As of April 14, 5 consumers who took Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's red yeast rice health products have died, 226 people have been hospitalized, and 1,321 people have gone to medical institutions for treatment.
However, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical was evasive about the cause of the incident and only gave an ambiguous answer:
Unknown ingredients were detected in the batch of red yeast rice in question, which may have been contaminated with foreign bodies, or it could be that the monascus itself produced other unexpected substances.
But no matter which answer is the answer, the spearhead is directed at the red yeast itself, how did the red yeast rice that the Chinese have used for thousands of years become a deadly poison in the hands of Japanese pharmaceutical companies?
Red yeast rice is wonderful
Let's start by talking about what "red yeast rice" is.
Monascus is formed by the parasitism of the mycelium of Monascus mold on japonica rice, and it is named because it has a bright red color like cinnabar.
For us Chinese, red yeast rice is a well-known thing, and cooking, brewing, and medicine cover all aspects of what we eat.
In modern times, by inoculating steamed rice with Monascus mold, you can obtain natural food coloring - red yeast rice and monascus red pigment that can be used as colorants. They are often used not only in foods such as fermented bean curd, pickles, drinks, and snacks, but also as colorants in makeup such as lipsticks.
In addition, red yeast rice can also be used for antiseptic and antibacterial treatment of various foods such as meat and soy products, and it is also a good material for sake brewing.
Of course, red yeast rice itself originated in China and has been used by our ancestors for thousands of years.
The Han Dynasty poet Wang Can's "Seven Interpretations" has a description of red yeast rice, "Western travel oil beam, Yusu vegetarian meal, Guazhou red yeast rice mixed with kneading, soft and smooth, high moist, the entrance is scattered"
The approximate meaning of this sentence is: "When traveling in the west, the accommodation is simple, the food is simple, the wine drunk is mixed with Guazhou red yeast rice, the taste is smooth and moist, and the aroma exudes after the mouth." ”
As the earliest record of red yeast rice so far, it can be seen that our ancestors in the Han Dynasty had mastered the mature technology of red yeast yeast winemaking and passed it on to future generations.
The Chinese were also the pioneers of the use of red yeast rice in medicine, and the use of red yeast rice in traditional Chinese medicine can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty.
Inherited for thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine has reached the point of perfection in the dosage of red yeast rice, which can generally be decocted for internal use, or put into pills and dispersed, and can be mashed and applied externally for external use.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that red yeast rice can be used to treat problems such as dietary stagnation, abdominal distention, red and white diarrhea, postpartum lochia, bruises, etc., because of its sweet taste and warm nature, and it has the effect of invigorating blood and removing blood stasis, strengthening the spleen and eliminating appetite, and warming and stopping dysentery.
The medicinal value of modern red yeast rice
With the development of modern science and technology, human research on the medicinal use of red yeast rice has become more and more in-depth, and more medicinal values and defects have been discovered.
Modern research has shown that the chemical components in red yeast rice are very rich, and there are hundreds of compounds that can be separated, including monacrine, organic acids and other compounds.
Among them, in addition to the pigment compounds, monacrine is the most diverse, and at the same time has strong biological activity, so it has been widely studied by scientists.
In 1979, Japanese scientists extracted and isolated an active ingredient from the fermentation broth of red yeast rice - monacolin K, which has a more significant effect on inhibiting cholesterol synthesis in the body than other lipid-regulating drugs.
In 1980, American scientists discovered a substance that was very similar in structure and function to monacolin K, and named it lovastatin. In 1987, lovastatin was marketed in the United States, because it has a significant effect on lowering cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, and has become a commonly used clinical drug for statin lipid regulation.
However, there are hidden dangers in the use of red yeast rice.
In 1995, French scientists discovered that trace amounts of citrinectin, a secondary metabolite that can cause kidney failure, may be produced in the red yeast rice manufacturing process.
Since then, more stringent standards and specifications have been made for the use of red yeast rice in medicine and its fermentation process.
But even so, there are few accidents with the red yeast rice drugs that humans have used for hundreds of years, so why is there a problem with Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's red yeast rice?
