Ingesting too much chemical flavouring may result not only in acute toxic reactions such as numbness and breathing difficulties; researchers worldwide point out that toxic effects such as destruction of brain cells, teratogenesis (birth deformities), reproductive disorders, and damaged retina have also been reported.

Up to 6g per day for a person weighing 50 kg

A report from a researcher at Washington University (USA) shocked the world by reporting that when a newborn rat was injected with sodium glutamate at any dose over 3mg/kg body weight, damage was caused to the central nervous system, fat metamorphosis occurred in the liver, and underdevelopment of the ovaries and uterus was seen.

The harmful properties of "... no Moto" have been investigated both in Japan and around the world, and the UN agencies FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and WHO (World Health Organization) have stipulated a safety standard of "120mg per day per 1kg body weight" (6g per day for a person who weighs 50kg) for sodium glutamate.

Research carried out by the former Japanese Ministry of Health and a manufacturers" organization suggested the rough guideline that "less than 3g at one time is safe," but American research has found cases where problems arise after ingestion of only 1.5g and so there is some doubt about the safety of the Japanese guideline.

Especially foetuses and newborn babies, whose blood-brain barrier is not yet fully developed, and who therefore have reduced defences against the intrusion of harmful substances into the brain cells, may be directly affected by the neuronal excitotoxic nature of chemical flavourings. The destruction of nerve cell neurons by the administration of sodium glutamate has been confirmed.

"Hondashi", "real" soup stock concentrate = fake soup stock

Since the harm caused by synthetic chemical flavourings has become generally well known, as you would expect, the number of people using "... no Moto" for cooking has declined. So recently we hear people saying things like, "... no Moto isn"t good for you so we're using hondashi." I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but...

The following pie charts show the contents of stock powder or granules and the liquid stock produced from the powder or granules, as analysed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Comprehensive Consumer Life Center.

Over 80% of the content of the powder or granule stock is "... no Moto", salt and sugar. That is the state of currently marketed stocks. In addition to "hondashi" there are also all kinds of stocks, sauces and dressings for soups meat dishes and salads and so on, which do not use natural flavourings as the makers claim, but are inferior products made by the addition of food additives and synthetic chemicals.

These are delicious and good for you!!
Recommended stocks for vegan-vegetarians

Three important ingredients!! The traditional konbu (kelp seaweed) and shiitake mushroom, and the new tea tree mushroom (chashu kinoko)

It is now known that the dietary fibre we need to maintain our health has the following six functions. 1. Cures constipation 2. Prevents obesity 3. Increases beneficial bacteria in the intestines 4. Reduces blood pressure 5. Reduces cholesterol 6. Prevents intestinal cancer, and so on... Dried shiitake are a huge 43% dietary fibre! They are also rich in zinc, and so prevent problems associated with zinc deficiency, such as taste disorder, decline of the immune system, lack of vigour, and so on	The iodine in konbu is an important constituent of the thyroid gland hormone, thyroxine, which acts to promote metabolic functions and development in infants. At the time of the Chernobyl accident, children were given iodine to drink in order to drive out the radioactive iodine from the body (to prevent cancer of the thyroid). Konbu is also 1/4 to 1/3 alginic acid, which has the same effect as dietary fibre. Promotes peristalsis of the intestines, and so is a recommended food for people with chronic constipation. Konbu is also a very alkaline food, being 62.5 times better at neutralizing acidic foods than carrots. A small, 1g, piece of konbu has as great an effect as eating a whole carrot.	The tea tree mushroom is rich in flavour-enhancing substances, higher than foods that are known to give a 'full-bodied' flavour, such as steak or prawns, and contains 4.2 times the natural glutamic acid than shiitake, and 9.8 times more than konbu. The proteins that make up your body consist of 20 different kinds of amino acids. Of these, eight are called the 'essential amino acids' because they are not synthesized by the body, but must be ingested as part of the food intake. Tea tree mushroom is an excellent source of almost all of these essential amino acids. It also contains more than twice the amount of beta-glucan, which improves the immune functions, than agaric mushrooms.