Cultivated Mushrooms

Baby Shiitake Mushroom

(Lentinula edodes) is an edible mushroom native to East Asia. Shiitake have many uses in Chinese and Japanese cuisines.

Shiitake mushrooms have been researched for their medicinal benefits, most notably their anti-tumor properties in laboratory mice. These studies have also identified the polysaccharide lentinan, a ß-D-glucan, as the active compound responsible for the anti-tumor effects. Extracts from shiitake mushrooms have also been researched for many other immunological benefits, ranging from anti-viral properties to possible treatments for severe allergies, as well as arthritis.Lenthionine, a key flavour compound of shiitake, also inhibits platelet aggregation, so it is a promising treatment for thrombosis.

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