Ecklonia Cava | Sourcing & Bioactives

There are two problems when it comes to sourcing Ecklonia cava. First of all, there isn’t a huge supply of it, so there is little desire to export it outside of South Korea. Secondly, wild populations of Ecklonia cava are declining at a significant rate, and Ecklonia cava farming operations are still very much in their infancy. In order to combat the declining numbers of wild Ecklonia cava, the South Korean government has made it much harder to harvest Ecklonia cava. Instead, the South Korean government has decided that the majority of Ecklonia cava has to be sourced by collecting washed up specimens. During heavy storms, Ecklonia cava can get dislodged, after which it washes up on shore. This is absolutely critical for the conservation of this unique seaweed, but obviously it creates a difficult sourcing scenario.

After years of unsuccessfully attempting to import Ecklonia cava from South Korea to the U.S., we were honestly at our wits end and about ready to throw in the towel. That’s when one of our contacts in South Korea had the brilliant idea for us to set up a facility in South Korea. That way, we could buy Ecklonia cava as a South Korean company, and then export it ourselves! So, this is exactly what we did. Easier said than done of course, and it took a long time to actually set up the facility in South Korea, that we even got FDA registered! However, now we have a facility in South Korea through which we can import Ecklonia cava. This probably makes you think though, how are those other Ecklonia cava vendors in the U.S. getting a hold of their Ecklonia cava then, are they going through the same trouble we did? As far as we can tell, they have not taken the steps that we have, and we’ve tested most of the Ecklonia cava products on the U.S. market, and surprise surprise, none of them actually seem to be Ecklonia cava…more on that at a later date though!  

At the start of our research and development process for new ingredients, we always like to determine what bioactives we should be targeting. For Ecklonia cava, we determined that the phlorotannin class of compounds within Ecklonia cava were the most unique and beneficial set of compounds. Additionally, it appeared that a lot of research on Ecklonia cava focused on one particular phlorotannin, dieckol. Conveniently, a reference standard for dieckol was also easily available, so this is the compound that we set our sights on. We immediately started creating a dieckol analytical method in order to get us ready for the next stage of the research and development process, identifying the best possible sample we could get our hands on.

Once we had our facility established in South South Korea, we started sourcing a large amount of Ecklonia cava samples from a variety of sources. We sent these samples to our lab in Tempe, Arizona and tested them for species identity via HPTLC and for dieckol content via UPLC. The level of dieckol was quite variable, and generally not as high as we were hoping for. However, one sample tested above 0.5% dieckol, so we decided to start working with that supplier. We ordered a production batch, and the dieckol content came in at 0.82%! Based on this, we felt comfortable setting our minimum standardization for dieckol at 0.5% going forward. However, always remember to check out the CoA’s on the product pages, because it will likely consistently be quite a bit over 0.5% dieckol!

What about the other phlorotannins? Those seem to be really important to the overall effects too, and should be present at similar levels as dieckol. However, the bulk of the research is on dieckol, and reference standards for other phlorotannins are very hard to get a hold of. That being said, now that AI engines have become shockingly good in the last few months, we decided to do some investigating with Perplexity Deep Research. We asked it the following question:

“We have developed a high quality standardized Ecklonia cava product that contains a minimum of 0.5% dieckol. This product is simply high quality whole dried Ecklonia cava, sourced from South South Korea. Based on current research, and the level of dieckol in our product, what would you estimate the total phlorotannin content of this product to be?”

Here is a condensed version of the response it gave us, pulling extensively from previous research studies:

An Elusive South Korean Seaweed

Ecklonia cava is a unique seaweed that is found naturally along the coasts of South Korea and Japan. It has been consumed there for centuries, and is more commonly known in South Korea as ‘Gamtae’ and in Japan as ‘Kajime’. Historically, Ecklonia cava has always been a luxury culinary ingredient, and that hasn’t changed much over time either! Ecklonia cava is very hard to harvest and process as a food ingredient. However, when collected at an early life stage it is said that Ecklonia cava can develop exceptional aromatic and flavor properties when it is properly dried and roasted. It seems that Ecklonia cava is now most often used in South Korea, where it is featured as a unique ingredient at high end restaurants. Apparently, Peter Gilmore, an Australian celebrity chef, has compared the aroma of properly prepared Ecklonia cava to that of white truffle. No wonder it has become a popular ingredient at Michelin star restaurants!

