- Region
- Europe
- Origin
- Europe (North Atlantic coast), North America (coast)
- Traditions
- Chinese medical traditions
Europe · Other · № 382
Laminaria spp. / Ascophyllum nodosum
Other · Europe
Kelp
Laminaria spp. / Ascophyllum nodosum
Brown seaweeds are rich in iodine and alginate. They are used in scrubs and as food supplements; too much iodine can disrupt the thyroid.
Safety notes
Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (2)
- Chinese materia medica: Not with cold from spleen deficiency. Very rich in iodine: not with thyroid disease without consulting a doctor.
- Chinese food therapy: Very rich in iodine: not with thyroid disease without consulting a doctor.
Preparation
External: powder in cellulite body scrub.
Use in traditions
In Japan (kombu) and Korea kelp is a staple food and the basis of dashi; its taste led to the discovery of umami in 1908. In Chinese medicine (kun bu) it is used for goitre and swollen glands. In Scotland and Norway soda and later iodine were extracted from burnt kelp.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Natural skin and hair care
Attributed effects
Part of a scrub against cellulite.
Preparation and amount
External: powder in cellulite body scrub.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- salty, cold
- Meridians
- kidney, liver, stomach
Attributed effects
Kombu (kun bu) softens hardenings and cools hot phlegm in swollen glands and goitre, and drains fluid in oedema.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 9–15 g a day, usually in a decoction.
Combinations
- With sargassum, figwort and self-heal for goitre and swollen glands
Caution: Not with cold from spleen deficiency. Very rich in iodine: not with thyroid disease without consulting a doctor.
Chinese food therapy
Attributed effects
Kombu gives soups a deep flavour and provides minerals; according to Jackson fish and seaweed together support a balanced blood pressure.
Caution: Very rich in iodine: not with thyroid disease without consulting a doctor.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- DecoctionPowder and kitchen
- Recipes
- Fish and vegetable soup with celosia seedMiso fish soup with daikon and Chinese yamAnti-cellulite scrub
- Formulas
- Hai zao yu hu tang