This thread is for the discussion of Wasabi: Recipes, horror stories, and health issues are all open subjects.
Here is some information on the Wasabi as health food. The complete text can be found at www.freshwasabi.com
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PROPERTIES & MEDICAL RESEARCH OF WASABI
The chemicals in Fresh Wasabi have been applied in food uses but may also have medical benefits.
The medicinal values of chemicals extracted from Wasabi were first documented in the Japanese medicinal encyclopedia during the 10th century (Hodges, 1974). Biocidally active chemicals in Wasabi are said to act as an antidote to food poisoning, one factor that might have led to the use of Wasabi with raw fish dishes in Japan.
Hydration of a glucoside (sinigrin) by the enzyme myrosinase results in the production of Wasabi's special flavor component, an allyl isothiocyanate, the major pungent component. We all experience this in the form of that heat rush up our noses when eating Wasabi with our sushi! The components that give Wasabi its flavor are 6-methylthiohexyl isothiocyanate, 7-methylthioheptyl isothiocyanate and 8-methylthioocytl isothiocyanate (Ina et al., 1989). Scientists are now discovering that these Wasabi isothiocyanates may have important medical benefits.
Today research is being conducted both in the United States and in Japan as to the potential medical benefit of Wasabi. Researchers say that the isothiocyanates in Wasabi, not only inhibit microbes, but can also help treat or prevent blood clotting, asthma and even cancer. (J. A. Depree, T.M. Howard & G.P. Savage, Food Research International Vol 31, No5, pp.329-337, 1999). Wasabi has even been known to prevent tooth decay. (Hideki Masuda, Ph.D. 2000).
Depree, Howard & Savage report on the testing done regarding isothiocyanates found in Wasabi on the inhibition of platelet aggregation and for deaggregation. It was found that in the case of a heart attack, where aspirin is commonly prescribed, the isothiocyanates had an immediate effect as opposed to the thirty minutes for aspirin. This anti-inflammatory effect could potentially be used to counter conditions such as asthma or even anaphylaxis.
Research has also been undertaken regarding isothiocyanates in Wasabi and anti-cancer properties. Tests have been done with stomach tumors in rats. It was found that some isothiocyanates have a protective role against breast, stomach and colon cancers (Wattenberg, 1977,1981). It was also found that human stomach cancer cells underwent morphological alterations and many died when cultured in media containing a concentration of an aqueous extract from Wasabi. (J.A. Depree, T.M. Howard & G.P. Savage, 2000).
Released in December 2000 in Hawaii, Hideki Masuda reported that chemical compounds found in Wasabi (isothiocyanates) inhibited the growth of Streptococcus mutans, the bacteria that cause dental cavities during test-tube studies. This is due to the Wasabi's ability to interfere with the sucrose-dependent adherence of cells. (The 2000 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basis Societies, Hawaii, December 2000)