It has also been used for its unique effects, but that use seems to be a little bit more recent. In South Korea, it appears that one of the primary uses for Ecklonia cava in nutritional supplements is for sleep and stress. It has also found its way into lots of skincare products in South Korea. In fact, when we first started looking for Ecklonia cava sources, we were first in contact with a cosmetics company in South Korea that carried a topical Ecklonia cava formulation. This brings up one of the biggest problems with Ecklonia cava outside of South South Korea too. We were working with the cosmetics company because all of the companies developing Ecklonia cava products intended for oral consumption, did not seem to export outside of South Korea. This ended up being a big challenge for us, so let’s talk about that a little bit!

There are two problems when it comes to sourcing Ecklonia cava. First of all, there isn’t a huge supply of it, so there is little desire to export it outside of South Korea. Secondly, wild populations of Ecklonia cava are declining at a significant rate, and Ecklonia cava farming operations are still very much in their infancy. In order to combat the declining numbers of wild Ecklonia cava, the South Korean government has made it much harder to harvest Ecklonia cava. Instead, the South Korean government has decided that the majority of Ecklonia cava has to be sourced by collecting washed up specimens. During heavy storms, Ecklonia cava can get dislodged, after which it washes up on shore. This is absolutely critical for the conservation of this unique seaweed, but obviously it creates a difficult sourcing scenario.

After years of unsuccessfully attempting to import Ecklonia cava from South Korea to the U.S., we were honestly at our wits end and about ready to throw in the towel. That’s when one of our contacts in South Korea had the brilliant idea for us to set up a facility in South Korea. That way, we could buy Ecklonia cava as a South Korean company, and then export it ourselves! So, this is exactly what we did. Easier said than done of course, and it took a long time to actually set up the facility in South Korea, that we even got FDA registered! However, now we have a facility in South Korea through which we can import Ecklonia cava. This probably makes you think though, how are those other Ecklonia cava vendors in the U.S. getting a hold of their Ecklonia cava then, are they going through the same trouble we did? As far as we can tell, they have not taken the steps that we have, and we’ve tested most of the Ecklonia cava products on the U.S. market, and surprise surprise, none of them actually seem to be Ecklonia cava…more on that at a later date though!  

At the start of our research and development process for new ingredients, we always like to determine what bioactives we should be targeting. For Ecklonia cava, we determined that the phlorotannin class of compounds within Ecklonia cava were the most unique and beneficial set of compounds. Additionally, it appeared that a lot of research on Ecklonia cava focused on one particular phlorotannin, dieckol. Conveniently, a reference standard for dieckol was also easily available, so this is the compound that we set our sights on. We immediately started creating a dieckol analytical method in order to get us ready for the next stage of the research and development process, identifying the best possible sample we could get our hands on.

Once we had our facility established in South South Korea, we started sourcing a large amount of Ecklonia cava samples from a variety of sources. We sent these samples to our lab in Tempe, Arizona and tested them for species identity via HPTLC and for dieckol content via UPLC. The level of dieckol was quite variable, and generally not as high as we were hoping for. However, one sample tested above 0.5% dieckol, so we decided to start working with that supplier. We ordered a production batch, and the dieckol content came in at 0.82%! Based on this, we felt comfortable setting our minimum standardization for dieckol at 0.5% going forward. However, always remember to check out the CoA’s on the product pages, because it will likely consistently be quite a bit over 0.5% dieckol!

What about the other phlorotannins? Those seem to be really important to the overall effects too, and should be present at similar levels as dieckol. However, the bulk of the research is on dieckol, and reference standards for other phlorotannins are very hard to get a hold of. That being said, now that AI engines have become shockingly good in the last few months, we decided to do some investigating with Perplexity Deep Research. We asked it the following question:

“We have developed a high quality standardized Ecklonia cava product that contains a minimum of 0.5% dieckol. This product is simply high quality whole dried Ecklonia cava, sourced from South South Korea. Based on current research, and the level of dieckol in our product, what would you estimate the total phlorotannin content of this product to be?”

