Shiitake mushroom - nutritional and medicinal properties

Shiitake mushrooms are among the most widely cultivated mushrooms in the world. Their nutritional and medicinal properties are of interest to nutritionists and other scientists seeking natural compounds to support the treatment of common diseases and ailments. Shiitake mushrooms are particularly valued for their immune-modulating, metabolism-promoting, blood sugar-regulating or antimicrobial properties.

Traditional uses of the shiitake mushroom

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes, Japanese sclerotia) is a species with medicinal properties that has been used for hundreds of years in traditional Eastern medicine. The first records of Lentinula edodes cultivation date back to China's Song Dynasty period (960-1127).

Shiitake extracts are appreciated in traditional Chinese medicine for their antibacterial and antiviral properties. It is believed that the presence of shiitake mushrooms in the daily diet helps keep the body healthy and counteracts diseases of civilization.

Nutrients of the Shiitake mushroom

Contemporary analyses of the nutritional value of shiitake mushrooms confirm that they are rich in macro- and micro-nutrients: they contain numerous minerals (potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron and phosphorus) and vitamins (provitamin D2, vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12 and niacin), dietary fiber, protein, biologically active compounds, including polysaccharides, antioxidants and ergosterol.

Today, shiitake mushrooms are the second most cultivated mushrooms in the world. In 2000, more than 7.5 million tons of them were produced (Royse, 2005), and their production has increased even more in the past 20 years.

Medicinal properties of shiitake extracts

Polysaccharides found in Shiitake and the immune system

Nowadays, the Shiitake mushroom is of interest to researchers especially because of the specific polysaccharides found in it, which show immunomodulatory effects that are beneficial to the human body.

Article published by a Polish research team in 2022 reports that the Over the past three decades, numerous studies of Shiitake polysaccharides have demonstrated their properties to modulate the body's immune response, both innate and acquired.

The polysaccharides found in Shiitake mushrooms belong to the β-glucan group, and therefore bind to receptors found on the surface of many different types of immune system cells and thus affect its work.

Important examples of the immunomodulatory effects of polysaccharides from Shiitake include stimulation of the immune system to produce substances to fight cancer cells, activation of the innate immune response, and inhibition of certain inflammatory reactions.

Immunoregulatory properties of aqueous extracts containing three types of polysaccharides derived from Shiitake mushrooms have been confirmed in mouse study immunocompromised.

Other properties of Japanese scleroderma

W research review we find a discussion of the following properties of Shiitake:

antibacterial
antiviral
anti-cancer
antioxidant
protecting the liver
cholesterol-lowering
improving metabolism
regulating blood sugar levels

Possible antidiabetic mechanisms, such as regulation of carbohydrate digestion and absorption, lipotoxicity, insulin sensitivity, and oxidative stress, among others, are discussed in the article. Its authors point out that the dataset they present could lay the groundwork for clinical trials confirming the potential of Shiitake mushrooms as a superfood in the treatment of diabetes.

Study conducted on rats, regarding metabolism and obesity showed that adding a high dose of powdered Shiitake mushrooms to a high-fat diet could significantly prevent total fat accumulation and significantly lower plasma triglyceride levels in rats (compared to a high-fat diet without the addition of Shiitake mushrooms). The effectiveness of the sclerotia in this regard was dose-dependent and dependent on the sucrose content of the diet.

Researchers believe that further studies that take into account the two factors mentioned above are needed to develop Shiitake-based metabolism drugs.

We will have to wait a little longer for the development and approval of Lentinula edodes-based medicines. However, Shiitake mushroom extracts with the status of dietary supplements are already available on the market.

In our store you will find Shiitake extract from a Polish manufacturer in the form of drops: Ollywell Shiitake Japanese sclerotia 30ml extract in drops

Sources:

Muszyńska B et al, Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) biological activity, Medicina Internacia Revuo, 2017: https://interrev.com/mir/index.php/mir/article/view/17
Behar N et al, Chapter 26 - Role of fungal metabolites in pharmaceuticals, human health, and agriculture, Fungal Secondary Metabolites, 2024: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780323952415000058
Ishtiaq A et al, Therapeutic values and nutraceutical properties of shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes): A review, Tends in Food and Technology, 2023: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224423000821
Roszczyk A et al, Immunomodulatory Properties of Polysaccharides from Lentinula edodes, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/16/8980
Handayani D et al, Dietary Shiitake Mushroom (Lentinus edodes) Prevents Fat Deposition and Lowers Triglyceride in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet, Journal of Obesity, 2011: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2011/258051/#abstract
Shuvarghya Ch et al, Lentinan, a β-glucan from Shiitake (Lentinula edodes): A review on structure, conformational transition, and gastro-intestinal interaction contributing towards its anti-diabetic potential, Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2023: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224423003394