How To Consume Enzymes

• Hold about 30 ml (approximately 2 tablespoon) of enzyme under the tounge and swallow it slowly. This will stimulate the nerves and promotes blood circulation.
• Consume enzyme 1 hour before or after meals. Those with stomach problems are advised to consume it after meals or mix the enzyme with water.
• However consuming enzyme with water will reduce its effectiveness.

How Should We Replenish Enzymes?

• Regular consumptions of organic vegetables and fruits, preferably in raw forms
• Home-made fruits enzymes

To obtain external enzymes, you need to consume a lot of green vegetables and fruits. Only raw fruits contains active enzymes. Enzymes are sensitive to heat. It will be destroyed in heat above 50 degree Celsius. Barley grass, propolis, bean sprouts, papaya and avocado are rich in active enzymes that can activate your body and life.

Symptoms of Enzyme Deficiency

If you experience the following symptoms frequently, very likely you are suffering from enzymes deficiency:-

• Fatigue, susceptible to flu and poor eye sights
• Skin problems such as pimples, black spots and hair loss
• Digestion problems, break wind frequently, constipation and smelly feces
• Emotional problems such as depressions, loss of concentration, nervousness and impatience

Why do we experience enzyme deficiency?

Stress and ageing will reduce and influence the level of enzymes our body can produce. While improper lifestyle and diet will also deplete the body enzyme; such as:

• Improper eating habits that leads to imbalanced nutrition
• Incorrect cooking methods, cooking over high heat and damage the enzymes present in food.
• Over-consumption of alcohol
• Lack of exercise
• Stress
• Over consumption of processed food, food loaded with artificial colouring, flavour enhancers and chemicals.

What Are Enzymes?

Enzymes are a type of miraculous protein. Its main functions are digestion and provide energy. Enzymes are essential to our body. Without them, the cells will lose its vitality. The human body contains proteins, vitamins, minerals and hydrogen. But only enzymes can help to accelerate metabolism.

Two types of Enzymes:

• External Enzymes - Can be found from foods, fruits and home made enzymes
• Internal Enzymes - The ability of our immune systems is in direct proportion with the level of internal enzymes in the body. Those with high levels of body enzymes will have strong immune system

The functions of Enzymes:

• Improve digestion: Promotes digestion and strengthen immune system. Helps to enhance metabolism.
• Cell revitalisation: Accelerates metabolism, provides energy and revitalize cells.
• Anti-inflammation: Enzyme can help to maintain the functionality of white blood cells. Reduces inflammation in order to speed up the recovery of wounds.
• Block bacterial infection: Helps to acceleration termination of bacteria by white blood cells.
• Detoxification: Expel toxins from the body, cleanses the blood vessel, helps to eliminate virus.
• Blood cleansing: Detoxifies the blood and breaks down cholesterol, promotes blood circulations.

Kiasu Enzyme DIY 2

My son has walloped the 500 ml of apple enzyme which was delivered to this world 3 days ago.
Sigh.. he probably have thought that it taste better than our homemade Ribena (Roselle flower syrup) since the end product was rather sweet and syrupy, esp with ice. Too bad, I only tasted once.

Since my son is an ardent fan for my enzyme drink, I have endeavoured to try out new invention. Saw Christina's bubbling dragon fruit enzyme and it tempted to get involved into a DIY process that is rather "bloody".

Shopping list today includes getting the following fruits:-
2 red dragon fruits - RM4 each
4 green kiwis - RM1.30 each
2 yellow lemons - RM1.20 each

I have discovered this vegetarian restaurant along Yik Dai Ka row which also distributes green food and organic products. Apparently their Oligo is cheaper, about RM29 per 950ml. Unlike Oligo 900, it is harvested from artichoke instead of maize. Artichoke dish can usually be found in the mat salleh food menu but this vege is rather uncommon to the Asian. I have read some recipe books which described about the steps on artichoke preparation. The steps are rather tedious as the vege itself has a fat stem with many petals and layers to be skinned off before revealing the sweet flesh. This vege reminds me of the Chinese bamboot shoots. This Oligo's texture is rather runny and the colour is dark brown. I supposed it has been added with some malt sugar. According to the shop owner, the addition is an organic and natural form of sugar from the vege itself and therefore it is also harmless to the diabetic patients (Well, at least i need to comfort myself on this bit so that my family members can drink tanpa was was..)

