I. Shiitake Mushroom

Shiitake Mushroom, also called Japanese Mushroom, is good for preventing high blood pressure and heart disease, for controlling cholesterol level, building resistance against viruses, and fighting diseases.

Shiitake Mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) contain a polysaccharide called "lentinan" that has been shown to slow the growth of cancerous tumors in animals. Studies suggest that lentinan may work by enhancing the immune system's ability to fight against infection. Shiitake Mushrooms is used as a cancer-fighting agent in Japan and China. Shiitake also lowers cholesterol which helps prevent heart disease.

The benefits associated with these mushrooms are lower blood cholesterol and improved immune system function. Shiitake Mushroom can be taken in capsule form; take one capsule up to 3 times daily.

Long-valued for their culinary and medicinal properties, specialty mushrooms have been enjoyed locally and in small quantities by Native American and ethnic populations, and widely used for centuries by Asian cultures. The shiitake mushroom (pronounced she-ta-key) is one of several marketed specialty mushrooms including oyster, enoki, wine cap, maitake, and pompom. Behind the common button and oyster mushrooms, the shiitake mushroom is the third most widely produced mushroom in the world and American production of shiitake has increased faster than any other specialty mushroom.

The shiitake is a large, umbrella-shaped mushroom that is dark brown and is prized both for its culinary and medicinal properties. Proven medicinal benefits include antiviral, antifungal, and anti-tumor effects. For example, the consumption of shiitake mushrooms significantly lower blood cholesterol levels and is reported to lower high blood pressure in laboratory animals.

Shiitake contains all eight essential amino acids in better proportions than soy beans, meat, milk, or eggs as well as a good blend of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B, B12, C, D and Niacin. In addition, shiitake mushrooms are a popular source of protein in Japan, and are a major diet staple in China, and other parts of the Pacific Rim.

II. Shiitake Mushroom

Botanical Name: Lentinus Edodes

Shiitake Mushroom Facts

Shiitake Mushroom is native to Japan, China and other Asian countries and it usually grows on fallen broadleaf trees. The fruiting body is used as a food and medicine and it's a rich source of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Shiitake Mushroom is revered in Asian medicine for its health-promoting effects, for it boosts the immune system, lowers cholesterol, works as an anticoagulant and is helpful in cancer treatment.

How it Works

Shiitake Mushroom has a polysaccharide compound called lentinan which helps produce T-cells to destroy bacteria and viruses and has anti-cancer, anti-tumor effects. It contains other nutrients helpful in strengthening the immune system and fighting disease-causing organisms. Shiitake Mushroom works to prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, helping pull fat from the system, and working as an anticoagulant.

Possible Benefits

  • Builds immunity and promotes longevity.
  • Cancer prevention and anti-tumor activity.
  • Relieves fatigue and increases energy.
  • Helps prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and has anticoagulant properties
  • Fights fatigue and builds strength.
  • Good for colds and to eliminate worms.
  • Helps decrease chronic hepatitus B infection.

Usage Guidelines

Pregnant and lactating women should consult doctor before using. Excellent safety record but has been know to cause temporary diarrhea and bloating in high dosages.

III.- Shiitake Mushroom

Other common name: Japanese Mushroom Scientific/medical name: Lentinus edodes

DESCRIPTION

A shiitake mushroom is an edible fungus native to Asia and grown in forests. Shiitake mushrooms are the second most commonly cultivated edible mushrooms in the world. Extracts from the mushroom, and sometimes the whole mushroom itself, are used in herbal remedies.

OVERVIEW

Animal studies have found antitumor, cholesterol-lowering, and virus-inhibiting effects of the active compounds in shiitake mushrooms. However, clinical studies are needed to determine if these effects can be beneficial for people with cancer and other diseases.

How is it promoted for use?

Shiitake mushrooms are promoted to fight the development and progression of cancer and AIDS by boosting the body's immune system. These mushrooms are also said to help prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels in the blood and treating infections by producing interferon (a group of natural proteins that inhibits viruses from multiplying).

