Medicinal Mushrooms for Well-Being: Shitake

Among the most well-known medicinal mushrooms in the world and already successfully used in Traditional Chinese Medicine we remember Lentinus Edodes, commonly called Shitake.

This mushroom grows in mountainous areas in the bark of oaks and chestnuts and is native to Japan. Today it is also cultivated in Europe, being the second most produced and marketed edible mushroom in the world.

The Shitake mushroom has been used in Asian countries for a very long time and has only recently appeared on our continent thanks to its precious immunostimulant properties.

The main active ingredient of Shitake is lentinan , a beta glucan with extraordinary healing properties, capable of stimulating the immunological response towards our macrophages, acting mainly in the restoration of Th1 functionality.

Another interesting molecule found in this mushroom is eritadenine , which is able to accelerate the excretion of ingested cholesterol and also increase its metabolism. It is therefore helpful in preventing atherosclerosis .

Mainly used for the treatment of colds, flu, bronchitis and even measles in China and Japan, it has a high potential for effectiveness in all viral diseases, especially immunosuppressive ones, which lead the body to a deficit of white blood cells and lymphocytes. It also plays a significant role in the eradication of Candida Albicans .

By also acting on vascular function and on the increase of testosterone , it can also be useful in promoting the production of endorphins, also giving aphrodisiac effects.

Many studies have also been done on the delicate subject of neoplasms. The Shitake mushroom seems to have a protective and anti-metastatic role by preventing tumor vascularization. The evidence mainly concerns gastric, uterine and colorectal cancer. Several studies have also highlighted the preventive capacity against some types of tumors caused mainly by exposure to chemical substances or viruses, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Some minor pathologies can be supported in their therapy, especially when the fungus is associated with bacterial flora. We are talking about situations of more common occurrence, such as tooth decay, eczema, hypertriglyceridemia, allergic rhinitis, fatty liver, bronchitis, allergies, asthenia and arthrosis.