Bladderwrack can be foraged from the sea around New Zealand Coastlines.
It can be eaten raw when fresh or it can be baked, grilled or boiled. It can also be dried and ground and used as a seasoning. Some love to eat it as a chip.
Bladderwrack contains alginic acid, a kind of dietary fiber which helps regulate bowel movements, as well as having other benefits.
One over-the-counter medication, Gaviscon, uses alginic acid, in combination with magnesium carbonate to treat heartburn and GERD.
Bladderwrack may relieve stomach problems by creating a barrier between the sensitive stomach lining and irritants such as stomach acid. It also lowers inflammation, which may relieve some digestive issues and indigestion.
Early studies show that calcium alginate, from bladderwrack, may heal wounds faster than other methods. One preliminary study showed that, when aided by a certain form of alginate, serious wounds healed in as few as 10 days.
Iodine, found in bladderwrack, is an important nutrient for thyroid health. Your thyroid needs iodine to produce regulating hormones that keep your body functioning normally. However, your body does not produce iodine on its own. So you need to eat it in a food or supplement, like bladderwrack.
Other traditional uses for Bladderwrack are for goitre, weight loss, nutrition, growth encouragement, arthritis, joint pain, urinary tract infections, reflux, heartburn, aging skin, thyroid gland regeneration, overall glandular health and more.
Another tasty and very useful herb.
