We all mostly know shiitake mushroom as a delicious culinary mushroom we sauté up for breakfast, but this medicinal mushroom also packs a huge health punch...
Have you used shiitake mushroom before, perhaps in a creamy pasta dish or as a side to your avo on toast? Maybe grilled with some added tamari and sesame oil?
You might have even spent a bit of money on some cosmetics containing shiitake. Shiitake is a really well known and super delicious culinary mushroom, in fact it’s probably the second most common mushroom consumed in the world (after the button mushroom) (4). But did you know that Shiitake is not only a culinary mushroom, but also a medicinal mushroom? See below diagram, which shows the THREE types of mushrooms. Shiitake is both a culinary and medicinal!
And so, while most of us will have enjoyed the delicious taste of shiitake (did you know it’s high in protein and is a great meat substitute? #plantbased), a quick search for shiitake on Google Scholar will very quickly show what a superstar this mushroom is in terms of its health benefits.
Shiitake Mushroom Health Benefits
There are several areas within the body that shiitake appears to have very positive effects on - most notably immunity. Like the full range of our medicinal mushroom apothecary at SuperFeast (e.g Reishi, Lion's Mane, Turkey Tail and more), Shiitake is a powerful immune-modulator. One of the most beautiful things about medicinal mushrooms is they optimise the function of your immune system. The benefits accumulate over time as you take more mushrooms - think of it like exercise, the more you do it, the fitter you get. Your body’s immunity begins to lift to a level that ideally keeps you as protected as possible in this crazy pathogenic world.
Another cool fact about our Shiitake mushroom extract powder, is that it acts as an adaptogen. Adaptogenic herbs are those herbs that support the body’s resilience, by strengthening its natural defences. The more official definition says that adaptogens:
- Do no harm
- Have no specific action
- Balance and normalise the body’s systems
We all need more adaptogens in our life! They have the amazing abilities to stabilise our hormones, allow our adrenals to rest and support our immune response. And the humble shiitake mushroom is known to be an adaptogen (4).
Further health benefits of shiitake mushroom include:
- Supporting healing effects on the liver
- Help alleviate arthritis
- Support the body through diabetes
- Positive effects on cholesterol
- Lowers inflammation
- Anti-ageing benefits (remember to look out for cosmetics containing shiitake!)
Plus there are specific components within shiitake that appear to be very helpful with supporting the body when going through very strenuous and taxing chemical treatments (2,4).
SuperFeast Shiitake
Shiitake is an old favourite amongst the entire SuperFeast crew.
We love Shiitake so much, Mason (owner of SuperFeast) included it in our favourite blend - Mason’s Mushrooms, plus we offer Shiitake as a single herb. Like the entire apothecary we offer, our Shiitake is:
-- 100% medicinal mushroom - no fillers, additives, starches or other weird, unhealthy additions.
-- Superior quality - we source Di Dao, meaning these medicinal mushrooms are harvested from the most clean and pristine locations in rural China, from their spiritual homeland. We adore practicing this ancient style of sourcing and take it very seriously.
-- Independently tested to ensure purity - all our herbs are rigorously tested to ensure purity. We cover metals, pesticides, moulds, microbials and more.
Our Favourite Shiitake Mushroom Recipe
Our extracted powder is ready to go and delicious. We love it straight in hot water, it makes a delicious umami-style, mushroomy stock flavour. Try adding some miso, shallots and a dash of tamari and you have yourself a super quick and nourishing miso.
So what are you waiting for, head on over to check out the very humble, but potent SuperFeast Shiitake.
References
(1) Botanical Medicine for Women's Health Aviva Romm Second Edition Elsevier, 2009
(3) The Fungal Pharmacy Robert Rogers, North Atlantic Books, 2011
(4) Radical Mycology Peter McCoy 2016