I have bought a bottle of organic raw honey too. Raw honey is supposed to be cooling. So I thought of adding some organic raisins to neutralise the cooling effect. Picked up the organic raisin from the shell. Wow wee, a whopping RM17+ per can. On second thought, buy fresh grapes also about the same price. Moreover I still need to get it washed and dry up...lots of hassle..so I made up my mind to add it into my cart. My shopping list from the organic shop for that 3 items cost me another RM70. So the ingredients alone have made my wallet thinner by almost RM90. So I told to myself that this DIY part 2 better be successful or I swear not to DIY anymore. Reason why is because I have also discovered some ready-made prune enzyme from the shop, only RM40 per bottle and minus all the hassle...

The parade of all the raw ingredients bought for my DIY, say cheese!
At the back row is Ms Raw Organic Honey, next to her is The Dark Knight - the new breed of oligo, namely "Oligo Answer Liquid". Next to him is Yellow Lemon twins Kiwis are too shy to reveal themselves, hiding at the background. Standing at the front row is Organic Raisins which the sizes are all XXL (really, no joke). Facing the camera are 2 red Dragon fruits smiled impishly, half-hidden in the metal tub.

I am not very good with knife, so rather than skin them, I chose to cut it into half and scoop out the flesh from the kiwis. These are the "empty shells" after the flesh was scrapped clean by me using the metal spoon. In fact most nutrients are found nearer to the skins. By the way, as I didn't sun dry my tools, I was rather particular about those fruits that I used tonight. To play it safe, I have washed them using vege cleanser and rinsed many times. Falling short of using dettol to sterile them. But my mischievous son have touched their surface few times during the drying process. I hope this will not caused contamination to the fruit as the last thing that I wish to see is the enzyme turn bad due to infection caused by these 2 little hands of my son..



The crime scene....
Must clean up before CSI arrive..

I was rather upset as one of the lemon that I bought was not fresh. It looks fresh and glowing from the outer appearance but to my surprise, the inner pit has turned brownish. In the beginning I was quite upset with the fruit seller for her being dishonest. But on second thought, never mind lar, it is no surprise for one to judge a fruit by it's skin very often and no fault of her as she wasn't sure too cos look is always deceiving, just like human beings.
This is my to-be born enzyme babies. I have given names to them. On the left side is Raymon Dragon (Raisin, Lemon and Dragon Fruits) and to the right is Kylie Mona Dragon (Kiwi, Lemon and Dragon Fruits). I have used the wrong size of container again. But too bad I have dumped the first layer in so decided not to swap in case I would accidentally contaminate it.
From the left is my 2 1/2 week old orange enzyme, due this weekend. Next to him are the newly conceived non-identical twins, one gal and one boy(long fong toy) Raymon Dragon and Kylie Mona Dragon.
The "amniotic fluid" is rather dark in colour this time due to the Dark Knight - Oligo Answer.

The recipe is pretty simple. Just cut all the fruits less one spoiled lemon. Divide the fruits into 3 portion/layers. Drip the honey and oligo onto the top of the fruits for the 3 layers. Since the Kiwis and Dragon fruits are rather "vulnerable" and prone to get moldy, it is better to arrange them at the bottom, submerge in the liquid then topped with lemon. Rule of thumb is to have the liquid cover up till at least 3 quarter full of the fruits. One daily basis, get them to perform "The Shake" dance in order to maintain the surface as moist as possible.


Wish me luck!!

Enzyme Making Q & A

These are some of the frequently asked questions on enzyme making:-

What type of container to be used?
A glass container is the highly recommended. Avoid using material such as plastic or metal which will react with the organic acid released from the enzyme. The containers used by Youngmanlim in the BRP Linedance blog are good choices too. But it is better to separate the rubber ring with a layer of cling films so that the fruit acid with not caused Pricing ranging from RM15-35 depending on quality. Various sizes are available but personally I will advise you to use one with a "big mouth" so that your hand won't get stucked! There is a kitchen utensil shop opposite Central Market with many varieties of qualities and designs ranging from SS size to XXL sizes. Price are reasonable. Also, it is better to use a bigger container as in the process of fermentation, some CO2 will be released. Otherwise, the gas got no where to go and settled as bubbles/sud-like stuff in the glass jar.

