Why is healthy blood flow important to your physical well-being?
When your red and white blood cells and platelets coagulate into a gelatin-like mass, you have a blood clot. And when this blood clot blocks the flow of blood throughout your body, the stage is set for a health disaster that could affect your brain, heart, lungs or other organs.
Unfortunately, close to 100,000 people in the United States—nearly one out of three—who develop blood clots each year die from them.
But an all-natural nutrient can help protect against the formation of clots and keep your blood flowing freely.
Natural blood thinner nattokinase could nix blood clots
Nattokinase—or natto—was first discovered by American soldiers during the United States occupation of Japan in 1946. It was a fermented cheese-like food made from soybeans that the Japanese people enjoyed.
However, because it smelled strange and seemed to them unsanitary in its preparation, the U.S. Army would not allow the Japanese or American soldiers to eat it.
But while conducting a test in 1980 to find blood clot-dissolving compounds in foods, a Japanese scientist rediscovered natto’s amazing “clot-busting” benefits.
Natto was used by Samurai warriors centuries ago
This natural enzyme—made by adding the beneficial bacteria Natto Bacillus to boiled soybeans to create a fermented cheese-like food—was originally discovered more than 1,000 years ago by Samurai warriors. Natto has been used for centuries in traditional Japanese medicine for poor circulation, weak hearts, fatigue and other health problems.
According to multiple scientific studies, nattokinase not only can help prevent dangerous blood clots from forming and help safely dissolve existing blood clots to prevent clogged arteries, but it can also help…
- Improve your circulation
- Prevent cold hands and feet
- Relieve leg pain and cramps
- Decrease varicose veins
- Improve dull thinking or brain “fog”
- Provide blood pressure relief
- Boost low energy levels
These benefits of the “stinky cheese” remedy can be obtained through eating the natto food itself or by taking a quality supplement containing the natto enzyme.
By improving the blood circulation throughout your body, the natural blood thinner natto can make all the difference to the overall health of your body.
Michael Cutler, M.D. is a board-certified family physician with 18 years experience specializing in chronic degenerative diseases, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.
A graduate of Brigham Young University, Tulane Medical School and Natividad Medical Center Family Practice Residency in Salinas, Calif., he serves as a medical liaison to alternative and traditional practicing physicians. His practice focuses on an integrative solution to health problems.
Dr. Cutler is a sought-after speaker and lecturer on experiencing optimum health through natural medicines and the Founder and Editor of Easy Health Options™ newsletter—a leading health advisory service on natural healing therapies and nutrients and is Medical Advisor for True Health™—America's #1 source for doctor-formulated nutrients that heal.
For more information visit www.truehealth.com.
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Beth says
September 27, 2010 at 12:25 amcan this replace coumadin?
Tom says
September 27, 2010 at 4:16 amHi, Beth: Can this replace coumadin, AKA warfarin, AHA rat poison. I surely hope so. I’ve been on nattokinase and nattozimes (same thing, google them to prove it) for 18 months, after being diagnosed with arrhythmia, my problem for 15-20 years.
Now my BP is 115/65 and my HR is 87 — one number higher than my age. Once my BP had been 165/100 and HR 105. Natto can also be had in dried form,but where? Anyway, limburger stinks, too.
Bill A. says
September 27, 2010 at 5:37 pmWould love to take nattokinase, but have found it problematic due to problems I have digesting soy products. Can anyone recommend a nattokinase product/brand that is easy to digest?
Seg says
September 29, 2010 at 1:41 pmBill i have personally tried to eat natto and let me tell you it’s really, really tough, the smell is really pungent and this is the first thing the Japanese store owner ask me when i inquired about natto “You eat natto for breakfast, with rice”, you should have seen the look on his face.
I believe you have to develop a taste for it, unfortunately i never kept with it long enough so i switched to the supplements instead and that was about 6 years or so and have never tried it again, but i tell you, if you can handle it, it is a real ace up your sleeve.
Now many folks who have problems digesting soy actually do well with the FERMENTED SOY -noticed i said fermented. No one should ever be eating any UN-fermented soy products, they wreak havoc on your endocrine system. Natto, miso , tempeh and soy sauce are all o.k, organic preferred of course.
