Health Risks of Fucus Vesiculosus

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Trina Sims of Green Star Herbs, and I'm here today to talk about some of the potential health risks of fucus vesiculosus, also commonly known as bladder wrack. Fucus is a seaweed, but pregnant and nursing women simply shouldn't use it. If you have preexisting medical conditions or are on medication, if you regularly take other herbs or nutritional supplements, please speak with a qualified health care practitioner before adding bladder wrack or fucus to your regime. There have been some adverse events associated with the use of fucus, and these seem to be associated with its iodine content or perhaps contamination with heavy metals or other chemicals. Now, fucus can interact with drugs, herbs, and some nutritional supplements. If you have thyroid concerns, you need to be aware that fucus can promote abnormal thyroid hormone levels in the blood. As well, fucus can lower blood sugar, so if this is a concern, you might be on the alert for it. It can affect vitamin, mineral, and salt levels in the blood, and it can cause some digestive upsets including a brassy taste, increased salivation, upset stomach, and it can have an unwanted laxative effect as well. Skin problems that have been associated with fucus include a worsening of acne or an appearance of acne-like eruptions even in folks who don't generally suffer from acne. I hope this information on some of the potential health risks of fucus vesiculosus or bladder wrack is helpful to you. Thank you."