The shiitake mushroom is known as the king of medicinal mushrooms. Its impressive healing properties make it the most effective medicinal mushroom in the world. In China and Japan, the shiitake mushroom has been a staple in the medicine cabinet for thousands of years.
The Healing Effects
The shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is not only an excellent edible mushroom, but also a medicinal mushroom with extremely helpful healing properties.
His name reveals where he likes to spend time, because while “take” means mushroom, the Japanese word “shii” stands for the Pasania tree, the mock chestnut native to Asia.
Shiitake particularly likes to grow on their trunks. However, it is now grown on the wood of many different trees.
Shiitake mushrooms are originally native to the forests of China and Japan and have been one of the most important medicinal mushrooms with great healing properties for more than 2,000 years.
Healing Effects in TCM and Japanese Medicine
The shiitake is characterized by a particularly wide spectrum of effects.
While in Japan it is recommended for high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, gout, constipation, neuralgia and cancer, in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) the typical areas of application include arteriosclerosis, liver diseases (e.g. hepatitis), diabetes, measles and anti-aging.
The fungus can be of wonderful use both as a preventative measure and for treating existing ailments.
Its popularity has steadily increased and more and more people – including many researchers – are interested in its nutrients and medicinal properties.
High-quality protein supplier
Shiitake provides about 2.2 g of protein per 100 g. Interestingly, its protein contains all essential amino acids (e.g. leucine and lysine) in a similar ratio to milk or meat and is therefore a high-quality source of protein.
A Japanese study with male adults has also shown that the protein in the spicy medicinal mushroom is particularly digestible – even in comparison to other mushrooms.
Good source of copper
In terms of trace elements, shiitake stands out due to its high copper content. Copper is vital because certain enzymes would not function without copper.
For example, copper is involved in the formation of connective tissue and blood as well as in the functioning of the nervous system.
The recommended daily requirement of copper is about 1 to 2.5 mg, so around 70 g of cooked shiitake mushrooms are enough to cover 72 percent of the daily requirement.
Lots of vitamin B for nerves and metabolism
In addition to vitamin B2, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6, shiitake contains a particularly high amount of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and therefore a lot of power for a healthy metabolism and healthy nerves.
The daily requirement of vitamin B5 is 6 mg, a quarter of which you have already covered with just 5 of the mushrooms (approx. 65 g).
Helpful for intestinal problems
People who suffer from chronic intestinal disease (IBD) or chronic inflammation can particularly benefit from the healing effects of the mushroom.
They often suffer from a lack of vital nutrients and should therefore include the mushroom in their diet more often. It also stimulates digestion and has a positive effect on the intestinal flora.
A study has shown that the medicinal mushroom promotes the growth of probiotic bacteria that are important for the intestines and, due to its antibacterial properties, also works against harmful pathogens such as Candida albicans.
An interesting source of vitamin D
Many people suffer from a lack of vitamin D. The vitamin is mainly produced in the skin under the influence of sunlight.
In the sun-poor season, vitamin D deficiency often occurs, which persists even if people spend little time outdoors in summer.
However, low vitamin D levels promote almost every chronic disease and – if one already exists – prevent it from being cured.
Food contains virtually no vitamin D and therefore cannot be used to meet the requirement.
However, there are exceptions to the rule: in addition to some types of fish and fish liver (cod liver oil), mushrooms can also be sources of vitamin D, but only if they come from the open air and have been exposed to sunlight.
Finnish researchers have found in a study that many mushrooms – including shiitake – have a remarkable ergosterol content and can therefore be important sources of vitamin D (2)(3)(4).
Ergosterol acts as a provitamin for the formation of vitamin D.
The daily requirement of vitamin D is officially stated as 600 – 800 IU, unofficially as 4,000 to 8,000 IU. Studies have now shown that 100 g of shiitake mushrooms, which initially only contained 100 IU (2.5 µg) of vitamin D, contained a full 46,000 IU after they had spent 2 days in the sun for 6 hours each (i.e. were dried there).
Thus, 2 to 10 g of the mushrooms would be enough to cover the daily vitamin D requirement, of course only if they had been in the sun.
Since shiitake mushrooms can also be grown in twilight, you don’t know when you buy them whether the mushroom contains vitamin D or not.
But you can of course also put the mushrooms in the sun after you buy them, where they will then turn into a source of vitamin D. You will then have more or less dried mushrooms, but you will also have vitamin D.
And a healthy vitamin D level also leads to a strong immune system.
Good for strengthening the immune system
In China and Japan, shiitake is used today whenever diseases are triggered or exacerbated by a weakened immune system, for example in
- allergies
- Candida
- flu
- colds
- Cancer
- AIDS or HIV
The healing effect of shiitake appears to be based primarily on stimulating the immune system (6). In this way, parasites, bacteria and viruses can be fought by the body’s own defense mechanisms.
In addition, the medicinal mushroom is also said to inhibit the spread and settlement of the organisms mentioned in a very direct way, which of course increases its effectiveness even further.
The polysaccharides in the mushroom play a particularly important role (11)(13). These include the beta-glucan lentinan, which is found in the fruiting body and mycelium of the mushroom.
According to American and Asian scientists, lentinan is one of the most effective activators of the immune system. In fact, it is so effective that it is even used to treat the immunodeficiency AIDS.
For HIV patients
In a clinical study, HIV patients were treated with a combination therapy of the AIDS drug Didanosine and the shiitake drug Lentinan.
When infected with the HIV virus, the number of so-called CD4-positive cells (immune cells) decreases after a certain period of time. Increasing the number of these cells is therefore an important goal of any HIV therapy.
