Death and Taxes! How to cheat on both.
Everyone knows that there are only two things in life that are unavoidable – death and taxes!
This article is only about the first – death. You need to go talk to the bankers and other financial whiz kids to find out how to avoid taxes. 🙂
Eventually we all keel over because the heart stops working. That is why heart disease is top of the list of reasons why you die.
The next one on the list is the Big C – cancer, in all its myriad forms.
Can we do anything about it? Well the answer is yes! We can defeat or at least slow down the onset of cancer and the effects it has on our body. It is a personal decision though, as the best form of defense is offense. Therefore, we must act in a preventative manner so that the Big C doesn’t get a foothold.
Since 1995 there have been lots of research into the properties of various vegetables and how they assist the body in preventing, and dare we say, curing diseases. Since the FDA will be all over me if I suggest that, I won’t – instead I will say alleviate the effects of illness.
The vegetable with the biggest cancer killing properties, oops I meant – the demonstrated ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cells in an in-vitro environment is Wasabia japonica.
How does it do this?
Well, Wasabia japonica contains a whole range of chemicals called Glucosinolates. These are the precursors, or starting blocks, for the natural occurring chemicals that really do the heavy lifting. These are called Isothiocyanates, and Wasabia japonica contains no less than 3 unique Glucosinolates and Isothiocyanates that really sort out the dead, dying and malformed cells in the body from the rest.
The Isothiocyanates are absorbed into the bloodstream and head out on their search and destroy mission to find these malformed cells (cancer cells) and induce apoptosis in them (kill them). While it does that it also finds dead and dying cells and eases them on their way out of the body.
All the Glucosinolates and associated Isothiocyanates in Wasabia japonica operate together as a tag team. One lots kills – oops, induces apoptosis in the cancer (malformed) cells, another flushes the dead cells into the bloodstream, another stimulates the immune system to help things along, and finally another stimulates the liver to make a better job of clearing all the debris out of the bloodstream.
The best thing is that it leaves all the normal cells alone, so there are no side effects when you ingest Wasabia japonica. After all it is a vegetable and has been consumed in Japan and Asia for many centuries. You have likely come across it as Wasabi.
Where can you get Wasabia japonica?
Right, before you all rush down the road to the nearest shop and buy up all the wasabi products in sight, you need to know that what is advertised as Wasabi in the shops is not Wasabia japonica.
Yes, I know it is a con job that the food manufacturers have foisted on us all for decades, but up to now they decided that no one was interested in the difference, and it was great for their bottom line to spin a yarn.
Now though, if you really want to cheat the man in the hooded cowl and scythe, you need to find the real Wasabia japonica, and not the coloured mustard and horseradish mix in the shops.
There is the raw vegetable, of course, but that is not generally available to the general public, or even restaurants, and if you can find it then it is expensive and doesn’t keep very long.
The answer is to get 100% Pure Wasabi Powder that has been freeze dried to stop all the active ingredients vanishing during processing. Have a look on the package – it should say 100% Pure Wasabia japonica rhizome. The label should also say Freeze dried – anything else indicates that it has been dried using heat (normally left in the sun), and most of the active ingredients (the Glucosinolates and Isothiocyanates) have evaporated, leaving the less effective parts.
If you are not sure what you are getting, read the ingredients list and have a look at the website http://www.wasabireviews.com where wasabi products are reviewed and critiqued. The only product that is what it claims to be is Namida® 100% Pure Wasabi Powder from New Zealand. It can be found at http://www.wasabi.co.nz/order.html. They ship all over the world at a reasonable price, and even have capsules that can be taken by those who don’t enjoy the famous wasabi nose rush.
Final word
At the end of the day we can’t cheat Death when he does come knocking, but at least by using Wasabia japonica, either fresh, powdered or as a supplement, we can keep him away from our door for longer. Dealing with tax man is likely to be more difficult :).
References:
https://wasabi.org/articles/medical-uses-of-wasabia-japonica/
https://wasabi.org/articles/wasabi-the-asian-superfood/
Research and Scientific Papers
Functional properties of wasabi and horseradish. K. Kinae, N Masuda, H. Shin, I.S. Furugori, M. Shimoi. Biofactors. 2000; 13(1-4): 265-9 0951-6433.
6-Methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate and its homologues as food-orginated compounds with antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. M. Ono, H. Tesaki, S. Tanabe, S. Watanabe. Biosci-Siotechnol-Biochem. 1998 Feb; 62(2): 363-5 0916-8451.
The effect of 6-Methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate isolated from Wasabia Japonica (wasabi) on 4-(methylinitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-buatnone-induced lung tumorigenesis in mice. T. Yano, T. Yajima, S. Virgona, N. Yano, Y. Otani, S.Kumagai, H. Sakurai, H. Kishimoto, M. Ichikawa. Caner-Lett. 2000 Jul 31; 155(2): 115-20 0304-3835.
