Nattokinase – the super enzyme from Japan

Superfood and national treasure from Japan

Since ancient times, people in Japan have sworn by the vegetarian cheese called natto – as an everyday food, but also as a traditional remedy. The plant-based cheese is fermented from boiled or steamed soybeans using the bacterium Bacillus subtilis.

It was not until 1987 that Japanese researcher Hiroyuki Sumi discovered the reason for natto’s outstanding health properties: the protein-splitting enzyme nattokinase. Since then, nattokinase has attracted a great deal of attention from researchers and naturopaths. Not least because numerous Western studies have confirmed its many positive effects on our health, especially cardiovascular health. (1) (2) (3)

Like the two endogenous enzymes involved in blood clotting, plasmin and thrombin, nattokinase belongs to the group of proteases, i.e. enzymes that break down proteins into smaller building blocks. When taken orally, it penetrates the wall of the small intestine and enters the bloodstream, where it is involved in many metabolic processes throughout the body.

Nattokinase, a natural blood thinner

The most important property of nattokinase: thanks to its strong fibrinolytic and thrombolytic activity (i.e. the body’s own dissolution of blood clots), the enzyme contributes to the breakdown of unwanted cell components containing fibrin, thus helping to maintain normal blood flow. (4) (5) (6)

Nattokinase therefore offers great hope for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with increased blood clotting. This is because the insidious nature of these diseases: Functional coagulation disorders often lead to internal damage long before the actual disease becomes apparent. (4) Nattokinase offers a range of health benefits thanks to its antihypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic, lipid-lowering, antiplatelet and neuroprotective properties (1).

In naturopathy, the enzyme is therefore used to stabilise blood pressure (7), to prevent or treat varicose veins, thrombosis, myocardial infarction and stroke, arteriosclerosis (8), but also for conditions not necessarily related to the circulatory system, such as fibromyalgia, endometriosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis or infertility. (9)

Nattokinase as a food supplement

Nattokinase is available on the market in various forms, including capsules and powder. The enzyme is either extracted from fermented soybeans or produced in the laboratory using appropriate bacterial cultures, often using genetic engineering in the latter case. As an alternative to soya, crab shells or chickpeas are also used in the production process. (15)

The enzyme isolated and purified by bacterial fermentation has no soya properties and therefore no allergens. (16) If you suffer from a soy allergy and are still concerned, you should find out in advance exactly which food is used as the basis for nattokinase.

Powerful duo: nattokinase and dandelion

A plant that every child knows and whose true healing power is often underestimated is the perfect partner for nattokinase: dandelion. This small, yellow plant has a long tradition in natural and folk medicine. The root has been used for centuries to stimulate liver and gallbladder function, as well as the digestive system and to modulate the immune system. The leaf is considered a diuretic and is used as a digestive stimulant due to its bitter constituents. Dandelion’s natural phytochemicals also help to flush the kidneys and urinary tract, stimulate circulation and neutralise acids in the blood. It therefore helps to purify and quickly eliminate unwanted substances.

Dandelion’s abilities are a fundamental and therefore extremely useful complement to the powerful fibrinolytic properties of nattokinase. Conversely, nattokinase supports the nutritional spectrum of dandelion.

Two ideal partners. Dandelion, known as “meadow ginseng”, has a powerful protective and activating function in liver metabolism, and the fermentation product nattokinase is a particularly active enzyme with both digestive and systemic metabolic effects.