Iodine was discovered in 1811 by a French saltpeter manufacturer who was burning seaweed ash and noticed a violet vapor rising from it — hence the name, from the Greek iodes, violet. Kelp remains one of the richest natural concentrations of the element, which is why coastal populations have historically had iodine intakes that inland ones did not.
Iodine's job in the body is nearly singular: it is the raw material of thyroid hormone. Thyroxine contains four iodine atoms, triiodothyronine three. Without dietary iodine, the thyroid cannot manufacture the hormones that set metabolic rate throughout the body.
Selenium is the necessary companion, and the pairing here is not arbitrary. The enzymes that convert thyroxine into the more active triiodothyronine — the deiodinases — are selenoproteins. They require selenium at their active site. Iodine without selenium is only half the machinery. Selenomethionine is the organically bound form, absorbed and retained more reliably than inorganic selenium salts.
Together they are used to support normal thyroid function and normal metabolic rate. Made hypoallergenically, without diluents, binders, or fillers.
90 capsules.
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.