While in the study mentioned above the increase in these cells was only significant for up to 14 weeks when didanosine was administered alone, the high level of immune cells remained for up to 38 weeks with the combination therapy.
Various series of experiments have also shown that lentinan from shiitake can promote the formation of many other specialized immune cells in the organism, such as killer cells, T-helper cells and phagocytes.
In addition, the release of the body’s own messenger substances that act against viruses and tumor cells is stimulated – which brings us to another special area of the fungus: cancer.
Possible healing effect on cancer
In 1969, researchers at the National Cancer Center Research Institute in Tokyo conducted relevant scientific studies on shiitake for the first time.
The results of the mushroom’s healing effects on cancer were so groundbreaking that it is now the 8th most commonly used drug for cancer treatment in Japan.
On the one hand, the ingredient lentinan can help the body to locate and destroy cancer cells more quickly. On the other hand, the pressed juice from the mushroom is said to inhibit the uncontrolled growth of tumor cell lines.
The pressed juice can be purchased commercially, for example in the form of tablets or drinking ampoules. It was also observed that the number of metastases was lower and the effect of radiotherapy and antibody therapy was increased.
In Japan, lentinan is usually injected in cancer therapy. The active ingredient can also be taken orally if the fresh mushroom is eaten, but to a lesser extent.
Stomach cancer: Shiitake mushroom prolongs life
If stomach cancer is already at an advanced stage and the tumor has spread to adjacent organs, unfortunately only very few affected people can expect help.
This is because some advanced tumors are considered inoperable. Even if the chances of recovery are very low, conventional medicine often recommends a combined treatment of radiation and chemotherapy.
In a clinical study with 89 patients with inoperable stomach cancer, one group was treated with chemotherapy alone, while the other group was additionally injected with lentinan from shiitake (10).
The studies showed that survival time could be significantly increased with the help of lentinan. Further studies also showed that lentinan can prolong life even in cases of breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer, even when the prognosis is poor.
In addition to lentinan, there are of course numerous other active ingredients in the medicinal mushroom, such as the cholesterol-lowering eritadenine or the alpha-glucan AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound), which also has anti-tumor properties, which has proven particularly effective in cervical cancer.
Healing effect on cervical cancer
Scientists from the University of Texas have investigated the healing effects of shiitake on cervical cancer and found that the AHCC contained in the mushroom promotes the formation of natural killer cells, phagocytes and immune messengers (7).
AHCC is a unique mixture of polysaccharides, amino acids and minerals, which can increase the power of the body’s own killer cells by up to 900 (!) percent in a very short time.
In addition, AHCC is able to kill viruses directly. Since cervical cancer is most likely caused by human papilloma viruses ( HPV ), the fungus can prove to be very helpful in this area in both ways (8).
What should be taken into account when using it?
Fresh shiitake mushrooms are available at weekly markets or in supermarkets. You can also use dried mushrooms, which must be placed in water until they swell before preparation.
The mushroom powder, on the other hand, is ideal for making tea or seasoning soups and stews. Shiitake preparations are also available as capsules or tablets.
For example, the mushroom extract, also known as “LEM” (Lentinula edodes mycelium), is usually taken in capsule form.
Whether dried mushrooms, extracts or mushroom powder are better suited for medication is controversial. However, it is certain that the main active ingredients are around 20 times more concentrated in shiitake extract and that extracts have been used in almost all relevant scientific studies.
However, dried mushrooms or mushroom powder made from the whole fruiting body are characterized by the fact that they contain the entire spectrum of biovital substances.
That is why it is often recommended to focus on taking extracts and combining them with dried mushroom powder. In this way, it is possible to use the positive properties of both raw materials.
How to dose correctly
Since shiitake has not yet been classified as a medicinal product and is therefore only available as a food supplement, there is a wide variety of information available regarding dosage.
The mycologist Professor Jan Ivan Lelley, who coined the term “mycotherapy” and is a luminary in this field, recommends, for example, 6 to 16 g of dried mushrooms per day.
The dosage depends on whether the mushroom is to be used preventively or in the treatment of diseases.
The extract is mainly used for initial cancer therapy. The initial daily dose is increased from 1 g to 3 g.
If mushroom powder is used, the recommended daily dose is 3 g to start with, which is then increased to 5 g. If shiitake is to be used for serious illnesses, the dosage should definitely be discussed with a qualified alternative practitioner.
The fungus can be combined with other remedies
Many experts believe that the effectiveness can be increased by combining different medicinal mushrooms. Examples of possible uses include Cordyceps, Reishi or Chaga mushrooms. You can read more about the effects and uses of the individual medicinal mushrooms in the respective links.
For general migraine therapy, for example, taking a combination of shiitake and reishi is recommended, as both medicinal mushrooms improve blood circulation in the brain.
When using two or more medicinal mushrooms, the maximum amount of 5 g per mushroom should not be exceeded, according to the Society for Medicinal Mushrooms.
Tip: If you combine shiitake with vitamin C – preferably in the form of a natural vitamin C source (e.g. acerola cherry powder) – the absorption of the mushroom-specific active ingredients can be improved.
Shiitake mushroom in the kitchen
Even though extracts of the mushroom are usually used in the treatment of diseases, the whole mushroom – if consumed regularly – can also have certain healing effects, such as a continuous strengthening of the immune system. When it comes to cervical cancer prevention, the shiitake mushroom should be consumed together with foods rich in folate – as we have already described here in the text.
0 Comments