The healing power of wasabi

There are two forms of wasabi. The first is wasabi made from the root of the wasabi plant. This produces a sharp sauce of high quality, but this sauce does not keep for a long time. In practice, an imitation form of wasabi is used; a mix of wasabi, horseradish, mustard and radish leaves. This is a type of wasabi whose taste is very similar to wasabi made from the root. The mix of mustard, horseradish and radish tastes slightly sharper. Leafy green is used as the green dye. In terms of healing power, the prepackaged tube version will be a lot less than real wasabi that is freshly cooked in the kitchen and can be kept for 25 minutes without a lid.

General information wasabi

The Latin name for wasabi is Eutrema japonicum. Wasabi is originally only found in Japan and grows wild in wetlands and along rivers. The plant grows to a height of 60 to 75 centimeters and has white flowers. The root of wasabi is mainly used. Fresh wasabi is the only real wasabi. Wasabi from the supermarket contains other ingredients that in terms of taste are close to wasabi. Supermarket wasabi mainly contains horseradish, mustard, radish and green food coloring. This wasabi may already taste good, but the real wasabi tastes even better.

The taste of real wasabi is completely different from the imitation wasabi from a tube. This Imitation wasabi contains close relatives of wasabi such as horseradish and mustard, tastes somewhat chemical, saltier and is one and a half times more pungent than Wasabi. Real wasabi tastes sweet, is softer and you can taste a mild "green" natural flavor. Of course it is nice and spicy, but not that sharp. The taste of real wasabi is gone after 25 minutes. After grating, an oxidation process starts; by reaction with oxygen, the wasabi root loses its typical flavor. You can fix the spiciness by wrapping the grated wasabi in plastic foil and storing it in the freezer immediately after preparation or by mixing mayonnaise, oil, butter, chocolate and / or ice. Real wasabi is sold, but in a very different way than the tube version. At the Dutch company wasabi4you, wasabi is wrapped in moist muslin cloth and shipped on an ice pack in a thermobox. A storage advice is sent along. Wasabi can be kept for at least two weeks in a damp muslin cloth and in a cool place without covering it.

Wasabi and horseradish are similar in a number of ways. There are allyl isothiocyanates or AITC in both vegetables which are served more like sauce or spicy additive. AITC is also known by the name Fresh wasabi in a Japanese restaurant / Source: Danaimge, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)

Both wasabi and horseradish have been clearly shown to fight cancer. Scientific research has shown that these plants render carcinogenic substances in fish and meat harmless. It is safe to say that both wasabi and horseradish benefit overall human health. A study on rats shows that rats that drank water with the added AITC N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine disappear from wasabi gastric cancer tumors. Several cancer cell lines, including breast cancer, leukemia and skin cancer, are fought by substances in wasabi. It also appears that wasabi fights the cancer cells in several ways. That offers a lot of hope for a new drug or dietary supplement for cancer. One way wasabi fights cancer is that certain AITC triggers the sudden death of a cancer cell, apoptosis. Incidentally, most of the research on wasabi comes from Japan or Korea; it is desirable from a scientific point of view if scientists from other regions of the world also research the anti-cancer effects of wasabi.

The heliobacter pylori bacteria can cause diseases such as gastritis, heartburn, stomach pain, stomach ulcers and inflammation of the gastric mucosa and duodenum. The bacteria is related to some forms of stomach cancer. Wasabi fights this bacteria. Especially AITC in the roots and leaves is the substance that fights the Heliobacter pylori bacteria. Both Japanese and Korean wasabi have bacteria-fighting properties. A Korean study conducted in 2004 shows that the leaves are more effective than the root.

In a study in which bananas, coriander and cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower were compared for their effectiveness against the E.coli bacteria, wasabi was found to be the best. It also works against staphyloccus aureus. E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus are bacteria that can cause food poisoning. In this case, too, the AITC turn out to be effective. [! 176492 => 1130 = 7080!] Wasabi, good for the teeth

In the year 2000, a scientific study was presented at a conference in Honolulu that showed that wasabi works well for cavities in the teeth. Due to its high content of AITC, it can effectively fight bacteria in the mouth. The development of cavities can be stopped. For this purpose, you don't have to put wasabi from a tube on your toothbrush, you can just eat it!

Research shows that AITC not only has an anti-cancer effect, but that it also counteracts platelet aggregation. This means that platelets are less likely to clump together; wasabi is a natural blood thinner. Wasabi has been shown to lower histamine levels; this reduces inflammation. This appears to have particularly beneficial effects on the skin and skin diseases. Scientific research has shown that hairless mice with an itchy skin disease are less likely to scratch when given a cure of wasabi. Scientific research shows that fewer fats are produced in the body when a little wasabi is eaten every day. `the research was done on mice, but it is likely that the same applies to humans; researchers say wasabi may be a good anti-obesity agent. Research on animals shows that wasabi reduces the scratching behavior of animals; that can be a great relief for people with eczema. Bone density is increased when a lot of wasabi is eaten, at least according to preliminary animal studies.