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Page 58
| Shiitake |
| (Lentinus edodes) |
| Part used: Fruiting body |
| Actions: Immune regulator, antitumor, antiviral, hypotensive, adaptogen, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antibacterial, antiparasitic |
| Indications: Shiitake mushroom has long been used in Asia as both food and medicine. Unlike the tough, woody reishi, shiitake is a tender, succulent and delicious mushroom and can be cooked and eaten in many dishes. "Shiitake" literally means "shii fungus" or mushroom which grows on shii (a species of oak) trees. Until about 1972, only dried shiitake was available in the United States, but it is now cultivated here and is widely available in the produce section of most supermarkets. |
| Shiitake has both antiviral and immune-enhancing properties that makes it beneficial to people with chronic viral infections, those with cancer and AIDS and those with depressed immunity. Lentinan, a highly valuable, nontoxic compound in shiitake, is a powerful immune-enhancer with antiviral effects that have proved stronger than the prescription drug amantadine hydrochloride in its capability to fight viruses and tumor cells. One reason for this is that it increases interferon activity and stimulates production of antibodies and white blood cells. Studies at Budapest's Institute of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research showed lentinan's ability to inhibit metastasis to the lung. The study demonstrated that through the use of this shiitake compound, immune cells can be stimulated to increase both their numbers and their activity against tumor cells. In Japan, it is considered so valuable that pure lentinan is given intravenously to patients for immune disorders. |
| Studies show that both the mushroom and its mycelium (the underground network of thread-like fibers from which it grows) are important for their medicinal effects. Shiitake has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol |
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