Suppressive effect of wasabi (pungent Japanese spice) on gastric carcinogenesis induced by MNNG in rats. T. Tanida, N. Kawaura, A. Takahashi, A. Sawada, K. Shimoyama. Nutr-Cancer. 1991; 16(1): 53-8 0163-5581.
Antiplatelet and anticancer isothiocyanates in Japanese domestic horseradish, wasabi. T.Morimitsu, Y. Hayashi, K. Nakagawa, Y. Horio, F. Uchida, K. Osawa. Biofactors. 2000; 13(1-4): 271-6 0951-6433.
A sulforaphone analogue that potently activates the Nrf2-dependent detoxification pathway. Koji Morimitsu, Yasujiro Nakagawa, Yoko Hayashi, Kazuhiro Fujii, Hiroyuki Kumagai, Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshimasa Osawa, Toshihiko Horio, Fumihiko Itoh, Ken Iida, Katsuyuki Yamamoto, Masayuki Uchida. J-Biol-Chem. 2002 Feb 1; 277(5): 3456-63 0021-9258.
Metabolism of sinigrin (2-propenyl glucosinolate) by the human colonic microflora in a dynamic in vitro large-intestinal model. Sylvie Krul, Cyrille Humblot, Christele Philippe, Catherine Vermeulen, Martijn van Nuenen, Marleen Havenaar, Robert Rabot. Carcinogenesis. 2002 Jun; 23(6): 1009-16 0143-3334.
Effect of naturally occurring organosulfur compounds on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages. Hisao Ippoushi, Katsunari Itou, Hidekazu Azuma, Keiko Higashio. Life-Sci. 2002 Jun 14; 71(4): 411-9 0024-3205.
Dietary compounds that induce cancer preventative phase 2 enzymes activate apoptosis at comparable doses in HT29 colon carcinoma cells. D.P. Kirlin, W.G. Cai, J. DeLong, M.J. Patten, E.J. Jones. J-Nutr. 1999 Oct; 129(10): 1827-35 0022-3166.
Human metabolism and excretion of cancer chemoprotective glucosinolates and isothiocyanates of cruciferous vegetables. P. Shapiro, T. A. Fahey, J.M. Wade, M.L. Stephenson, K.K. Talslay. Cancer-Epidemiol-Biomarkers-Prev. 1998 Dec; 7(12): 1091-100 1055-9965.
Studies on the mechanism of the inhibition of human leukaemia cell growth by dietary isothiocyanates and their cysteine adducts in vitro. F.J. Xu, K. Thornalley. Biochem-Pharmacol. 2000 Jul15; 60(2): 221-31 0006-2952.
Antibacterial mechanism of allyl isothiocyanate. C.I. Lin, C.M. Preston. J.F. Wei. J-Food-Prot. 2000 Jun; 63(6): 727-34 0362-028X.
Formation of allyl isothiocyanate from sinigrin in the digestive tract of rats monoassociated with a human colonic strain of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. A. Elfoul, L. Rabot, S. Khelifa, N. Quinsac, A. Duguay, A. Rimbault. FEMS-Microbiol-Lett. 2001 Apr 1; 197(1): 99-103 0378-1097.
Selective toxicity of compounds naturally present in food toward the transformed phenotype of human colorectal cell line HT29. I.T. Musk, S.R. Stephenson, P. Smith, T.K. Stening, P. Fyfe, D. Johnson. Nutr-Cancer. 1995; 24(3): 289-98 0163-5581.
Allyl isothiocyanate is selectively toxic to transformed cells of the human colorectal tumour line HT29. I.T. Musk, S.R. Johnson. Carcinogenesis. 1993 Oct; 14(10): 2079-83 0143-3334.
Altered Estrogen Metabolism and Excretion in Humans following Consumption of Indole-3-Carbinol. Jon J. Michnovicz, H. Leaon Bradlow. Nutr-Cancer. 1991.
Identification of 6-methylsulfinyhexyl isothiocyanate as an apoptosis-inducing component in wasabi. Watanabe M, Ohata M, Hayakawa S, et al.. Phytochemistry. 2003 Mar;62(5):733-9.
Selective sensitivity to wasabi-derived 6-(methylsulfiny)hexyl isothiocyanate of human breast cancer and melanoma cell lines studies in vitro. Nomura T, Shinoda S, Yamori T, et al. Cancer Detect Prev. 2005;29(2):155-60.
Chemoprevention by isothiocyanates. Hecht SS. J Cell Biochem Suppl. 1995;22:195-209.
Other references
Reuters; October 14:1994 – Japan researcher says “wasabi” helps fight cancer.
Biotechnology and Medical Industry of Japan; April 5:1991 – Nihon University finds component of wasabi inhibits thrombus formation.