Posted by Rick (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) on 02/15/2009
★★★★★
Umeboshi 1000 years of healing: There are texts relating the medicinal uses of these pickled plums that date to over 1000 yrs. ago. It neutralizes fatique and detoxes the body.
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.
Posted by Coco-chan (Roanoke, Va, USA) on 01/09/2013
★★★★★
SUPER SIMPLE ONION ONLY cough remedy, you don't even need honey. This is a popular "gramma's" folk remedy in Japan especially to control coughs in the night time. Peel a large onion, cut it in half vertically. Place the halves in a container that is wide open, with the cut side of the onion up. Keep them right next to your pillow and sleep. You smell the onion very strong! And amazingly your coughs stop and then you sleep SO WELL. Many parents with sick kids try this and it always works. In Japan, a popular cough remedy that uses honey is daikon radish with honey. Cut daikon into small cubes with skin on, preferably organic because the skin is the part you need, marinade the cut daikon cubes in honey for a few hours to overnight. Take the honey daikon syrup three times a day or more with or withouth hot water. It suppresses nagging coughs. Daikon radish is also good for stomach, if you have a stomach problem. Of course, giner works great for cough. Put raw, grated ginger in hot water with honey and sip it, or just chew a little piece of raw ginger in your mouth. The spiciness of ginger goes down into your throat and your coughs stop IMMEDIATELY, while you taste it. Ginger is also greate for suppressing nausia, it calms down upset stomach. We all know there are crystallized ginger, tastes great but you can also make your own ginger remedy simply by putting sliced ginger in honey like other honey remedies. We also cook whole kumquats in sugar and these sweet kumquats are well known cough suppressants. These are the natural cold/flu remedies I grew up with and they always work!
Posted by Hiro (Okinawa, Japan) on 02/11/2013
★★★★★
Growing up, my Obaa-chan used to rub vinegar on my sister and me whenever we injured ourselves. She used it for joint injuries, not cuts and scrapes. Was a long time ago and I can't recall the type of vinegar she used, sorry.
Posted by Ingrid (Tampa, Florida) on 10/10/2008
Nattokinase is known for dissolving blood clots - It is suppose to do a better (HEALTHIER) job than the chemical drugs such as Coumadin and Warfarin but nobody has been able to tell me what dosage to take. I am currently on 12mg of Warfarin for a Trombal vein blood clot and want to switch to Nattokinase asap but need to know the dosage to take?? Thanks in advance for the info.
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.
Posted by Rick (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) on 03/02/2009
More on Umeboshi.. This food is anti-aging and known as the << King of Alkaline Foods >>: it helps dispel toxins and excess acids from our blood and tissues. According to ancient texts, it was the number one <
> of the samurai, and today, tests are proving its numerous health benefits.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
Posted by rideronthestorm54 (Grand Junction, CO) on 07/23/2009
I have researsched the natto and it was recommended to take a dose of 2000fui to help with blood clots.
