Kun Bu (Laminaria Japonica or Saccharina japonica) is a marine species of the  (brown algae) – a type of kelp or seaweed, which is extensively cultivated on ropes between the seas of China, Japan and Korea.

It is widely eaten in East Asia and is a commercially important species.  It is also called Asian Kelp in the West and ma-konbu in Japanese, dasima in Korean. Large harvests are produced by rope cultivation which is a simple method of growing seaweeds by attaching them to floating ropes in the ocean.

The species has been cultivated in China, Japan, Korea, Russia and France.  It is one of the two most consumed species of kelp in China and Japan. Laminaria japonica is also used for the production of alginates, with China producing up to ten thousand tons of the product each year.

Consuming excessive quantities can suppress thyroid function.

Medicinal Uses & Constituents of Asian Kelp:-

Asian Kelp is a good source of marine minerals, including potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron. It is also an excellent source of iodine. Kelp also contains vitamins and cell salts essential for good nutrition and often a better source than meat, whole milk or eggs.

Kelp is a good promoter of glandular health, especially the thyroid, pituitary and adrenal glands. It has been credited with improved cardiovascular health and is used to balance the thyroid and lower blood pressure.

Due to its iodine binding ability in the thyroid, it acts as a radiation antagonist.

Kelp is rich in iodine and alkali. Kelp can be used in soap and glass production. Until the Leblanc process was commercialized in the early 1800s, burning of kelp in Scotland was one of the principal industrial sources of soda ash (predominantly sodium carbonate). Alginate, a kelp-derived carbohydrate, is used to thicken products such as ice cream, jelly, salad dressing, and toothpaste, as well as in manufactured goods.