Posts Tagged ‘shiitake’

shiitake

The relationship between good health and a diet rich in mushrooms came to the attention of modern science when health researchers noticed that people who eat mushrooms seem to be healthier than other people. In Japan, for example, scientists discovered fewer incidences of cancer in shiitake- growing regions .

Assuming that people who lived in these regions ate the shiitake mushroom often, scientists wanted to see whether shiitake had anticancer properties. They ran many tests on shiitake and discovered lentinan, the third most widely prescribed anticancer drug in the world.

mushrooms

Mushrooms can make you healthy in many different ways, but they do so chiefly by awakening the immune system and making it more alert. Mushrooms contain amino acids such as lysine and tryptophan, as well as nicotinic acid, riboflavin (vitamin B2), pantothenic acid, and vitamins B, C, and K.

In addition, medicinal mushrooms contain terpenes and steroids, some of which have demonstrated antibacterial and antiviral activity. They are one of the few organic sources of the element germanium, which increases oxygen efficiency, counteracts the effects of pollutants, and increases resistance to diseases.

Here are the top 8 amazing mushrooms beneficial to our health and nutrition according to experts;

1. Maitake, a culinary mushroom that lowers cholesterol and helps against diabetes, among other things.
2. Shiitake, the delicious culinary mushroom that many believe can help prevent AIDS.
3. Reishi, the “mushroom of immortality,” its use by ancient Taoist priests, and its antitumor and antioxidant effects.
4. Cordyceps sinensis, the anti-aging and stamina building mushroom that generated so many headlines in 1993 when the coach of the Chinese women’s track team credited it for helping his runners break three world records in a single week.
5. Agaricus blazei, the unusual mushroom from Brazil that many believe has the strongest antitumor activity.
6. Phellinus linteus, a mushroom that has long been cherished in Korea as an aid against stomach ailments and arthritis.
7. Trametes versicolor, the mushroom from which Krestin, one of the world’s foremost anticancer drugs, is derived.
8. Hericium erinaceus, a mushroom that may hold promise as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

SOURCE: Healing Mushrooms, Effective Treatments for Today’s Illnesses

chanterelle

Culinary mushrooms are an aid to health. They appear to be a good source of B vitamins, iron, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, and ascorbic acid. By proportion to weight, mushrooms are high in polyunsaturated fats. Cultivated varieties contain large amounts of carbohydrates and fiber. On a dryweight basis, a mushroom is high in protein, and mushroom proteins contain essential amino acids.

Some mushrooms are better than others. Shiitake, for example, stimulates the immune system about a hundred times more than the common white button mushroom. Maitake does much more to aid the immune system than do morels, portobellos, chanterelles, or any other culinary mushroom. Still, all mushrooms are excellent for your health.

The difference between culinary mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms is that medicinal mushrooms are a class above their culinary cousins.

SOURCE: Healing Mushrooms, Effective Treatments for Today’s Illnesses