Here is a condensed version of the response it gave us, pulling extensively from previous research studies:

Based on research data, I can provide several calculation approaches to estimate total phlorotannin content:

Method 1: Proportional Analysis from Extract Studies

In commercial Ecklonia cava extracts like SeaPolynol™, dieckol has been identified as constituting approximately 21% of the total phlorotannins. Using this relationship:

If dieckol (0.5%) represents 21% of total phlorotannins:
Total phlorotannins = 0.5% ÷ 0.21 = 2.38% of dry weight

Method 2: Analysis from Phlorotannin-Rich Extracts

Research on phlorotannin-rich Ecklonia cava extracts shows that when dieckol content is measured at 67 mg/g (6.7%) in a extract with 90% total phlorotannins, dieckol represents approximately 7.44% of the total phlorotannins. Applying this relationship:

If dieckol (0.5%) represents 7.44% of total phlorotannins:
Total phlorotannins = 0.5% ÷ 0.0744 = 6.72% of dry weight

Method 3: Comparison with Related Seaweeds

In Ecklonia bicyclis, a closely related species, dieckol comprises about 23.4% of the total phlorotannins, which themselves constitute about 3% of the dry mass. Using this relationship:

If dieckol (0.5%) represents 23.4% of total phlorotannins:
Total phlorotannins = 0.5% ÷ 0.234 = 2.14% of dry weight

Estimated Total Phlorotannin Range

Considering all available research data and the various calculation methods, your Ecklonia cava product with 0.5% dieckol likely contains:

Total phlorotannin content: approximately 2.5-5.0% of dry weight

This estimate aligns with research showing that whole dried Ecklonia cava typically contains phlorotannins in the range of 2-7% of dry weight, with dieckol being one of several important phlorotannins alongside others such as 8,8′-bieckol, 7-phloroeckol, eckol, phlorofucofuroeckol-A, and various unidentified phlorotannins.

I then asked Perplexity Deep Research to rerun the above analysis but with the actual dieckol content of our current batch (March, 2025) at 0.82%. These are the updated numbers it gave:

Calculation Methods and Results

Method 1 (21% proportion):
Total phlorotannins = 0.82% ÷ 0.21 ≈ 3.9%
Method 2 (7.44% proportion):
Total phlorotannins = 0.82% ÷ 0.0744 ≈ 11.0%
Method 3 (23.4% proportion):
Total phlorotannins = 0.82% ÷ 0.234 ≈ 3.5%

Estimated Total Phlorotannin Range

3.5–11.0% of dry weight

This wider range reflects variability in research methodologies:

• Method 2's higher estimate originates from studies on concentrated extracts

• Methods 1 and 3 align more closely with whole-plant analyses

Contextual Factors

• Natural dieckol range: 0.18–0.64% in wild samples

• Your product's 0.82% dieckol suggests either:

  • Superior sourcing/processing compared to average wild material

  • Potential extraction/concentration during production

If you would like to read the entire report, where you can also check out the sources, then you can check out the full report here (https://www.perplexity.ai/search/we-have-developed-a-high-quali-_rlp_MwlRRKGiT0WILWrzQ)

Now keep in mind, the above are simply estimates, however, they are estimates based on a significant amount of existing research so there should absolutely be some truth in those numbers. Based on these numbers, we are now faced with an entirely different looking product from a bioactive content standpoint. Based on our standardization, it would appear that all our Ecklonia cava product contained was only 0.5% of dieckol. However, it could in reality actually contain between 3.5-11% of closely related compounds. No wonder customers have been reporting significant effects even though the dieckol content does seem low on paper! I hope this illustrates the limitations of standardizations in non-extract products, and also highlights why non-extract products can be very interesting because they provide a huge array of beneficial compounds at significant levels. I would also like to pull out one fantastic quote from perplexity that we did not in anyways stimulate, this was a completely unprompted response from perplexity:

“Your product's 0.82% dieckol suggests superior sourcing/processing compared to average wild material”

That’s the way we like to do things, rely heavily on our sourcing expertise, and it’s clearly paying off!

Beyond the phlorotannins, Ecklonia cava also contains a unique set of fucoidans. You can think about fucoidans as being analogous to the beta-glucans in functional mushrooms. They make up a big portion of the seaweed cell wall structure, just like beta-glucans do in mushrooms. Similarly, the fucoidans also act as powerful prebiotics, just like the beta-glucans in mushrooms. Since our Ecklonia cava is a non-extract product, it will contain a large amount of these beneficial prebiotic fucoidans, which also adds a whole other layer to the effects of Ecklonia cava! Similar to the other phlorotannins though, testing for fucoidan is extremely hard, so we decided to forgo that testing for now too. According to Perplexity Deep Research though, based on previous research, our Ecklonia cava should contain about 11% fucoidan.