Science and Biomedical information about Wasabi

Wasabia japonica - Nature's Gift

Antibiotic - infections, oral hygiene, cavity prevention and ulcers

Wasabi is a powerful, natural antibiotic.

It has long been known that Wasabi contains natural antibiotics and it was this feature that brought Wasabi into Japanese cuisine 1300 years ago.

Isothiocyanate vapours inhibit the growth of several strains of bacteria, yeast and mold (Depree et al. 1999). Other scientific studies (Hasegawa et al. 1998, Ono et al. 1998, Shin and Lee 1999) have shown that 6-MITC from Wasabi extracts have potent anti-bacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureas and Escherichia coli, common types of bacteria leading to infections and food poisonings.

Isothiocyanates in Wasabi have demonstrated an inhibitory effect against Streptococcus mutans, the bacterium responsible for dental cavities. Wasabi has also been found to interfere with the sucrose-dependent adherence of cells. As recently as December 2000, Japanese scientist Hideki Masuda, Ph.D. presented evidence of these findings at an international meeting of chemists in Honolulu, Hawaii (The 2000 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basis Societies, Hawaii, December 2000). These results may lead to the possibility of Wasabi extracts to be used in a variety of products (i.e. toothpastes and mouthwashes) for cavity prevention. More recent research has proven Wasabi extracts to be efficacious against mutant strains of Staphylococcus (Hasegawa 2002).

Another disease causing bacterium that Wasabi and ITCs are effective against is Helicobacterium pylori (Kinae et al. 2001, Haristoy et al. 2003, Masuda et al. 2004, Shin et al. 2004, Haristoy et al. 2005) This bacterium is known to be responsible for ulcers and ensuing stomach cancers. Wasabi extracts have been shown to kill the bacterium, even if the bacterium has entered a cell lining the stomach. Under this condition pharmaceutical antibiotics have proven themselves ineffective. Ulcers affect a large percentage of the population in certain cultures.

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