Red Yeast Rice

What Is Red Yeast Rice?

Red yeast rice is exactly what the name says: rice fermented with a mold called Monascus purpureus until the grains turn deep red through to the center. The ferment is then dried and milled into a powder. Chinese kitchens have made it this way for about two thousand years.

How It Works in the Body

This is a whole fermented food rather than an isolated extract. The mold grows through the cooked grain and leaves its own metabolites behind, among them the azaphilone pigments that give the rice its color. What the finished powder holds depends on the strain, the grain and how long the ferment runs, which is why the lot matters more here than with a purified nutrient.

What It Supports

• Cholesterol: Supports cholesterol levels already within the normal range.
• Fermented, not extracted: Whole cooked rice is fermented, dried and milled, with nothing pulled out of it.
• A culinary tradition: In Chinese cooking it colors and flavors meat, fish and soy foods, and it starts the ferment for red rice wine.
• Organic rice: The grain underneath is organically grown, so the ferment begins on an organic substrate.
• Made to avoid citrinin: Some Monascus strains also make citrinin, a mold by-product nobody wants in food, and this one is produced to keep it out.

Who It May Suit

Red yeast rice suits people drawn to traditional fermented foods, and to a whole ferment rather than an isolated compound. The capsule is plant-based and the rice is organic, so it fits vegetarian and vegan eating.

Good To Know

Fermentation is a living process, so lots differ and careful producers test each one. This is not an ingredient to add on your own. Talk with your healthcare provider before use, show them every medicine you take, and skip it if you are pregnant or nursing. Stop and call your provider if you notice unexplained muscle pain or weakness.