Wasabi is root vegetable which mostly found as part of Japanese cuisine offered as condiment which is also well known as Japanese Horseradish. Health Benefits of Wasabi already explored by scientist since, it give significant impact to threat some serious diseases. It is not only the aroma that is strong but also the flavor, that’s why it is mostly served in the form of paste as condiment along with sushi or sashimi. Not everyone could deal with the strong flavor and aroma of wasabi but it is not a surprise that this vegetable is having amazing benefits for human’s health. The health properties of wasabi has been well known since ancient time, that’s why Japanese people always use wasabi as part of their traditional cuisine, not only as condiment but also a spicy added to sauces, salad or soups.
It is true that wasabi could do some wonders and below are some nutritional facts as well as the organic facts you should aware of wasabi.
Nutritional Facts of Wasabi
| General | Value | % RDA |
| Energy | 109 cal | 6 % |
| Carbohydrate | 24 g | 18 % |
| Protein | 5 g | 9 % |
| Total Fat | 0.6 g | 3 % |
| Dietary Fiber | 24 g | 62 % |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 35 IU | 1 % |
| Vitamin C | 42 mg | 70 % |
| Folate | 18 µg | 5 % |
| Niacin | 0.7 mg | 5 % |
| Pantothenic Acid | 0.2 mg | 4 % |
| Pyridoxine | 0.2 mg | 21 % |
| Riboflavin | 0.1 mg | 9 % |
| Thiamin | 0.1 mg | 11 % |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 17 mg | 1 % |
| Potasium | 568 mg | 12 % |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 128 mg | 13 % |
| Copper | 0.2 mg | 17 % |
| Iron | 1 mg | 13 % |
| Magnesium | 69 mg | 17 % |
| Manganese | 0.1 mg | 5 % |
| Phosphorus | 80 mg | 11 % |
| Zinc | 1.6 mg | 15 % |
| Phyto Nutrients | ||
| Beta Carotene | 21 µg |
Organic Facts of Wasabi
- Wasabi has been well known as part of Japanese cuisine since ancient times due to its anti-bacterial properties since Japanese people love to consume raw fish.
- Recent studies have also shown that not only the root but the leaf is also having medical properties that could fight oxidative stress.
- The Vitamin C possessed by wasabi is twice higher compared to horseradish.
- Wasabi is one of the vegetables that considered difficult to cultivate even in Japan, not all areas could be taken place to cultivate wasabi only in areas by river valley or stream bed.
- Since it is not easy to cultivate the price of wasabi is not really cheap and it is not one of the vegetables that mostly exported as well because even in Japan wasabi is not that easy to be found. That’s why finding the wasabi paste made from 100% wasabi is also difficult. To ensure that is better for you to buy the wasabi root and make the paste yourself.
Health Benefits of Wasabi
- Rich of Antioxidant
Everyone will do everything to stay young and it happened to be only consuming wasabi regularly is able to keep you young by maintaining the healthy cells and speeding the regeneration of new cells. It is because it is rich of natural anti-oxidants. One of the types of antioxidant that is mostly found in wasabi and has a lot of benefits for human health is isothiocyanates that is able to assist in fight cancer and maintain the health of your liver.
- Excellent Immunity Booster
One of the vitamin that has significant role in improving immunity system is Vitamin C and wasabi is one of the natural source where you could get adequate amount of Vitamin C just by consuming one tea spoon per day. Since our body cannot produce its own vitamin C, making sure you are consuming food that are rich of vitamin C is highly recommended. Consuming it a teaspoon per day is the easiest way to make sure your body get enough vitamin C to provide one layer protection to your immunity as well as a healthier lifestyle.
- Reduce the Effect of Seasonal Allergies
Allergies could be avoided by avoiding the trigger of the allergies. In some seasonal allergies the main trigger is bacteria and wasabi is well known to be one of the vegetables that rich of anti-bacteria properties so consuming it could assist in fighting bacteria that could be the trigger of the allergies.
- Natural Defense toward Bacterial Infection
So, the reason why wasabi is served together with sushi or sashimi is not only because of the strong flavor that totally delicious if combined with raw fish but also because of its ability to fight bacteria, since the possibility of raw fish contained bacteria is high. The antimicrobial agents contained has significant role in making sure the bacteria that entering your body will not cause any harm or cause some health conditions..
