinary ingredient. For instance the Vietnamese, Japanese and South Koreans consume bladderwrack in salads, as a pickle, prepared as a relish and in soups. Used as a traditional medicine, there is a lack of scienific to support this use.
Thyroid
One type of hypothyroidism condition, uncommon in developed countries, is an iodine deficiency disorder, according to New York University Department of Medicine. This health condition, known as cretinism, manifests as an enlarged thyroid known as a goiter. "Herbal Medicines: A Guide for Health-Care Professionals," elaborates, “Bladderwrack contains high concentrations of iodine, and for this reason it has been recommended as a treatment” for this singular kind of hypothyroidism. NYU warns against taking bladderwrack to treat all types of hypothyroidism because “extra amounts of iodine can cause your thyroid gland to become either over- or underactive.”
Alginic Acid
Cox College, an institute of higher learning in the United States that exclusively prepares students for health care careers, provides a complimentary medicine fact sheet on bladderwrack in which they explain that alginic acid is a type of dietary fiber contained in the stem of bladderwrack. This part of the plant is purported to relieve diarrhea and constipation. It adds, the sodium salt of alginic acid is listed as an ingredient in a popular over-the-counter antacid product that claims to relieve heartburn. Bladderwrack has approval as a dietary supplement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Supplements
“Studies have found that levels of iodine vary widely among bladderwrack products,” according to the Department of Medicine at New York University. This variability renders unstandardized bladderwrack supplements as an unreliable source of iodine. You do not know how much iodine is contained in each dose.
Heavy Metals
Bladderwrack exposed to polluted water may develop a high concentration of heavy metals like arsenic and mercury. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center cautions that the presence of these metals in ingested bladderwrack could cause kidney damage known as nephrotoxicity. According to NYU, “Heavy metals present particular risks for pregnant or nursing women, children, individuals with kidney disease or anyone using bladderwrack in high doses or over a long period of time.”
National Institutes of Health
In its evaluation on the medicinal use of bladderwrack, the National Institutes of Health gives it no higher than a rating of “C” for any health condition. It provides a list of medicinal uses for bladderwrack as an antibacterial, blood-thinner, antioxidant, cancer remedy, a treatment for thyroid disease and a supplement to induce weight loss. The NIH's “C” rating signifies, “Unclear scientific evidence for this use.”
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