Shiitake Extract's Many Uses

By Dr. Markho Rafael

In America and Europe, the everyday "food mushroom" is the common button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), commercially cultivated in France since the 1600's. In the Far East, however, the likewise centuries old cultivation of gourmet mushrooms has been primarily focused on an entirely different species - the Shiitake. Only in the last few decades has Shiitake become a common household name in the West.

Known alternately as Black Mushroom or Chinese Mushroom, wild Shiitake grows in Asia only. The name derives from the Shii Tree, its preferred host, although Shiitake may also grow on oaks and beeches. Shiitake has been cultivated in China and Japan for a thousand years.

Increasingly recognized in the West as a culinary mushroom, few westerners are yet aware of the medical applications of Shiitake. In Asia, it has a long tradition as a medicinal mushroom going back to the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644) and the Chinese physician Wu Juei, who recommended it for conditions of the liver, respiratory and circulatory systems. Shiitake is also the most commonly studied mushroom in modern medical research, with special focus on its anti-tumor [94] and anti-viral properties. [93]

The preferred part of Shiitake to use medicinally is the mycelium (the "roots") because they contain compounds that either don't exist in the fruit body ("mushroom"), or are much more concentrated in the mycelium.

The most researched Shiitake extract is known as LEM, short for Lentinula Edodes Mycelia. (Shiitake's Latin name is Lentinula edodes.) Research has found LEM to enhance the immune system, [95, 96, 97] especially against bacterial infection. [98, 99] It's also been reported to be anti-tumoral. [100] A 2005 study published findings that it killed melanoma cells while sparing non-diseased tissue. [101]

Another active compound of Shiitake extract that has been much studied is Lentinan; a protein-free polysaccharide, so named after Lentinula, the Latin genus name for Shiitake. Lentinan does not directly kill tumors but has been shown to stimulate the tumor fighting mechanisms in the body of test subjects, [102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110] and is in fact in use in Asia as an injected cancer medication.

Arabinoxylanes, compounds resulting from Shiitake-on-rice fermentation, have also demonstrated significant anti-viral activity. [111, 112, 113]

Specifically herpes simplex virus type 1 [114] and more importantly HIV have responded to Shiitake extracts in several studies. [115, 116, 117] However, the previously mentioned Lentinan polysaccharide, by itself, has no significant effect on the replication of HIV. [25]

Additional studies have reported positive results with Shiitake extract in conditions of chronic fatigue syndrome [119] and Candida [118], as well as for septic shock prevention. [120]

And last but not least, in his book Mycelium Running, foremost U.S. medicinal mushroom expert Paul Stamets also lists the following areas where Shiitake has been reported as having a therapeutic effect: Blood sugar; blood pressure; kidney support; cholesterol; liver health; stress; sexual dysfunction; breast cancer; prostate cancer; liver cancer. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb (or mushroom) for medicinal purposes.

Credit to Paul Stamets for research and source material. - 17268

About the Author:

Dr. Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently specializes in to research and write about medicinal mushrooms, including Shiitake extract. For research references to this article, go to the Shiitake mushroom extract page. Click on the number indicating a reference.