| There is growing evidence that wasabi every day | | | | grating the fresh rhizome against a rough surface, |
| keeps the cancer specialist away. Wasabi is an | | | | traditionally a sharkskin grater. The sharkskin gives |
| aquatic vegetable in the same family as broccoli, | | | | grated wasabi a smooth, soft and aromatic finish. |
| cabbage, kale, and watercress. Like the other crucifers, | | | | Japanese diners typically spread a tiny amount of |
| wasabi contains high concentrations of cancer-fighting | | | | wasabi paste on fish (sashimi, raw fish by itself, or |
| isothiocyanates. Unlike the other crucifers, the wasabi | | | | sushi, raw or cooked fish rolled in sweet and sour rice), |
| root produces primarily only one of these anticancer | | | | and then dip the side of the fish that does not have |
| chemicals, 6-methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate. These | | | | wasabi on it in soy sauce. The soy sauce does not |
| chemicals kill certain kinds of cancer cells. | | | | touch the wasabi. |
| In the case of leukemia cells, this chemical signals the | | | | American diners often dump soy sauce in their |
| damaged cell that its life cycle is over, and that it | | | | chopstick holders and vigorously stir their wasabi in the |
| should die rather than multiply. Obligingly, it does. In the | | | | sauce, making "wasabi-joyu," literally "wasabi and soy." |
| case of solid cancer tumors, this chemical keeps blood | | | | This disperses the wasabi flavor through the sauce, |
| from clotting around tumors long enough for the tumor | | | | but makes it impossible to taste the wasabi with your |
| to reach out and burrow its own blood supply. The | | | | palate rather than with your tongue in most wasabi |
| 6-methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate does not kill the | | | | recipes. |
| cancer directly, but it helps starve it out of existence | | | | Not product that reads "wasabi" on the label is really |
| before it can spread. | | | | wasabi. The wasabi powder you find in the majority of |
| This chemical is also heart-healthy. 6-methylsufinylhexyl | | | | grocery stores and that is used in a majority of sushi |
| isothiocyanate stops the formation of blood clots | | | | restaurants in the United States really shouldn't be |
| better than aspirin, and at least one physician suggests | | | | called wasabi at all. Manufacturers cut costs by using |
| it could be adapted to use in the emergency room for | | | | dried horseradish powder, some dried mustard, a little |
| treating chest pain. | | | | cornstarch, and yellow and blue dyes to make green. |
| If you make wasabi from a wasabi tuber, you should | | | | This faux wasabi you find in stores is much more |
| give it a good brushing first. Peeling is not necessary. | | | | convenient and a great deal less expensive than the |
| Japanese chefs prepare wasabi is prepared by | | | | real thing, but has few of its healing properties. |