Can sugar/molasses/rock brown sugar be used as ingredients?
During fermentation, yeast and bacteria consume sugar as food, releasing CO2 (aiyah..this is wat we learnt in biology lar, dunno meh?). This will take the form of gas bubbles and alcohol as the by-products. Conventional way of fermentation by using lots of sugar will create large amount of gas buddles and strong alcohol taste. Those with liver problems, hepatitis B carrier, low immunity system should avoid consuming it. The leftover sugar could be quite high and this would pose as a threat to diabetics too.

What is the best substitute for sugar?
Oligo 900 is the most ideal ingredients to be used for preparation of non-sugar enzyme. Oligo 900 is a friendly bacteria booster. It helps the growth of bifidus (same like what u can find in yakult) in large intenstine and will not be fermented into glucose.

There may be other unstable forms of oligo or low pureness of oligo, theres type of oligo will be converted easily into single sugar or glucose eventually transformed into alcohol. Therefore, pls make sure you choose the pure one.

The acid resistance character of oligo 900 is the most valuable property that ideally for vinegar enzyme fermentation.

Can we substitute wild honey with lime flower honey?
Yes. However, should be cautious when select wild honey. Avoid poor quality wild honey which may have high level of pathogens that may contaminate the enzyme.


How to prevent enzyme being molded?

Select only fresh vege or fruits. Removed ragged or hidden surfaces that easily stained with soil and micro-organism

Mouth of container must be sealed tight with food wrap/cling film. Cover with lid tightly to prevent pathogen or spores from entering in and contaminate the content.

How to take care of finished product?
Enzyme fermented with organic vinegar is easier to handle and have much longer storage period.
The normal enzyme preparation need to be more cautious, Keep in fridge and must consume asap.

When is the best time to consume the enzyme?
Enzyme can be taken at any time. Dilute with 10x of water with 30ml of enzyme. For those with stomach ulcer, may add 20x of water with 15ml of enzyme, avoid drinking with empty stomach.

Can we consume enzyme with medicine?
Enzyme is healthy drink but it is advisable not to consumed together with medicine as it may conflict with the medicine that you are taking. It is ideally to be consumed 2 hours after taking medication.

Any other cautions on consumption?
Certain properties of the fruits and enzyme remain unchanged even though after fermentation. For instance, grape fruits may cause drugs retain in the body, star fruits is not suitable for those with kidney problems. Always consult your doctor if you are suffering from certain illness just to be on the safe side.

Kiasu Enzyme DIY

All of us had suddenly gone crazy because of Youngmanlim's charm. Oh,no, not his charm, it's his enzyme, to be exact, that have made our heads turned. Having heard that this is an antidote to aging, key to fitness, secret to beauty and longetivity, as evidenced by him and his wifey's fair complexion as well as fitter than CeciliaChung's bodies, vainpots like me and Christina are so driven into DIO(Do it ourselves.........)

Finally, we determined to make our first move. The experience is like a maiden voyage to womanhood, the bridal 's first night. Inundated with mixed feelings- full of anticipation, uncertainty and anxiety. We have experimented many positions, turning the glass jar up and down and then sideway, just to ensure that the sugar mixture covered all the fruits in order for them not to turn moldy....

Next, when we were over and done with the acts, we are anticipating the final production. This feeling is like a pregnant woman couldn't wait to see the birth of her baby. The 14-day waiting period is just like the gestational period of 3 trimesters. During this period, we take great interest to observe the development of our enzyme, just like a mother-to-be who look forward to regular gynae visits to see the ultra sonic scan of the feotus development. In the background, two women are comparing notes, to check whether their baby position and symptoms are normal. Of course the one who has delivered the baby had naturally become our mentor and are sharing the tip for a fit and healthy baby..I guess you know who....

I have also learnt that the end result may be succumbed to failure due to the condition present while preparation, the hygiene factor. If it turns black, the enzyme is unconsumable and have to be discarded. However, the mold if it is white in colour is usually harmless. This triggers me to think that any baddies are black and in the dark side and any goodies are always white and in the bright side. How wonderful is this law of nature. As to contemplate deeper, enzyme making is basically resonant to the causal and effect theory. We reap what we sow. So if the hygiene factors are present, basically the chances of getting the good end results are higher and vice versa.

Well, even the result do not turn out well, at least I am aware and mindful of my mistake and would just need to take precaution in my future experiment lor.....

