Red Yeast Rice is a bright reddish purple fermented rice, which acquires its color from being cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus. Red yeast rice is also used in Chinese herbology and Traditional Chinese medicine. In Chinese medicine, red yeast rice is used to lower cholesterol, improve blood circulation, and improve digestion. Red yeast rice contains chemicals that are similar to prescription statin medications.
Red yeast rice has also been used as a possibly effective aid in lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Red yeast rice has been used to treat high blood pressure.
