What are the traditional uses of red yeast rice?

RYR has a long history of use in East Asia as both a traditional medicine and food. In traditional Chinese medicine, the first record of its use dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 A.D.). RYR was used for enhancing blood circulation, reducing blood stasis and turbidity, strengthening the spleen, and promoting digestion, as well as treating limb weakness, diarrhea, and bone defects.^[1][2] Apart from its use as a medicine, RYR has long been used to produce alcoholic beverages and a variety of fermented foods, and as a food additive to enhance flavor, add color, and act as a natural preservative.^[3]