Supplement

Ecklonia Cava

Ecklonia Cava

Evidence TierCWADA NOT PROHIBITED

tuneTypical Dose

150-400 mg/day standardized extract-equivalent

watchEffect Window

1-4 weeks for early signal. 4-8 weeks for sustained outcomes.

check_circleCompliance

WADA NOT PROHIBITED

Overview

Clinical Summary

Ecklonia Cava is a medicinal plant or plant extract used in traditional systems. It is taken to target digestion, metabolic regulation, inflammation, or stress resilience.

Human evidence is often limited to small, heterogeneous trials. Reported benefits commonly include modest changes in dyspepsia symptoms, glycemic markers, lipids, or perceived stress. Minority findings include antimicrobial activity, immune modulation, and effects on liver enzymes, but these are frequently preclinical. Outcomes depend on standardization, dose, and baseline health.

Possible signal-specific modulation with context-dependent effects

Outcomes

What This Is Expected To Influence

Primary Outcomes

  • Target symptom score improvement
  • Functional performance change

Secondary Outcomes

  • Tolerability
  • Day-to-day adherence

Safety

Contraindications and Interactions

Contraindications

  • Known allergy
  • Pregnancy/lactation
  • Unstable renal/hepatic disease

Side effects

  • GI distress
  • Headache
  • Fatigue

Interactions

  • Sedatives
  • Anticoagulants
  • Stimulants

Avoid if

  • Polypharmacy with narrow therapeutic window medications
  • Active hepatic or renal injury
  • Uncontrolled psychiatric conditions

Evidence

Study-level References

ecklonia-cava-SRC-001Human trials and observational cohorts
Sourceopen_in_new

PMID: 36547921,32422870

Population: Adults in condition-specific settings

Dose protocol: Formulation- and dose-dependent

Key findings: Modest, context-specific effects

Notes: Small sample sizes, short durations, and nonstandardized endpoints

Paper content

Modest, context-specific effects

ecklonia-cava-SRC-002Secondary review and pooled analyses
Sourceopen_in_new

PMID: 34070821,28414549

Population: Adult cohorts across variable indications

Dose protocol: Mixed products/doses

Key findings: Heterogeneous or inconsistent pooled outcomes

Notes: Publication and comparability limitations

Paper content

Heterogeneous or inconsistent pooled outcomes

ecklonia-cava-SRC-003Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Sourceopen_in_new

Lee SH, Jeon YJ. Efficacy and safety of a dieckol-rich extract (AG-dieckol) of brown algae, Ecklonia cava, in pre-diabetic individuals: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Food Funct. 2015;6(3):853-858. doi:10.1039/c4fo00940a. PMID:25608849.

Population: Pre-diabetic adults.

Dose protocol: AG-dieckol 1500 mg/day for 12 weeks in pre-diabetic adults

Key findings: Significant reduction in postprandial glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels versus placebo.

Notes: Modest sample size (n=80), exclusively Korean population.

Paper content

This double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT tested 1500 mg/day of AG-dieckol, a dieckol-rich extract of Ecklonia cava, in 80 pre-diabetic adults for 12 weeks. The extract significantly lowered postprandial glucose and reduced insulin and C-peptide levels compared to placebo. No significant adverse events were reported, and hematological and biochemical safety parameters remained stable. The trial provides direct human evidence that Ecklonia cava phlorotannins can improve glycemic control in a pre-diabetic population, though the sample size is modest and the study population is Korean.

ecklonia-cava-SRC-004Double-blind, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial.
Sourceopen_in_new

Shin HC, Kim SH, Park Y, Lee BH, Hwang HJ. Effects of 12-week oral supplementation of Ecklonia cava polyphenols on anthropometric and blood lipid parameters in overweight Korean individuals: a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2012;26(3):363-368. doi:10.1002/ptr.3559. PMID:21717516.

Population: Overweight Korean adults with mean BMI 26.5.

Dose protocol: Ecklonia cava polyphenol 72 or 144 mg/day for 12 weeks in overweight adults

Key findings: Dose-dependent reductions in BMI, body fat, waist circumference, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol. High-dose group also improved HDL and glucose.

Notes: 97 participants, Korean population only.

Paper content

This double-blind RCT studied 97 overweight Korean adults receiving Ecklonia cava polyphenol extract at 72 or 144 mg/day for 12 weeks. Both dose groups showed significant decreases in BMI, body fat ratio, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol compared to placebo. The high-dose group also showed increases in HDL cholesterol and decreases in serum glucose and systolic blood pressure. The results support a dose-dependent benefit for metabolic and anthropometric parameters, though the population was exclusively Korean and sample sizes per group were modest.

Guides

Setup

Help