wasabi benefits

6 Wonderful Benefits Of Wasabi

6 Wonderful Benefits Of Wasabi. Although it’s been cultivated as a food ever since ancient times, wasabi has only become popular in recent years due to its health benefits. It may decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease and boost the immune system. It might also help with joint pain and muscle soreness, so there are many reasons to get this potent plant into your meals!

What is Wasabi?

Wasabi is a plant belonging to the cabbage family, which looks quite similar. It is most often known as Japanese horseradish due to their similarly spiced and pungent flavors. Although wasabi tastes hot in comparison to other horseradish plants, it helps to release chemicals that affect your senses, releasing irritants into the nose.

It’s not only used as a condiment in sashimi or sushi dishes, but also has nutritional benefits due to its composition.

Wasabi Nutrition Facts

Although wasabi is often overlooked as just another condiment, it can be an incredible addition to your diet. A 100 gram portion of wasabi contains around 109 calories and only 1 gram of saturated fat. It’s also rich in protein, carbohydrates, and many nutrients that are needed in our diet. Despite its excellent nutritional profile, wasabi is low in cholesterol and high in vitamin C and antioxidants like isothiocyanates, which have amazing health benefits.

May Have An Anticancer Potential

No matter what type of cancer you’re treating, wasabi can help. It’s rich in powerful antioxidants that fight free radicals throughout the body’s systems. Indeed, research limits has shown 6-MITC to be clearly effective in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation. Not only that, but studies indicate that it promotes cell death within 24 hours of consumption. The exciting thing about this isothiocyanate treatment is that the wasabi doesn’t kill healthy cells while it kills those cancerous ones. This means fewer side effects and containment without causing any major damage to other healthy systems.

May Protect Heart Health

Improving cardiovascular health and lowering your risk factors by adding wasabi more regularly can have very positive benefits. Research shows that the wasabi plant contains potential anti-hypercholesterolemic properties that help in lowering high cholesterol levels and preventing strokes and heart attacks. Research also indicates that the plant’s isothiocyanates help prevent cancer. It inhibits platelet aggregation which is what causes blood clots. These clots are the main causes of strokes, heart disease, and other cardiovascular crises for most people. By breaking down the aggregation process, it dissolves the blood clots through much of the body which reduces these risks!

Might Fight Arthritis

An ingredient in wasabi, a plant whose powerful antioxidant compound isothiocyanates has been shown to reduce inflammation, can also help provide help in the form of pain relief. We’ve seen studies that suggest it can protect against risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, too. For the same reason that it can inhibit platelet aggregation, these compounds will also help with protection for your joints and other weak spots on your body so you don’t experience chronic pain. Try some wasabi in your cooking to experience its youthful vitality!

May Kill Harmful Food-Borne Bacteria

The powerful and natural components of wasabi have also been shown to fight off bacteria, including E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus! It helps food poisonings as well as other unfortunate conditions.

May Heal Respiratory Conditions

Wasabi may help against certain types of respiratory tract pathogens. It contains allyl isothiocyanate, which gives off gaseous release that actively inhibits the proliferation of respiratory tract pathogens that cause influenza and pneumonia. It also has an intense smell, but this will do good for your health over time.

May Improve Gut Health

Did you know that Wasabi can help prevent the risk of digestive disorders, such as diverticulitis and leaky gut syndrome? Its high-fiber nature helps bulk up stools, improving digestion and overall gut health.

Buying Wasabi

Wasabi is usually found in Japanese cuisine, and it’s a traditional staple of that country. It’s also primarily grown there because it’s very difficult to cultivate. Even in Japan, only a few areas of the country where large-scale cultivation of wasabi takes place, mainly in mountainous river valleys or stream beds. In North America, only two places have successfully cultivated wasabi to date, North Carolina and the province of British Columbia.

As for consumers who don’t grow their own crops or don’t cook much at home, you can purchase tubes or ground wasabi that are ready to use right away in your cooking. Before buying ground wasabi which isn’t an exclusively Japanese product check with your local grocery store first to see if they sell them nearby. If you’re a culinary purist and love the real thing, make sure to buy the original ground wasabi when shopping for it too.

Although not inexpensive and sometimes difficult to find outside of Japan, true wasabi is still delicious and provides many health benefits that you might not get from imitation products (it replicates smells rather than tastes). As a result, high-end or traditional Japanese restaurants will typically have genuine ground wasabi available as well as specialty food stores located near you

Side Effects

Consuming too much wasabi can be dangerous for your health. Although benefits such as it’s rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are impressive, remember that the side effects of consuming excessive amounts of it include liver damage [14]. Be sure to take note of all your allergies before eating any new food. Consult your doctor for a comprehensive list of all you’re allergies at a later date.