Shiitake

Learn about Shiitake

Botanical name: Lentinufa erodes
Other names:

Shiitake mushrooms have been revered in Asia, Japan in particular, as a strengthening, nourishing, and immune building tonic. They are a popular edible mushroom due to their unique flavour and are the 3rd most cultivated edible mushroom worldwide.

They are known as the ‘elixir of life’ and is revered as a Qi (Chi) Tonic.  Shiitakes are used in cooking and as a supplement to help improve immune function and deficiencies, tonify the heart, protect the liver, improve circulation and strengthen the respiratory tract. They also boast high amounts of amino acids (including all 8 essential amino acids), plenty of minerals, vitamin D and B vitamins which help boost energy and brain function.

As an antioxidant, Shiitakes help protect against oxidative damage caused by environmental stress. They also possess antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Shiitakes also show promise in the treatment of obesity as well as cancer therapy. In fact, compounds in Shiitake have been linked inhibiting tumour growth in multiple types of cancer and inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death).

Consuming these medicinal mushrooms also lowers the amount of inflammatory molecules in the bloodstream, and can benefit conditions such as arthritis, gout, digestive disorders and migraines.

Due to their high content of Selenium as well as antioxidants, Shiitake mushrooms benefit skin health and have even been called a natural acne treatment (as acne is often linked to deficiencies in selenium).

Preparation: These versatile mushrooms can be added to soups, stir fries, salads, omelettes, etc. Our Shiitake extract (from SuperFeast) can be added to smoothies, hot drinks, or cooking.

Reference: https://draxe.com/shiitake-mushrooms/, https://www.superfeast.com.au/collections/whats-new/products/wild-crafted-shiitake-extract

Shiitake Common Uses

Shiitake Actions

Shiitake Recipes

Shiitake Precautions

Large daily doses over a prolonged period of time can cause diarrhea in some users.  Because shiitake can lower blood pressure, it should not be taken together with drugs given to control blood pressure (antihypertensives). For the same reason, it should be discontinued before any operation requiring general anesthesia.