Promoters claim that eating the whole mushroom (cap and stem), may have therapeutic value, but they do not say how much must be eaten to have an effect. They say the content and activity of the compounds depend on how the mushroom is prepared and consumed. Research shows, however, that eating a balanced diet that includes five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables along with foods from a variety of other plant sources such as breads, cereals, grain products, rice, pasta, and beans is more effective than consuming one particular food in large amounts.

A compound contained in shiitake mushrooms, lentinan, is believed to stop or slow tumor growth. Another component, activated hexose-containing compound, is also said to reduce tumor activity and lessen the side effects of cancer treatment. The mushrooms also contain the compound eritadenine, which is thought to lower cholesterol by blocking the way cholesterol is absorbed into the bloodstream. These claims are currently under investigation.

What does it involve?

The natural mushroom is widely available in grocery stores, while extracts of the mushroom are sold in capsule form in health food stores and on the Internet. The extracts of the active compounds in shiitake mushrooms are usually used for medicinal purposes, rather than the natural mushroom itself. For example, some Japanese researchers give lentinan along with chemotherapy to treat patients with lung, nose, throat, and stomach cancers. Extracts of the active compounds, such as lentinan and eritadenine, are mainly sold in Japan. Activated hexose-containing compound is sold in the United States, Europe, and Japan as a nutritional supplement.

What is the history behind it?

The use of shiitake mushrooms as medicine dates at least to 100 AD in China (see Chinese Herbal Medicine). The mushrooms have been widely consumed as a food for thousands of years in the East and more recently in the West. Today, shiitake mushrooms are a major source of protein in Japan and are very popular in the United States as well. Research into the anti-cancer properties of shiitake mushrooms has been going on since at least the 1960s.

What is the evidence?

Animal studies have found some positive results regarding the antitumor, cholesterol-lowering, and virus-inhibiting effects of the active compounds in shiitake mushrooms. At least one randomized clinical trial of lentinan has shown it to be effective against advanced and recurrent stomach and colorectal cancer. Research has been done on the specific compounds that have been cultivated in laboratories. It is not known whether these results apply to the mushrooms bought in supermarkets.

More human trials are necessary to confirm the health claims made for shiitake mushrooms, and to understand which compounds have antitumor effects for which type of cancers and at what dosages. Researchers at the University of California at Davis are studying one of the compound sextracted from the mushroom (hexose-containing compound) to see if it can reduce tumor activity in men with prostate cancer. Animal studies found that the compound may reduce tumor growth and side effects of cancer treatment. Animal studies may show a certain therapy holds promise as a beneficial treatment, but further studies are necessary to determine if the results apply to humans.

Are there any possible problems or complications?

Shiitake mushrooms and their extracts are generally considered safe, but some people have been known to develop allergic reactions affecting the skin, nose, throat, and lungs.

References

  • Borchers AT, Stern JS, Hackman RM, Keen CL, Gershwin ME. Mushrooms, tumors, and immunity. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1999;221:281-293.
  • Chihara G, Hamuro J, Maeda Y, et al. Antitumor and metastasis-inhibitory activities of lentinan as an immunomodulator: an overview. Cancer Detect Prev. 1987;1:423-443.
  • Chung R. Functional properties of edible mushrooms. Nutr Rev. 1996;54:S91-S93.
  • Ikekawa T, Uehara N, Maeda Y, Nakanishi M, Fukuoka F. Antitumor activity of aqueous extracts of edible mushrooms. Cancer Res. 1969;29:734-735.
  • Matsushita K, Kuramitsu Y, Ohiro Y, et al. Combination therapy of active hexose correlated compound plus UFT significantly reduces the metastasis of rat mammary adenocarcinoma. Anticancer Drugs. 1998;9:343-350.
  • Taguchi T. Clinical efficacy of lentinan on patients with stomach cancer: end-point results of a four-year follow-up survey. Cancer Detect Prev Suppl. 1987;1:333-349.

Note: This information was reprinted from the American Cancer Society's Guide to Complementary and Alternative Methods. Copyright(c)2000, American Cancer Society. This information may not cover all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or interactions, is not intended as medical advice, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with your doctor who is familiar with your medical needs.