Abstract
Black vinegar has been used as a cooking seasoning within traditional Japanese cuisine throughout its long history. It features a unique type of sourness and the ability to preserve food against deterioration. It is also known as being good for medicinal purposes, by relieving the symptoms of hypertension, heart diseases and the like. Against the above background, we performed a series of experiments to confirm the medicinal efficacy of black vinegar. The black vinegar used for the tests is from Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, of the same sort that has been produced for hundreds of years. This black vinegar product is categorized as a functional drink according to the relevant Japanese laws, and the additives include oligo sugar and fine pieces of gold foil. Experiments to confirm the effects of black vinegar were of two types:1) The subjects drink directly a certain amount of black vinegar, and 2) the subjects did not drink the black vinegar, instead bottles of black vinegar were simply placed around each subject. Changes in brain waves generated, changes in the measured values of the AMI parameters, and shifts in the position of the physical center of gravity, were observed in the subjects.
