Red yeast rice
Latin name:
Monascus purpureus Went
Common names:
Red yeast rice,
Ang-Quac mushroom, Hong-Qu
Family:
Monascaceae
Origin:
China
Description
Used for centuries in Asian countries, in food as well as in traditional medicine, red yeast rice is obtained by fermenting rice with red yeast. An ancestral remedy in Chinese pharmacopoeia, the first writings concerning it date back to the 13th century and attest that its properties were already known at that time. This fermentation process allows the formation of secondary metabolites, the monacolines, of which monacolin K is the majority. Numerous studies have shown that this molecule helps maintain normal blood cholesterol levels.
The benefits
- Maintenance of normal cholesterol levels.
