This nutritional supplement has been used for centuries in Chinese cuisine and as a medicinal food to promote blood circulation. This naturally-fermented product contains important substances known as monacolins, which have the ability to inhibit HMG-CoA reductase—an enzyme responsible for cholesterol synthesis in the liver. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors help regulate the body’s cholesterol production and increase the liver’s removal of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol from the blood. In fact, this nutritional supplement has been shown to significantly decrease total cholesterol levels in hyperlipidemic (elevated blood fats) subjects, and has proved to be a cost-saving cholesterol-lowering medication. What is this nutrient?