This is one of my maiden voyage experiments- orange enzyme



Another experiment - apple with few slices of oranges (to replace lemon)

I am naively anticipating "twins" - Look at my glass jar, it's XL size. That really show how Kiasu I am... :)

Dragon Fruit Enzyme

Ingredients:

• Dragon Fruit- 800g
  
• Grapes - 300g
  
• Dried Longan - 100g
  
• Oligo 900 - 90g / 15 sachets (15 tbsp if liquid one is used)
• Lime Flower Honey

Methods:

1. Wash, rinse and dry all the fruits before cutting/slicing. Cut grapes into half. Need not rinse dried longan.
   
2. Divide into 3 portions.
   
2. Stack ingredients in sequence, dried longan, grapes, dragon fruits, Oligo 900 and lime flower honey into glass jar. Follow by the remaining 2 portions.
3. Seal tight the container with cling film after stacking in all the ingredients. Cover with lid and leave it to ferment in a cool dry place for 2 weeks before serving.
4. Mix 30 ml with 10 times of water. Enzyme residues can be consumed too.

Benefits about this enzyme:

1. Boost immunity
2. Prevents premature aging
3. Nourish blood, remedy for anemia
   

Grape seeds contained grapenol, a powerful anti-oxidant. Therefore, do not buy seedless grapes as this are biologically reengineered and the grapenol is no longer present. Dragon fruits like any other coloured fruits are rick in betacarotene and valuable antioxidant. The red flesh type is better.

Aloe Vera Enzyme

Ingredients:

• Aloe Vera - 300g
  
• Kiwi Fruits - 200g
  
• Apple - 300g
  
• Oligo 900 - 90g / 15 sachets (15 tbsp if liquid one is used)
• Lime Flower Honey

Methods:

1. Wash, rinse and dry all the fruits before cutting/slicing.
2. Divide into 3 portions.
   
2. Stack ingredients in sequence, apple, aloe vera, kiwi fruits, Oligo 900 and lime flower honey into glass jar. Follow by the remaining 2 portions.
3. Seal tight the container with cling film after stacking in all the ingredients. Cover with lid and leave it to ferment in a cool dry place for 1 week before serving.
4. Mix
   30 ml with 10 times of water. Enzyme residues can be consumed too.

Benefits about this enzyme:

1. Boost immunity
2. Prevents constipation
3. Reduce inflammation

Pineapple Enzyme

Ingredients:

• Pineapple - 500g
• Kiwi Fruits - 150g
• Lemon - 150g
• Oligo 900 -90g /15 sachets (15tbsp if liquid Oligo is used)
• Lime Flower Honey - 250g / 1/2 bottle

Methods:

1. Wash and dry the fruits. Skinned and slice pineapple and kiwi fruits.
   Lemon slices with skin.
2. Divide ingredients into 3 portions. Stack ingredients in sequence, pineapple, kiwi fruits, lemon, Oligo 900 and lime flower honey into glass jar. Follow by the remaining 2 portions.
3. Seal tight the container with cling film after stacking in all the ingredients. Cover with lid and leave it to ferment in a cool dry place for 2 weeks before serving.
4. Mix
   30 ml with 10 times of water. Enzyme residues can bee consumed too.

Benefits about this enzyme:

1. Reduce inflammation
2. Speed up tissue repair
3. Aid digestion
4. Reduce pigmentation

I encourage all of you young ladies to start making this enzyme as it has whitening effect. Also help to make your skin more supple and hydrated. Please share with me a little bit if it is successful ok?

Lemon Enzyme Vinegar

I noticed some of the ingredients used in the enzyme book that I bought came with foreign names..Looks like we may have problem getting the stuff. Anyway, to give you guys a good jump-start, I have selected the below recipe as the ingredients are the simplest to acquire:

Ingredients:

• Lemon - 300 g
• Orange - 200g
• Organic Brown Rice Vinegar - 520ml
• Oligo 900 - 90g/15sachets (If it is liquid form, 15 tbsp)
• Lime flower honey - 250g/ 1/2 bottle

Methods:

1. Wash the fruits, dry and slice into pieces.
2. Divide all ingredients into 3 portion.
3. Stack in sequence- orange, lemon, oligo and lime flower honey into the glass jar. Followed by remaining 2 portions (i like this word, my ex boss used to pronounce this word wrongly as "potion". This is not love potion okay...sorry, side track a bit)
   
4. Pour in the organic brown rice vinegar after you have finished stacking in the 3 portion of ingredients.
5. Seal tight with cling film before covering the container with lid.
6. Keep in cool dry place for 2 weeks before serving.
7. For best result, keep for 2-3 monthjs
8. To consume, just mix 30 ml with 10 times of water.

