Red yeast rice by Solaray is manufactured by the fermentation of a strain of yeast, Monascus Purpureus, on rice. Red Yeast Rice is a powerful tool in lowering cholesterol and heart disease risks.

Red yeast rice contains a compound called lovastatin as well as a number of related compounds in the class called statins. They are highly effective in reducing blood cholesterol levels and are, in fact, the basis for several pharmaceutical drugs. Some examples, in addition to lovastatin, are simvastatin, mevastatin, pravastatin, atorvastatin, and fluvastatin. Statins lower blood cholesterol by inhibiting an important enzyme that is required for the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver. The enzyme is hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase. That's quite a mouthful, so this protein (all enzymes are proteins) usually goes by the simpler name HMG-CoA reductase. If your cholesterol level is too high, inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase is a good thing to do.

Many studies have demonstrated, in fact, that this is the most effective way (aside from diet and exercise) to regulate total blood cholesterol levels. Lower cholesterol levels generally mean a decreased risk of atherosclerosis, and therefore of heart attack, so statins are very important drugs indeed. But the news about statins - and, therefore, about red yeast rice - gets even better. Recent research indicates that statin therapy can also reduce the level of another protein, called C-reactive protein, with consequences that may lower the risk of several additional types of coronary events.

Ingredients - per capsule: Red Yeast Rice (Monascus Purpureus) 600 mg

Other Ingredients: Gelatin (capsule) and Silica