What's an Ume?

UME: The blood of a healthy person stays at the slightly alkaline level of pH 7.3, which will not host infections and viruses. When blood tends towards acidity, symptoms such as irritability or hypersensitivity occur. Ume (the major ingredient in plum balls, plum pearls, and plum granules) helps the system adjust to a slightly alkaline state.

Ume has an amazing ability to balance and brace the system. Ume concentrate temporarily acidifies the small intestine and kills undesirable germs. The oldest existing Chinese medical texts list Prunus Mume as an important medicine. It has extensive documentation (both ancient and recent) showing its effectiveness in evacuating radioactive strontium 90 from the body, as a stomachic, an antipyretic (to reduce fevers), an astringent, and an antibiotic against dysentery, suppurative staphylococcus, and more. Ume is highly effective in morning sickness, hypersensitivity, motion sickness, herpes, jet lag, stiffness, hangover, stress, headaches, insomnia, and fatigue.

It's hard to imagine anyone who eats a completely clean diet and leads an ideal lifestyle. Figure out a couple of areas to work on, then gently get to work on yourself. And in the meantime, for those times when you slip, when your resistance is low or you feel "off," you might allow ume to assist.

KOMBU. Kombu is a medium-dark brown sea vegetable growing off the Japanese coast and Maine. Maine's kombu is considered superior in quality, cooking quickly and tenderly. The city of Osaka in Japan is known for its superior kombu and is said to have warehouses stocked with over 100 different kinds.

Kombu has a sweet taste and is a primary ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Kombu stock enhances the flavor of dishes such as beans and soups due to its glutamic acid – a natural flavor enhancer that artificially – produced MSG seeks to imitate. Kombu is used as an accompaniment to grains, beans, and root vegetables, or enjoyed as a side dish.

Before using, kombu should be soaked in cold water for three to five minutes or washed thoroughly under cold running water. If soaked, kombu will double or triple in size. Because of its thickness, kombu requires at least 30 minutes of cooking time.

Aveline Kushi states that "kombu is high in vitamin A, B2, C, calcium, and iodine, and provides therapeutic protection against degenerative disease." Kombu is a member of the kelp family.

NORI. Nori is a light pink algae when young, and dark purple (red) when old. Sometimes called laver, it is now being harvested off the coast of Maine. Traditionally, nori was used in Europe to produce laver bread by boiling down the wild nori into a gel and frying it with oatmeal.

Most nori is sold in sheets and is quite popular today because of its use in sushi making. It is unnecessary to wash or soak dried nori before using. Nori is, however, normally toasted in order to increase its digestibility by holding the shiny side of the sheet over low heat and twirling it for a few seconds until it turns from purple to green.

The most outstanding nutritional feature of nori or laver is its high carotene (vitamin A) content (from two to four times the amount of an equal volume of carrots), high protein content and high amount of vitamin Bl2. Nori is said to have l0 times the vitamin A of bell peppers and 50 times as much as tomatoes.

WAKAME. Wakame, like kombu and hijiki, is a brown seaweed. The brown sea-weeds account for the majority of edible sea–weeds worldwide.

Wakame is most popular in miso soup, but is also delicious in sautéed or simmered vegetable combinations, in cold salads, and in crunchy condiments. Wakame enhances the nutritional value of miso soup and is noted for its ability to strengthen and detoxify the body.

To make a delicious condiment, wakame can be roasted in a low oven until crisp, and then ground with nuts or seeds. Wakame is an excellent source of calcium, protein, iron, some B vitamins, vitamins A and C, and numerous trace minerals. Macrobiotics promotes wakame for its ability to strengthen the immune system.