Following a diagnosis of raised cholesterol, my doctor prescribed statins. ‘No thank you’, I said! Our family herbalist explained that statins, like a quarter of all pharmaceutical drugs, are derived from a herb.

She explained that statins contain a chemical that’s identical to the active ingredient in Red Yeast Rice, which I thought was rather an odd name, but having regularly taken two doses a day, my cholesterol has been normal for many years without side effects.