Towards a better understanding of medicinal uses of the brown seaweed Sargassum in Traditional Chinese Medicine: A phytochemical and pharmacological review

For nearly 2000 years Sargassum spp., a brown seaweed, has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat a variety of diseases including thyroid disease (e.g. goitre).To assess the scientific evidence for therapeutic claims made for Sargassum spp. in TCM and to identify future research needs.A systematic search for the use of Sargassum in classical TCM books was conducted and linked to a search for modern phytochemical and...