And why is there no problem in China to eat red yeast rice for thousands of years?
One of the most important key points is "quantity"!
Red yeast rice should be used in moderation
Drugs containing red yeast rice are globally recognized for their therapeutic effects on regulating cholesterol and treating hyperlipidemia, and the dosage of red yeast rice is also strictly regulated.
However, unlike medicines, health foods containing red yeast rice can only play an auxiliary role in the disease, and cannot replace real medicines. Therefore, the dosage of red yeast rice in health food is generally in accordance with the dosage standard of each country.
In order to control the production of citrinin during the fermentation of red yeast rice, scientists have done many studies. In order to prevent the side effects of red yeast rice medication, countries have also set dosage standards for it.
For example, Japan's red yeast rice limit standard is 200 micrograms/kg, the European Union's standard is 100 micrograms/kg, and China's red yeast rice dosage standard is the strictest.
The limit for red yeast rice content in health products in China is 50 micrograms/kg, which is half of that of the European Union and a quarter of that of Japan. It can be seen that the regular red yeast rice drugs in the mainland are quite safe.
If it is used as a food additive, according to the type and use of different foods, the state also gives detailed dosage standards for red yeast rice.
For example, the maximum dosage of red yeast rice in condiments such as fermented bean curd and soy sauce is 25 g/kg, the maximum dosage of red yeast rice in pastries, rice noodles, meat and other foods is 20 g/kg, and the maximum dosage of red yeast rice in other foods shall not exceed 5 g/kg.
In addition to the issue of limit standards, although the natural statins in red yeast rice have good medicinal value, we have not yet fully grasped whether they can be mixed with other statins, and whether they will produce other substances after mixing.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has given a theory in its propaganda, and it is also a theory that they are proud of, that is, they use red yeast rice grinding into medicine in their red yeast rice health products, claiming that it is more conducive to absorption.
However, on the other hand, since ancient times, most of the methods used in the medicine of red yeast rice in the mainland have been in the form of decoctions. After boiling, most of the useful ingredients of the drug can be obtained, and the filtered residue can precipitate harmful substances such as heavy metals.
Compared with Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, the use of traditional Chinese medicine avoids many harmful substances produced by red yeast rice, and traditional Chinese medicine inherits the experimental results of ancestors for thousands of years, and has mature prescriptions to support.
Although the Kobayashi Pharmaceutical incident has labeled red yeast rice as "harmful", the reason for this incident is whether it is red yeast rice or the negligence of the enterprise that "harms people", and I think the eyes of the masses are bright.
Besides, there must be friends or doubts, can you still eat this red yeast rice?
Absolutely!
On the one hand, the edible red yeast rice used for brewing and coloring is very widely used in the mainland, almost irreplaceable status, and the state also has strict dosage regulations for it, as long as everyone buys not three no products, safety can be guaranteed.
Moreover, for such health products, the state has special requirements for health foods using red yeast rice as raw materials in terms of registration declaration, indicators, limits, labels and instructions in the Notice on Matters Related to the Declaration and Review of Health Food Products Using Red Yeast Rice as Raw Materials.
Therefore, you can buy such health products in China with confidence, but there are two points to pay attention to:
The first is to follow the will or consult a doctor, do not take unnecessary health products, and the second is to buy legal and compliant drugs through formal channels.
Bibliography:
"Why did "red yeast rice" turn from a health product to a lethal medicine?", Jinan Times, March 29, 2024
"Japan Reports Second Death After Taking Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's Red Yeast Rice Health Products What is Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's "Red Yeast Rice"?", Chengdu Daily, March 28, 2024
"Millennium Red Yeast, Treasure of the Country", Shanxi Baoren Hall, May 12, 2023
"The Food and Drug Administration has made clear regulations on the use of red yeast rice and other health food raw materials", Xinhua News Agency, January 11, 2010
"Can Red Yeast Rice Still Be Used with Confidence?Listen to What Traditional Chinese Medicine Says", China Medical News, April 11, 2024