Kombu is abundant in nutrients such as calcium, vitamins, and dietary fiber. It is particularly rich in iodine. Iodine is an essential nutrient for maintaining thyroid function and producing thyroid hormones. Iodine deficiency can cause goiters, and, in severe cases, can even lead to hypothyroidism.
Kombu has higher iodine content than other seaweed, approximately 95 times that of
nori and 4.4 times that of
hijiki seaweed. Hence, one can understand why it is worthy of the title – "the king of seaweeds."
- Excessive intake of iodine can have detrimental effects on health.
- If you have a thyroid disorder, consult your physician before eating kombu.
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Unlike other seaweed varieties, kombu can be used to make dashi. Dashi is a soup stock that tastes of umami, famously known as the fifth taste. It is the foundation of the delicate flavor of Japanese cuisine. 
Apart from being used to make dashi, kombu can be eaten as a culinary ingredient just like other types of seaweed. It has a very distinctive texture. Depending on how it is cooked, kombu can either be firm and almost crunchy, or soft and pliable. Another feature of kombu is that it extracts the inherent delicious flavors of the other ingredients with which it is being cooked.