Superfood from Japan:
Nattokinase is a protein-cleaving enzyme that scientists first discovered in 1987 in a vegetarian cheese called Natto, fermented from soybeans with the help of Bacillus subtilis. So once again, bacteria are doing a great job here and are not just ”bad bugs“, as they like to be portrayed in the conventional medical narrative. Natto is fermented from boiled or steamed soybeans and is a plant-based cheese that has been served as a traditional Japanese food for thousands of years. The enzyme Nattokinase is extracted from Natto and no longer contains soy itself. It is therefore an enzyme expressed and purified with the help of bacteria, which therefore no longer has any soy properties and therefore also no longer contains its allergens.1
When taken orally, it penetrates the wall of the small intestine and enters directly into the bloodstream, where it exerts a systemic enzymatic effect and interacts with all the important metabolic organs and our hormonal system. This systemic aspect distinguishes nattokinase significantly from digestive enzymes such as the protein-digesting enzymes pepsin acting in the stomach or trypsin acting in the small intestine, or amylase, which is aimed at digesting starch.2 For this reason, we have chosen an enteric-coated encapsulation. We want as much nattokinase as possible to unfold in the small intestine in order to strengthen the systemic effect.
Superenzyme with versatile mode of action
Japan’s people have always been characterized by their cardiovascular health. Part of this phenomenon has been attributed to the consumption of Natto, which therefore has generated a great deal of research interest. Accordingly, after its iscovery, the enzyme made a rapid career, initially in the field of nutritional medicine research in Asia, but then also in the West. There are now more than 200 studies showing that nattokinase is an extremely versatile enzyme with numerous beneficial properties and plays a key role in our cardiovascular health. Thus, its key role in our cardiovascular health has now also been scientifically proven.
Nattokinase is a serine protease, i. e. a protein belonging to the cleavage enzymes of the serine group. It is thus able to cleave proteins and peptides. Nattokinase is not only involved in the regulation of blood pressure and fluid balance, it also plays a crucial immunological role, for example in viral and bacterial infections.3
Unsurprisingly, new research sprouts up weekly and nattokinase is now even associated with positive effects in Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases that respond positively to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant natural substances such as subtilisin.4 We at dr.reinwald vital also see nattokinase as an enzyme with great potential.
Our local superfood: dandelion
Dandelion, taxonomically known in botany as Taraxacum, is a well-known bitter plant from the daisy family (Asteraceae). Dandelion also has a long tradition in natural and folk medicine. The dandelion, known as the peasants ”meadow ginseng“, therefor has a powerful protective function in viral stresses. In this way, for example, the virally active spike protein can be prevented from penetrating the cells via the Trojan horse mechanism and multiplying.5 Nature is just clever!
The root of the plant has been used for centuries to stimulate liver, gallbladder and digestive system function and for immune modulation. The leaf is considered diuretic and is used as a digestive stimulant due to its bitter substances. The use of dandelion has always been based not only on the culinary aspect and the enjoyment of the fresh leaves and roots, but also on traditional experience regarding its beneficial and digestive aspects as well as the strengthening of the liver. As a natural diuretic, dandelion flushes the kidneys and urinary tract and helps with the body’s own detoxification and the rapid elimination of toxins.
Wonder herb instead of weed
The dietary nutritional effect of ”blood pressure regulation“ is now considered scientifically proven and extensively biochemically researched. It occurs primarily through the naturally activated water excretion with the help of the influence of the above mentioned RAAS mechanism via the brain-adrenal-kidney axis, i.e. above all, and this is important, without significant mineral losses. The second essential property of dandelion is the phenomenon popularly known as ”blood detoxification“ by supporting liver metabolism.6
In recent years, numerous researches have brought to light many other hitherto unknown properties of dandelion, and traditional knowledge such as the plant’s ability to stimulate liver metabolism has been proven nutritionally and biochemically. These include, for example, its effects beyond liver metabolism as an inflammation modulator, a diuretic, a digestive and insulin stimulant, as well as a detoxifier, a prebiotic, an immunomodulator, and its positive effect on the formation of new blood vessels. In addition, its influence on the body’s own blood purification and the dissolution of blood clots has now also been extensively researched.7 8 9 10
The property of blood purification was devalued for generations by conventional physicians as unscientific, since it was assumed that the blood was sterile, but this has since been disproved. Even nutritional science now recognizes that such plants promote the flow of water in the human body via the above-mentioned regulation of fluid balancein a healthy way, and that this alone already promotes the detoxification work of the kidneys and helps to flush out toxins.
You can find more information about enzymes here:
Blogbeitrag Enzyme
References:
1 Fujita M. et al: Purification and characterization of a strong fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) in the vegetable cheese natto, a popular soybean fermented food in Japan. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1993 Dec 30;197(3):1340-7. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.1993.2624. PMID: 8280151.
2 Vgl. dazu die Suchmaschine der größten US-amerikanischen Datenbank für medizinische Forschung PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Nattokinase.
3 Murakami Keiko et al: Inhibition of angiotensin I converting enzyme by subtilisin NAT (nattokinase) in natto, a Japanese traditional fermented food. Food Funct. 2012 Jun;3(6):674-8. doi: 10.1039/c2fo10245e. PMID: 22453301.
4 Huang Z. et al: Nattokinase Attenuates Retinal Neovascularization Via Modulation of Nrf2/HO-1 and Glial Activation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2021 May 3;62(6):25. doi: 10.1167/iovs.62.6.25. PMID: 34036312; PMCID: PMC8164371.
5 Tran HTT et al.: In Vitro Effect of Taraxacum officinale Leaf Aqueous Extract on the Interaction between ACE2 Cell Surface Receptor and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein D614 and Four Mutants. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021 Oct 17;14(10):1055. doi: 10.3390/ph14101055. PMID: 34681279; PMCID: PMC8538008.
6 Täufel A. et al., Lebensmittel-Lexikon, 1993.
7 Yarnell and Abascal: Dandelion – Integrative Medicine, Vol. 8, No. 2, Apr/May 2009
8 Schütz K et al.: Taraxacum—a review on its phytochemical and pharmacological profile. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006;107(3):313-323.
9 Bisset NGet al.: (eds). Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals: A Handbook for Practice on a Scientific Basis. CRC Press, Boca Raton 1994, 486-48.
10 Modaresi M et al.: The Effect of Taraxacum officinale Hydroalcoholic Extract on Blood Cells in Mice. Adv Hematol. 2012;2012:653412. doi: 10.1155/2012/653412. Epub 2012 Jul 12. PMID: 22844289; PMCID: PMC3401523