Red yeast is the product of rice fermented with Monascus purpureus yeast. Known as 红曲 in Chinese, it has been used in Chinese cooking for thousands of years, but it was only in recent years that its potent blood lipid-lowering properties were recognised by the scientific community. Readily available OTC, red yeast rice is classified as a dietary supplement. At one time, red yeast rice capsules were going at the same rate as ginseng capsules. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) gives red yeast rice an “A” grade for treating high cholesterol, meaning that there is strong scientific evidence to support the notion that it can lower cholesterol. Red yeast rice contains monacolins, which are thought to play a role in its cholesterol-lowering abilities.
With all the hype about lowering cholesterol levels and what not, hordes of excited people suffering from hyperlipidemia have flocked to the stores to stock up on red yeast rice capsules. However, potent as the product is, it comes with side effects associated with prescription statins – including possible liver damage.
When the FDA discovered that red yeast rice contained a substance found in prescription drugs, it banned red yeast rice products containing lovastatin. In August, 2007, the FDA issued a warning that several red yeast rice products still contained lovastatin. The manufacturers of these products have since recalled these products.
By this time, the popularity of red yeast rice has fallen tremendously. It is now “on offer”, going at much lower prices than when it was first launched. Here is a list of drugs that may interact with red yeast rice.
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/druginteractions/p/red_yeast_rice.htm
What about the traditional use of red yeast rice? TCM recognises red yeast rice as a herb that promotes circulation. And in TCM, anything that promotes circulation can also cause bleeding. Anecdotally, I have already observed a few cases of prolonged bleeding after extractions in patients who have been taking red yeast rice capsules for high cholesterol. However, many of these folks take more than one supplement and though red yeast rice is the common factor, it may be due to interactions rather than red yeast rice per se that is causing the prolonged bleeding after dental surgery.
