Shiitake Mushroom Shiitake

Shiitake Mushroom of the Genus Lentinula
Lentinula edodes (Berkeley) Pegler


The Shiitake mushroom is a delicacy in Japan, Korea, and China.  Asians employ thousands of people for it's cultivation.  The mushroom grows on dead or dying trees, particularly the Shii tree and other Oaks and Beeches. 















Medicinal Properties: In Japan, Lentinan, extracted from the mushrooms is approved as a anticancer drug!  The Japanese researcher Chihara published his findings:  "Lentinan was found to almost completely regress the solid type tumors of Sarcoma 180 and seveal kinds of tumors including methylchloranthrene-induced fibrosarcoma in synergic host-tumor system"  (Chihara, 1978, p.809)  The effectiveness of the extract due to the activation of killer and helper "T" cells.

Another polysaccharide (KS-2) isolated by Fujii et al. (1978) suppressed Sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich ascotes carcinoma in mice.

Common Names: Shiangu-gu (Chinese for Fragrant Mushroom), Donku, Pasania, Golden Oak Mushroom, Black Forest Mushroom, Black Mushroom, Oakwood Mushroom, Chinese Mushroom.

Until recently, the mushroom was limited to the far East - Korea, Japan, and China.  It grows on dead or dying trees, particularly the Shii tree and similar beeches. 
A home growing kit with innoculated log on a plate
Shiitake growing on logs outdoors.
Product Features (Shiitake Mushroom Growing Plugs)

* A great gift for gardeners, gourmets and cooks and for young people to learn            about nature. Fully guran
* Includes a ready-to-grow log, an 18 soaking tray, directions and recipes. Fully          guaranteed.
* SHIPS in 2-3 days, daily during the holidays. Grows Shiitake Mushrooms every       2 months for years in room light or garden shade. Fully guaranteed.
* Add the Shiitake Sampler Cookbook, with 51 delicious recipes, for a fantastic          gift.

* You can make a wonderful change in the world! How?         

With each and every order, Lost Creek Mushroom Farm makes a contribution to Mushrooms in      Ghana, a project to help mushroom farmers in Ghana, West Africa, most of    them women, make a living. The project will assist with the introduction of      protein-rich shiitake mushrooms to Ghanaian farmers and to the protein-hungry Ghanaian diet; and provide laboratory equipment for oyster and shiitake mushroom production.
Product Features (Shiitake Mushroom Log)

* Create your own private batch of free gourmet mushrooms for many, many          growing  years!
* 100 Plugs & Instructions comes with each order.
* Enough to do 2 logs, approx. 6" diameter by 4' long.
* You will need to supply a 5/16-drill bit, drill and cheese wax (sold separately).

Jennifer Snyder gives us a gold mine of recipes for the preparation of this delicious and health enhancing food source.

Facts on the medicinal properties of the shiitake mushroom from Dr. Andrew Weil are included.

# Paperback: 128 pages
# Publisher: Book Publishing Company (TN); 1 edition (September 1993)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0913990418
# ISBN-13: 978-0913990414
# Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
Recommended books on Shiitake Mushrooms
Review

"Now that shiitake mushrooms have become readily available in the Western world as well as in the Orient where they originated, this is a timely treatise on the health benefits of this 'pharmafoodical.'Shiitake: The Healing Mushroom is loaded with specific and detailed information on a multitude of topics ranging from nutrition and cultivation to folk medicine and the Oriental medical perspective."
(Beverly Rubik, Ph.D., Alternative Therapies )
"This book is small, yet it is packed with shiitake facts. Jones explains in clear, yet concise language how this mushroom lowers cholesterol, prevents heart disease, improves immunity and fights viral infections and cancer. All of the information is backed by pages of references, making it a valuable resource."
(The American Herb Association )

"The book was thoroughly researched and well documented. I find this to be the best book on this subject."
(Making Scents )
The shiitake is one of the most highly prized foods in Oriental cuisine, lending its rich, caramel-like flavor to seasonings, sauces, soups, even carbonated drinks and candies. Yet few aficionados of this gourmet delicacy are aware of its high nutritional value or of its important role in traditional Chinese medicine and in the modern search for botanical remedies. Traditionally classified as a food that activates the blood, shiitake has been used as a folk treatment for colds, measles, and bronchial inflammations. Shiitake: The Healing Mushroom takes the reader on a lively tour of the healing properties of one of the world's most delicious foods.

In the past few years, its growing popularity in the West has made shiitake, after the common table mushroom, the most-cultivated mushroom worldwide. Recent studies indicate its usefulness in lowering blood cholesterol levels and preventing heart disease. Research suggests that shiitake is valuable in immunotherapy, bolstering the immune system and increasing the body's ability to ward off cancerous tumors, viral infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The N.I.H. is testing shiitake in their AIDS research program.
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