Give it a try and see if you like it, if not then i’m afraid you’ll have to do as i did and supplement instead. One word of caution, if you are taking any blood thinners like coumadin AKA RAT POISON you should let your doc know because natto contains a significant amount of Vit K. Hopefully he’s an integrated, OR Naturopathic Doctor else he’ll give you a good scolding before pulling out his prescription pad..GOOD LUCK !!!
Anonymous says
October 1, 2010 at 4:09 pmWill this product work to clean and/or clear clogged arteries?
Anonymous says
October 5, 2010 at 2:12 amRe: clearing arteries – a resounding YES. It has done so for me, and a neighbor, whose protocol I followed once he had medically substantiated verification of it’s success. He (we) used natto in combination with different pectin products (I used Pecta-Sol Chelation Complex by Dr. Isaac Eliaz, and neighbor used something less expensive) plus a dose of an iodine/iodide product. His 93% coronary artery blockage was reduced to just 3% in 2-3 months. Now we each use this combo about one week a month for maintenance. Serrapeptase also works in a similar manner to nattokinase.
I have to say that I haven’t had medical tests to confirm my results, as I refused to agree to whatever medical interventions might be recommended after whatever specialized scan they’d be using (which my doc said would likely involve a stent and coumadin for life). My neighbor, however, did have extensive testing, and had done tons of research. I instead relied on my docs ear, as she had heard something in my abdomen, suspected aneurism, referred me for ultra-sound twice, which discovered the plaque build-up in abdominal artery (tho not the most definitive test for this). Due to heart scans as a med. study participant, I was aware of significant coronary artery calcification and plaque, but the study is over now, so no free testing via that route. The next years’ annual physical, she could no longer hear it, and has not heard it since (we keep checking this each year). I do feel different, so am confident in my results.
Anne Davis says
October 7, 2010 at 6:54 pmAccording to Dr. Mercola natto is the world’s highest known source of vit K2. K2 is beneficial for bone health as well as cardiovascular. I do wonder though if the natto itself which contains the enzyme nattokinase works better for cleaning out the arteries rather than just the K2 supplement.
Anonymous says
October 9, 2010 at 12:49 amAnne –
Unfortunately, the encapsulated Natto products have all had the Vit K removed, at least I’ve never found one that still includes it. That leaves a consumer buying two expensive products, if it’s safe for you to be consuming K. If you want it all in one, that leaves the food item as the only choice. I have seen frozen natto, in thin sheets, at a local health food store, if you don’t have an Asian market nearby. The encapsulated version is available at most health food stores and online sources, vitacost.com or swansons .com being just two of them. As Vit K is not an enzyme, it probably doesn’t have a direct effect on the actual cleansing of the arteries and scar tissue, but plenty of other pluses (bone integrity being a huge one),
Tom and Beth – Doctors use a specific blood test (I don’t know the name) to measure the results of Coumadin/ Warfarin treatment, but it is looking for a drug-specific response and would not reflect the action of the Natto. Thus, you’d have to get doc to do some other kind of blood work (again, I don’t have the name) and work on convincing him/her to agree to your trying this. As if you should need permission from someone you’re paying!
anonymous says
October 14, 2010 at 12:24 amI have been researching K2; also Natto – I have calcification on my aorta and my dr. wants to do open heart surgery if the aorta gets any smaller. I find conflicting info on Natto: some folk sas Natto contains K2, others say it has been taken out and used in another product (K2!!)… Does anyone know which makers of Natto leave the K2 in, and which do not??
Also, the note to ANne above: I believe the test to see if your blood is thick or thin is called an INR – they poke your finger and in 2 mins they have the results.
Diane Martinson says
June 14, 2016 at 12:26 pmFrom everything I’ve read natto contains K2 that’s why on the bottles you will see natto as the source. This is just for K2 MK7, there is a K2 MK4 which is not soy. I know that K causes blood to clot and although I’ve read that K2 doesn’t I am unsure whether it’s safe for anyone with a family history of blood clots. Anyone else know?