Hiro (Okinawa, Japan) on 02/11/2013
Rick (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) on 03/02/2009
It has protected me from << tourista >>. When I feel a little tired I turn to the food that the samurai used to cure battle fatigue. I take a half tsp of the paste with a tsp of buckwheat honey. ( The honey is my idea.. I think it's a great mix though.. the bw honey is high in minerals and umeboshi assists mineral absorption. Tastes great !). It assists the liver. I get a good feedback from my body when I consume it: I feel energized !
It has an impressive nutritional profile and contains picric acid, catechin acid and citric acid.
The macrobiotic experts say that it is very balancing and strengthening.
Some sites for further details.
http://www.macrobiotics.nl/library/ume.html
http://www.shejapan.com/jtyeholder/jtye/living/umeboshi/ume3.html
http://www.justaddcontent.co.uk/v1/livei/e016_101105.htm
rideronthestorm54 (Grand Junction, CO) on 07/23/2009
Ingrid (Tampa, Florida) on 10/10/2008
The following info I copied from Wikkipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nattokinase
Nattokinase is an enzyme extracted and purified from a Japanese food called Natto. Natto is a cheese-like food made from fermented soybeans that has been eaten in Japan for many years. It is thought by some to be a valuable tool in minimizing the chances of developing heart and vascular diseases. Natto is produced by fermentation by adding the bacterium Bacillus natto, a beneficial bacteria, to boiled soybeans. The resulting nattokinase enzyme is produced when the bacterium acts on the soybeans. While other soy foods contain enzymes, it is only the natto preparation that contains the specific nattokinase enzyme. Nattokinase is valued in the alternative medicine community as a clot-buster and blood thinner, and is sometimes recommended as a substitute for daily aspirin therapy. But it's effects go beyond that in terms of catalyzing other enzyme activity.
Rick (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) on 02/15/2009
If you can find dried plum (ume) extract, that is even better. These plums have been used for years for healing and to enhance health. Many japanese take a pickled plum with some tea to start their day. When available, Japanese samurai treasured it and consumed it daily also using it to purify water.
I use less than one eighth of a tsp. of the paste ( which I can find in health food stores and, wow, I have even seen it in some food markets) to enhance my morning tea.
It has an agressive flavor. It can jolt your eyes open so please be careful and dilute it before tasting it. It tastes acidic, tart, but it alkalizes the body.
Coco-chan (Roanoke, Va, USA) on 01/09/2013
The Japanese peoples have a reputation for healthy lifestyles and a long traditional of herbal cures as well as other natural remedies for health ailments. In particular, the Okinawan Diet has been much studied for its health promotion and life-extending effects.
Sometime around the 8th century of the Common Era, Chinese medicinal practices made their way to the islands of Japan. Since that time, the Japanese have expanded alternative treatments from this Chinese foundation into Kampo medicine, their own rich tradition of alternative health and holistic health practices. Kampo is in fact an established part of Japanese medical treatment, paid for and monitored by the national health plan and regularly prescribed by allopathic doctors.
Holistic Treatments: Herbal remedies are central to traditional medicine in Japan, though acupuncture is another thriving treatment. Angelica, ginseng, peppermint, the mushroom Agaricus blazei, bee propolis, Japanese plum, and Dipsacis are frequent herbal treatments in Japanese folk medicine.