- Reduce the Risk of Heart Attack
The main reason why a person could suffer from heart attack is because heart is forced to work so hard due to some blood clot found in the arteries that will slow down the regulation of blood that required to be distributed in the whole part of the body. There are some compounds found that has important role in preventing the formulation of blood clot in the artery so the risk of heart attack could be reduced.
- Reduce the Risk of Strokes
It is a common knowledge that the whole part of your body needs blood and heart has important role in producing as well as distributing the blood required. Brain is the most important organ in human’s body that required blood, without which brain damaged could happen which is started from strokes. The reason why brain could not get enough blood is due to blood clot found in the arteries that will limit the regulation of blood.
- Prevent Cancer
This green root could do the wonder to the cancerous cells due to its ability in preventing the development of cancerous cells in the body. This credit goes to the beneficial nutrients called isothiocyanates that could eliminate the free radicals in the body that has significant role in causing the development of cancerous cells. Recent studies have found that the same nutrient has prominent role to inhibit the development of stomach cancer cells as well as leukemia.
- Assist in Cholesterol Control
Wasabi could assist in controlling the cholesterol level due to its anti-hypercholesterolemic properties contained. Those properties are able to reduce the production of LDL or bad cholesterol so has prominent role in preventing the accumulation of blood clot and as the result, the cholesterol level is always under control. Well, it is a common knowledge that once your cholesterol is under control, controlling other diseases related to heart disease and stroke is much more easier. In other words, having a better and healthier life is as easy as consuming this green root regularly.
- Act as Anti-inflammation
One of the amazing benefits of wasabi is as natural anti-inflammation. It is due to some compounds or properties contained in this green root that could block prostaglandin which could trig the pain in the body. This vegetable is probably not cure it but at least could assist in reducing the symptoms.
- Reduce the Risk of Osteoporosis
As the anti-inflammation surely wasabi is also good for bones and proven to reduce the risk of osteoporosis by reducing the swell in the joints. The compound that has important role in this matter is isothiocyanates which is one of the variants of antioxidants. Consuming it as part of regular daily diet could assist in maintaining the bone integrity.
- Good for Those with Respiratory Conditions
Some examples of respiratory conditions are like nasal condition and sinuses. Wasabi contains isothiocyanates that could handle the trigger of the reaction. Besides, the strong smell and the flavor of wasabi which sensation is disturbing for some people but has prominent effect to respiratory system.
- Prevent Cavitis
Cavitis is one of the diseases that occurred in wet and warm area, mostly oral organ like mouth due to bacteria called streptococcus. This bacteria could grow if the level of sugar and acidic properties in oral organ is high but this green root which has anti-bacterial properties could prevent the growth of cavitis naturally.
- Act as Natural Sanitizer
One of the amazing benefits of wasabi is that it could act as natural sanitizer due to its anti-bacterial properties. Recent studies have proven that this vegetable is able to fight some bacteria from staphylococcus up to e.coli. Well, it is true that perhaps it is too valuable to be used as your hand sanitizer but today there are a lot of products made from this green root and some of them are hand sanitizer and toothpaste.
- Natural Detox Solution
It is true that your body needed to be detoxified regularly. Well, some people prefer to consume certain drugs for detox but do you know that consuming wasabi regularly is able to detox your body naturally? There is photochemical compound found that could assist in eliminating some toxic properties found in liver’s fatty tissue and the result is you will have healthier and cleaner liver with better function.
- Low Calories
This green root is not only containing little fat and low in calories but also has plenty of fiber. So, it is recommended to be put as part of daily diet for those who are currently in weight loss program. It has ability to promote weight loss naturally due its dietary fiber that able to handle the satiation as well as promote better digestion system to improve metabolism. You could combine it with other low calories food like peas to be a healthy snack.
- Good for Digestion System
Wasabi could do the wonder with toxic materials found in your fatty liver and the wonder also applied to your digestion system. Healthy digestion system could affect a lot of aspects in your life such as no longer digestive problem and you will have healthier metabolism that will affect to the efficiency of the digestion system in absorbing the nutrients from food you consume. That’s why it is also recommended for those who are currently in weight loss program with addition this vegetable is only containing adequate amount of fiber that will bound the excess materials in digestive system to be flushed out from the system.
