The power that all our extracts have comes from nature..
This plant has evolved a unique array of bioactive compounds that allow it to survive extreme climatic conditions ranging from immersion in temperate water to exposure to scorching sunshine or shoreline frost.

SEAWEED HARVEST
Most of our products are manufactured from fresh Ascophyllum nodosum.

Our harvesting techniques are environmentally friendly and allow the regeneration of the algal resource. The harvest is done at low tide and the seaweed is hand cut with a sickle at a minimum 15 cm from the holdfast. Only 15 to 20% of the total biomass is harvested and the harvest sites are exploited only every 3 years.

SEAWEED AND ADAPTATION TO STRESS
In the Ireland Estuary, the cold water seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum is subjected to tide cycle and exposed daily to severe environmental stresses including desiccation, salinity, frost and extreme temperature variations. This seaweed is well adapted to grow in these rough conditions and this adaptation is reflected in its biochemical composition that includes a unique spectrum of protective biopolymers, antioxidants and growth stimulants.

ROCKWEED BIOLOGY
Rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) is the dominant brown seaweed in the intertidal zone along the Atlantic coastline of the Ireland. This seaweed occurs in a wide range of waves exposures. Rockweed is an olive-green seaweed forming long smooth and flat strips without midrib and topped with bladders. It has complex branching structures with V branching and side branches. This seaweed is attached to rocks or bedrocks by a resistant holdfast. This seaweed reached length between 1 and 3 m.

As the tide rises, the plant floats by means of gas bladders (vesicles) on the shoot. In the spring, specialized bladders (receptacles) form on the sides of shoots. These are reproductive structures containing either egg or sperm producing tissues. Reproductive products are released in the late spring to early summer and the receptacles fall off after release.The majority of the new shoot arise from basal holdfast tissues. Holdfast are long lived and can exceed 40 years old. Growth occurs at the distal ends of the branches. Length increases on each main branch from 10 to 20 cm per year.