Fucaceae Ocean kelp; sea kelp; F. vesiculosus: black tang; seawrack; F. serratus: serrated wrack; toothed wrack; A. nodosum: egg wrack; knotted kelp; knotted wrack; Norwegian kelp Fuci thallus The thallus (whole plant) of F. vesiculosus, F. serratus L. and/or A. nodosum are all acceptable according to PhEur and BP monographs Polysaccharides—predominantly alginic acid (algin), fucoidans and laminarum (sulphated polysaccharide esters); phenolic acids; iodine, and various vitamins and minerals, including ascorbic acid (vitamin C), tocopherol (vitamin E), calcium, magnesium, potassium (EMA 2013; Pharmaceutical Press Editorial Team 2013). The BP and PhEur specify a content of 0.03–0.2% of total iodine with reference to the dried drug. There is no clinical data available to support the traditional use of kelp for assisting in weight loss. A study examining the impact of kelp on post-load plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in men and women in a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study using a commercially available blend of brown seaweed (A. nodosum and F. vesiculosus), found that compared with placebo, consumption of seaweed was associated with a reduction in the insulin incremental area under the curve and an increase in insulin sensitivity. This suggests that brown seaweed may alter insulin homeostasis in response to carbohydrate ingestion. Single doses of 500 mg of brown seaweed had no significant effect on the glucose response (p = 0.24, adjusted for baseline) and glucose and insulin responses were similar between men and women. No adverse events were reported (Paradis et al. 2011). Mekabu fucoidan (MF), a sulphated polysaccharide extracted from seaweed, which has previously been shown to have an immunomodulatory effect, was investigated for its clinical effects on antibody production after influenza vaccination in elderly Japanese men and women. A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study conducted with 70 volunteers >60 years of age, found that MF (300 mg/day) produced higher antibody titres against all three strains in the seasonal influenza virus vaccine than the placebo group. The immune response against B antigen met the EU Licensure criteria regarding the geometric mean titre ratio in the MF group (2.4), but not in the placebo group (1.7). In the MF group, natural killer-cell activity tended to increase from baseline 9 weeks after MF intake, but in the placebo group no substantial increase was noted at 9 weeks, and in fact it decreased substantially from 9 to 24 weeks. In the immunocompromised elderly people, MF intake increased antibody production after vaccination, possibly preventing influenza epidemics (Negishi et al. 2013).
Bladderwrack; Kelp
Fucus vesiculosus L., F. serratus L., Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis.
Family:
Other common names:
Drug name:
Botanical drug used:
Main chemical compounds:
Clinical evidence:
Weight loss:
Effects on glucose and insulin responses:
Immunological effects:
Effects on the menstrual cycle:
Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
Full access? Get Clinical Tree
