NOW Foods Kelp 150mcg 200 Tablets

What this is

NOW Foods Kelp 150 mcg is a dietary supplement supplied as 200 coated tablets in a white bottle, with one tablet making up a full serving. The Supplement Facts panel declares a single nutrient — 150 mcg of elemental iodine, drawn from 30 mg of organic kelp (Laminaria spp., whole plant). The shoulder band on the bottle files it under Botanicals/Herbs, and the front panel marks it as a non-GMO, vegetarian and vegan dietary supplement.

One figure on the panel does most of the work of placing this bottle: alongside the 150 mcg, the % Daily Value column reads 100%. A single tablet carries one full Daily Value of iodine, and the two numbers printed side by side are where that reference comes from — 150 mcg measured against a 150 mcg Daily Value. The panel is one row deep, so there is very little to read around.

You will find it in Supplements alongside the rest of the range, and in Herbs & Botanicals, which is the shelf the bottle's own category band points to.

What's inside

Kelp is a large, leafy brown seaweed that grows in dense stands in the colder waters of the world's oceans, and it has been eaten for centuries as a staple ingredient in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking. Here it arrives as 30 mg of the whole plant, pressed into a tablet, and the panel reports the iodine that quantity of seaweed carries.

The more unusual half of this label is the Other Ingredients line, because this tablet is coated and the coating is broken out in full. It reads: Microcrystalline Cellulose, Vegetarian Coating [hypromellose (cellulose), stearic acid (vegetable source), sunflower lecithin, triethyl citrate, sunflower oil] and Ascorbyl Palmitate. Everything inside those square brackets belongs to the coating; the bracket is how the label groups them. Microcrystalline cellulose and ascorbyl palmitate sit outside it, in the tablet itself.

The label does some of the describing for you: it identifies hypromellose as a cellulose and marks the stearic acid as vegetable source. Triethyl citrate is an ester of citric acid, and the remaining two — sunflower lecithin and sunflower oil — are named for what they are pressed from. The panel assigns no role to any of these, so neither do we; they are set out here because they are what the label sets out.

Two of those coating components are derived from sunflower. That is worth knowing in its own right, because sunflower sits outside the allergen statement printed on this bottle, which names a different list of ten ingredients.

For general background on how botanical supplements are put together and labelled — neither of these pages refers to this product or to this brand — the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements publishes an overview of botanical dietary supplements, and a general consumer primer on what to know about dietary supplements.

Supplement Facts

The panel transcribed above prints no servings line. At the labelled serving of one tablet a day, a 200-tablet bottle works out to a 200-day supply; that figure is arithmetic from the count and the directions, not a number printed on the pack.

How to use it

The label's directions are one line: take 1 tablet daily with a meal. Storage is equally short — store in a cool, dry place after opening. The bottle also states that natural color variation may occur in this product.

The caution panel asks you not to combine this with other iodine supplements without speaking to a physician first, so it is worth reading the labels of anything else you take before adding this one.

Who it's for

This is a dietary supplement for adults who want iodine in a food-form seaweed and are content with a once-daily tablet. The bottle is a 200-count, which suits someone restocking a long-running routine rather than trying a format for the first time. The front panel marks it vegetarian and vegan, and the panel names the coating as a vegetarian coating.

It is sold for adults only, and the pack's own caution puts several groups outside that — read the section below before you buy. Browse related items in Health & Wellness.

Good to know

• Caution, as printed on the bottle: For adults only. Consult physician if pregnant/nursing, taking medication (especially thyroid medications), taking other iodine supplements, or have a medical condition (especially any thyroid disorder). Keep out of reach of children.
• Made by: NOW Foods, 395 S. Glen Ellyn Rd., Bloomingdale, IL 60108, USA. The panel states that the product is made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients.
• Marks printed on the pack: a GMP Quality Assured seal on the panel; a Non-GMO mark and a Vegetarian/Vegan line on the front.
• Packaging: the bottle is made from 100% PCR (post-consumer recycled) resin, as stated on the label.
• Storage: store in a cool, dry place after opening.

The NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health keeps a general page on dietary and herbal supplement safety, and the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database archives label panels generally. Neither is a comment on this product.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much iodine is in one tablet?

One tablet provides 150 mcg of elemental iodine, which the Supplement Facts panel prints at 100% of the Daily Value. The iodine comes from 30 mg of organic kelp (Laminaria spp., whole plant), and it is the only nutrient the panel declares.

Is the tablet coated, and what is the coating made from?

Yes — the panel lists a Vegetarian Coating and breaks it out in brackets as hypromellose (cellulose), stearic acid (vegetable source), sunflower lecithin, triethyl citrate and sunflower oil. Outside that bracket, the tablet itself is microcrystalline cellulose and ascorbyl palmitate.

Does this product contain sunflower-derived ingredients?

Yes — sunflower lecithin and sunflower oil both appear inside the coating bracket on the Other Ingredients line. The printed allergen statement names yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut and sesame, so sunflower is not addressed by that statement and is worth noting separately if it matters to you.

How many tablets are in the bottle, and how long does that last?

The bottle holds 200 tablets, and at the labelled serving of one tablet daily that is a 200-day supply. The Supplement Facts panel prints no servings line, so that figure is worked out from the count and the directions rather than read off the label.

How is the order packaged for delivery?

Orders ship in plain outer packaging with no description of the contents on the outside. It will not show the Gear Isle name.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe supplement facts directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Dietary supplement for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition, heart concerns, or take prescription medication (including nitrates). Keep out of reach of children.