Why is shiitake mushroom good for you?
Did you know that mushrooms are not vegetables? They are a kind of fungi with great nutritional benefits. There are around 10000 species of mushrooms. The number of the edible ones are ca. 700, but only few are available for consumers. Surprisingly, more than 200 species can be used medically. There are mushrooms that are edible but don’t have medicinal value and there are kinds which are medicinal but are not edible. Nowadays they are ingredients of tonics, soups, teas and several dishes. But what are they capable of?
Mushrooms have been used as a medicine for hundreds or rather thousands of years now. At the same time, it is unknown how they exactly affect the body and what produces the health benefits. Mushrooms contain a bunch of chemicals, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins that all participate in these complex processes.
Let’s talk a bit about shiitake…
The second most widely consumed mushroom is shiitake. It is not only a great ingredient to foods, but it has quite many benefits to it. Shiitake is used as a supplement for cancer treatment. It has a compound called lentinan that prolongs life and increases the quality of life of cancer patients. It is interesting though that because these lentinant molecules are big and therefore they are harder to digest, it is usually given in an intravenous injection. On the other hand, the other anticancer components of the mushroom are easily digestible. Furthermore, while preparing this mushroom pay attention to cook it properly, as when eaten undercooked the body can have a strong reaction to it, which is called shiitake dermatitis.
There is a broad range of activities they do in the body. They are known to enhance the function of highy specialized immune cells, strengthening the system. That’s not all, modulating cell number and function, lowering blood pressure and fat percentage, inhibiting tumors and antimicrobial action is all among the skills of this wonderful creatures.
This fungi is obviously a great source of all the good things! Proteins, vitamins, minerals and the list goes on. Be careful what you eat and how you eat them, but keep on adding them to your meal! If you are not a mushroom fun yet, start experimenting with recipes or get some tea with them in it if you are after the benefits only!
