| Hijiki | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Phylum: | Gyrista |
| Subphylum: | Ochrophytina |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Fucales |
| Family: | Sargassaceae |
| Genus: | Sargassum |
| Species: | S. fusiforme
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| Binomial name | |
| Sargassum fusiforme | |
Hijiki (ヒジキ, 鹿尾菜 or 羊栖菜, hijiki) (Sargassum fusiforme, syn. Hizikia fusiformis), sometimes called hiziki, is a brown sea vegetable that grows wild on the rocky coastlines of East Asia.
Hijiki has been a part of the Japanese culinary sphere and diet for centuries. It is rich in dietary fiber and essential minerals such as calcium, iron, and magnesium. According to Japanese folklore, hijiki aids health and beauty, and thick, black, lustrous hair is connected to regular consumption of small amounts.[citation needed] Hijiki has been sold in United Kingdom natural products stores for 30 years and its culinary uses have been adopted in North America.
Recent studies have shown that hijiki contains potentially toxic quantities of inorganic arsenic, and the food safety agencies of several countries (excluding Japan), including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have advised against its consumption.[1][2][3]
- ^ "Survey of Total and Inorganic Arsenic in Seaweed - Food Safety Research Information Office". United States Department of Agriculture. 2004. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^ "Inorganic Arsenic and Hijiki Seaweed Consumption". Canadian Food Inspection Agency. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ [1] Archived July 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine