Natto is a Japanese speciality made of fermented soybeans. Legend says that it was discovered a thousand years ago (around 1051 AD) and was studied for the first time in 1894 by Dr. Kikuji Yabe (at the University of Tokyo) referring to it as "vegetable cheese". In 1980 the nattokinase enzyme, a ...

Black sesame is a small black seed also referred to as 'Hei Zhi Ma' in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It originated in Africa, and its oil was praised in Babylon and Assyria times some four thousand years ago. According to an Assyrian legend, the gods were even drinking sesame-based wine ...

The overconsumption of processed sugar and carbohydrate intake make us look today at alternatives to sugar. Alternatives still have sugar but they are easier for your body to process. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently dropped the recommended daily allowance of sugar from 10% to 5%. ...

Astragalus has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for a long time and is generally considered as a tonic and reinforce your 'Qi' (pron: 'chi', vital energy in Chinese medicine). It is also called Huang Qi or Milk Vetch. Sounding all Chinese to you so far? Then read on for our Top 5 ...

Microgreens are seedlings of vegetables and herbs that have been harvested less than 14 days after they germinate. This means they are usually very small and come in a whole array of colours and tastes. These qualities have meant that they have become popular with chefs as garnishes. Given how ...

Nowadays we know everything about green, white, black and red tea but what about blue tea? No, it's not a tea simply mixed with some “E” food colouring! Blue tea is made from dried “butterfly peas” or “ blue pea” flowers, an all-natural infusion which provides a higher content of antioxidants than ...

Psyllium or 'Ispaghula' is, let’s say, your “bowel” friend. It's a fiber made from the husks of the plant group Plantago. Being a dietary fiber, Psyllium is mainly known as a laxative. The plant from which the seeds are obtained resist cool, dry weathers well and it's primarily cultivated in ...

Daikon (大根  - Japanese radish or 'big root') are white, large, long, hard, and crunchy vegetables from the radish family. They're somewhat similar in appearance to fresh horseradish but have a subtler pepper flavour, like watercress. Also known as mooli, they can equally be eaten cooked or ...

Stevia, what is it and why does it sound like the female version of Steven? Well I can only answer one of those questions. It's a sweetener and sugar substitute native to south America, extracted from the leaf of plant species Stevia rebaudiana. A lot of us love the sweet, sweet taste of sugar and ...

Ashwagandha (Sanskrit: ashwa = horse + gandha = smell, aka Indian Ginseng) actually classed as an ‘Ayurvedic herb’ and is commonly used as a supplement for all kinds of problems including anxiety and ADHD. Whilst it has commonly been used to help treat a number of conditions over the years, ...