Prescription Sushi

Blob of wasabi, paired with pickled ginger: typical sushi adornments. Image source here. 

It is unfortunately cold, flu, and asthma season (...and still allergy season for some).  If you are finding yourself at all congested, you might want to get yourself some sushi!  Sushi for congestion? Yes! But not because of the rice, nori, or soy sauce, but because of the wasabi. Wasabi is that little green blob of goo that comes with sushi; it typically is nestled beside the pink pickled ginger. Wasabi is good to eat when sick because it is an excellent decongestant, meaning it helps open up nasal passages and decreases mucous production. Wasabi is a member of the cabbage family (Brassica). You may also know its spicy cousin, horseradish.

The wasabi root is often ground into a paste and it is this paste that is paired with sushi. However, the wasabi plant is actually hard to grow and very expensive, so most "wasabi paste" sold in grocery stores and served at sushi restaurants is actually horseradish root in disguise.  That's not OK for sushi connoisseurs who want the real stuff, but it is OK for those looking for some congestion relief because as I said above, horseradish and wasabi are cousins and have the same decongesting effects!

...and if sushi isn't your thing, then how about some beef with horseradish sauce instead? It has similar decongesting properties.