Botanical atlas

Marine Diatom

Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Phaeodactylum tricornutum does not carry an old folk history the way a garden herb might. It was first described scientifically in the early twentieth century and only became widely known once researchers realized how efficiently it produces two prized compounds: EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid usually associated with fish oil, and fucoxanthin, the brown-gold pigment that gives kelp and other brown seaweeds their color. Today it is grown deliberately in seawater tanks and photobioreactors as a plant-free source of these compounds for nutraceutical and cosmetic use, and it has become something of a workhorse organism in marine biology labs, valued for how easily it can be studied and modified. Its story is a modern one, written mostly in laboratories and aquaculture facilities rather than in old apothecary books.

Safety.

Food-grade diatom supplements aren't known to be toxic, but as a marine organism they may pose a risk for people with shellfish or iodine allergies. Their omega-3 content could add to the effect of blood-thinning medication, and they should never be confused with wild-harvested algae, since untested blooms can contain toxins.