- Prevent Food Poisoning
The main reason behind why Japanese people always serve wasabi as the condiment of sushi is not only because of the flavor but much more about the compounds contained in this green root that could act as potent insecticide and bacteriocide. Since raw fish is subjected to attract bacteria that could cause food poisoning, consuming it along with wasabi will reduce the risk.
- Good for Bones
As one of the vegetables that are rich of calcium surely wasabi is also good for your bones and since it is also containing some active compounds that will act as anti-inflammatory, it will assist in dealing with some joint pains and at the same time maintaining the bone health.
- Maintain the Health of Oral Organ
Since wasabi contained anti-bacterial agents that effective in killing bacteria so it is also good for the health of oral organ. That’s why there are a lot of products made from wasabi and one of them is toothpaste. It is because consuming this green root could assist in preventing the tooth decay by killing the bacteria that cause it or in this matter is using the toothpaste to clean up the oral organ daily.
- Ezcema Natural Treatment
Though further studies required to prove it but in daily use people with ezcema could treat the effect by using wasabi. It is true that up to now there no cure for this condition and though this green root cannot magically cure the condition but at least it could assist in making the symptoms bearable.
Those are the 20 benefits of wasabi and some of them have been proven scientifically while mostly have been well known since ancient time. Though wasabi could do some wonders but still there are conditions in where wasabi is not supposed to be consumed in high dosage. Knowing the side effect is also highly recommended so you could extract all the benefits of wasabi while aware of effects of wasabi that could harmful for your body.
Side Effects of Wasabi
- Wasabi Contained Hepatotoxin
For you who don’t know, hepatotoxin is actually toxic. It is okay if you consume it in small amount but if in high dosage the effect could be harmful and toxic. It is a common knowledge that no matter how high the nutrients of a food is you only need to consume it in adequate amount because everything that is consumed in excessive amount will be harmful.
- Could Cause Some Damages to Liver
As mentioned in point number 1, wasabi contained hepatotoxin which is very toxic. Well, when it comes to toxic compound and then it is the liver’s job to deal with it. However, it could be very harmful for liver if the amount of this toxic is high in the body and the result is liver damage. It is because liver needed to work harder than usual just to remove the toxic.
- Able to Cause Allergies
Though the case of allergies caused by wasabi is very few but you should aware of this possibility if you are somehow allergic to horseradish. For those who are consuming wasabi for the first time, you should aware of this possibility too.
- Contained Allyl-isothiocyanate
You must be familiar with the effects you get when you slice onion which could cause some irritation to your eyes. Wasabi is also the same, if you grate the rhizome, it will release the compound called allyl-isothiocyante that could cause irritate your eyes, skin and membranes of your nose.
Well, it is true that for all the benefits of wasabi you should make sure to consume the wasabi paste made of 100% wasabi. However, though there are a lot of products out there that claimed to be made from wasabi, you cannot make sure whether you could get all the benefits that wasabi offers from those products. That’s why is better for you to buy the fresh product of wasabi and store it to be mixed with your foods. Below is some ways you could do in order to prepare wasabi:
- Wasabi paste is mostly served along with sushi or sashimi. How to make it is just simply grating the fresh rhizome of wasabi. However, one thing to note you cannot keep the paste too long or it will be evaporated and the flavor as well as the aroma will change . It is better for you to grate it rightly before you serve it.
- Wasabi could be served as sauce as well. The sauce that you can use to cook several dishes.
- Combined wasabi and mayonnaise could be served as dip for seafood or steam vegetables.
- For you who love salads, wasabi could be served as the dressing as well.
- Are you looking for some healthy snacks? Well, you cannot consume wasabi as a snacks but you could serve wasabi along with your favorite chips.
Perhaps it is the time for you to consider wasabi to be part of your daily diets. Though in some countries is not easy to find this vegetable but still if you have a chance to consume it and then don’t say no to this healthy root though the aroma and the flavor do not suit to your tongue. The credit should go to Japanese people because they found the amazing benefits of this green root though some of you might thing that the way wasabi is served along with sushi and sashimi is just to enhance the flavor of the raw fish but Japanese people is smarter than that because for them wasabi has much more important role in their food table.