Lemon is rich in alkaline and it is good to neutralise our sometimes-acidic body. It helps to intoxicate and the citric acid helps to increase calcium absorption. Enrich with orange, high level of vitamin C travels through the body neutralizing free radical, good for people who get cold easily and can help you maintain youthfulness.

The Dos and Duns On Enzyme Preparation

These are some of the dos & duns that you must know b4 preparing the enzyme to ensure success of your home brews. These dos and duns are mostly based on common sense, but i think it's necessary to reiterate here; in case you are not aware.

1) Before brewing, wash your hands with dettol (hehe, joking-only lar). This is just a reminder that hygiene is the utmost important step in your enzyme DIY endeavour. Use clean disposable plastic gloves. All the utensils such as glass bottle, cutting board, scissors and knife should be thoroughly cleansed and dried. Do not act smart by using hair dryer or fan to blow dry as it may contaminate the container. The best germ killer is dettol (another joke again- not funny meh??) The natural germ killer is actually sun-light. Dry everything under the sun will sure kill all germs. Even so, use your brain, I dun expect you to dry your hands under the sun. But should you insist to do it for hygiene purpose, dun blame me if your hands get sunburned or turn dark-dark in colour.

2) Skin of fruits are very nutritious but you may have to exercise caution as certain fruits are imported and may be highly treated with chemical. Again use your brain..For fruits and vege with rough skin or ragged surface or with surface that easily stained with ground such as pineapple, banana, dragon fruits, burdock root, beetroot etc, it's advisable to remove the skin. But if you desire to keep, the skin for certain rhizome plants such as beetroot or sweet potatoes must be brushed thoroughly. You need to wash the fruit thoroughly and dry it before cutting or slicing. After slicing, avoid rinsing the fruits to prevent contamination and nutrients being washed away.

3) Rotten dates or fruits with dark spot on the skin must be removed as this may be bitten by insects and are infested with its eggs or contaminated with spores and fungus.

4) Herbs (e.g. ginger, lemon grass, pandan leaves, dong guay, etc), stout or long should also be sliced or cut into small thin pieces to allow nutrients being easily extracted during fermentation.

5) Some food ingredients that are difficult to dry after washing...you may choose not to wash then.. Instead, just rinse them with diluted organic rice vinegar, since vinegar is a natural antiseptic.

6) Diluted vinegar may be used to clean food items such as white fungus or mushrooms. Just clean and drip off water before soaking into the diluted vinegar. Some precious medicinal herbs("yok choy") such as brazil mushrooms, pao sam (siberian ginseng) and linzhi(i simply said one lar..not sure this can be used huh?) should not be over soaked or the nutrients will be lossed, really wasted! Last but not least, always cut the herbs into smaller pieces before use (need I tell you about this again, a bit long-winded now, but it's common sense!)

7) Oh..one last thing, learnt from my mom and my grandmother. When they made "tapai", it is very pantang to condemn people or say any bad things. The end result will be unsuccessful. So I supposed the same rules applies here. Do not curse, do not scold, do not quarrels and always maintain the good mood while preparing the ingredients for enzyme making or else don't blame me if the enzyme end up like shit...

Good luck!

Home-made Enzyme

Is this highly-spirited or spirit make us high??

Our linedance's "Golden Boy & Jade Lady" have generously treated us their home brew during our last Thursday practice session. This wonderful drink is in fact alcohol free and konon-nya is packed with all the good enzymes. The most precious of all things is that the processes of making are all "orang-matic" and the ingredients used are all organic!! Ai-say-man, got money also can't buy!

On the verge of getting drunk with Golden Boy & Jade Lady's sweet homemade enzymes, all of us were in hilarious mood and were very gung-ho about brewing it ourselves. In view of their overwhelming interest, I decided to copy some of the enzyme recipes from the book I bought.

Our senior line dance instructor Janice Lim briliantly suggested that I scan the pages and post in. I was very tempted with this suggestion but on second thought, I am afraid this may infringe the publisher/author's copy right and get sued. So after much considerations, I am going to copy "wisely" with some modifications of terms and extract the gist from the content of this book so that it would appear to be different from the original..(Hahaha..clever-leh!)