Shiitake Mushroom / Maitake Mushroom

Shiitake Mushroom grows on the trunks or stumps of trees. In the wild, this light amber fungus is also found on fallen hardwood trees. Shiitake has been revered in Japan and China as both a food and medicinal herb for thousands of years. Wu Ri, a famous physician from the Chinese Ming Dynasty, wrote extensively about this mushroom, noting its ability to increase energy, cure colds, and eliminate worms. Wild Shiitake Mushrooms are native to Japan, China, and other Asian countries. Shiitake is widely cultivated throughout the world. The fruiting body is used medicinally. Mushrooms have been valued as both food and medicine throughout the world, but until recently, many in the West associated all mushrooms with poison. The recent surge of Western interest in medicinal mushrooms shows that this attitude may be changing, however. Japanese products containing LEM, a polysaccharide-rich extract from the Shiitake Mushroom, and similar extracts from Maitake Mushroom, are currently undergoing trials in Japan and the United States to see whether they are effective treatments for various cancers and AIDS. Currently, the total world worth of the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products derived from mushrooms is estimated at more than $1.2 billion. A vast amount of research into Shiitake's medicinal properties has been completed and shows that it has the ability to fight tumors and viruses and enhance the immune system. Primary chemical constituents of Shiitake include Polysaccharide, eritadenin, proteins, fatty acids, and vitamins D, B-2, B-12. The proteins contain all of the essential amino acids, and most commonly occurring non-essential amino acids and amides. The fatty acids are largely unsaturated, and Shiitake's are rich in vitamins and minerals. Key therapeutic substances also present are glucans, a major constituent of the cell walls. Shiitake also yields Lentinan, a beta-1,3-linked glucan polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 1 million. Lentinan reversed tumor growth when injected in mice. It acts by stimulating the immune system, rather than by direct action on the tumor. Because of its large molecular size, Lentinan is not absorbed efficiently when taken orally, but some is absorbed. Lentinan activates the alternative complement pathway, stimulating the macrophages, thus inhibiting tumor growth. It also may activate interleukin-1 secretion, which helps trigger T lymphocytes. Shiitake is believed to stimulate interferon production. Eritadenine, a purine alkaloid from Shiitake, is similar to nucleotides in structure, and lowers cholesterol in animal studies.

Maitake is a very large mushroom, which grows deep in the mountains of Northeastern Japan. Maitake is extremely sensitive to environmental changes, which has presented many challenges to those cultivating this mushroom. Only recently have Japanese farmers succeeded in producing high-quality organic Maitake Mushrooms, allowing for wider availability both in Japan and the United States. The fruiting body and the mycelium of Maitake are used medicinally. In China and Japan, Maitake Mushrooms have been consumed for 3000 years. Years ago in Japan, the Maitake had monetary value and was worth its weight in silver. This Mushroom was offered to Shogun, the national leader, by local lords. Historically, Maitake has been used as a tonic and adaptogen. It was used as a food to help promote wellness and vitality. Traditionally, consumption of the mushroom was thought to prevent high blood pressure and cancer - two applications that have been the focal point of modern research. The polysaccharides present in Maitake have a unique structure, and are among the most powerful to be studied to date. The primary polysaccharide, beta-D-glucan, is well absorbed when taken orally and is currently under review for the prevention & treatment of cancer, and as a supportive tool for HIV infection. Clinical research with Maitake Mushroom has increased dramatically in the past several years. Laboratory studies have shown that Maitake Mushroom extract can inhibit the growth of tumors and stimulate the immune system of cancerous mice. Human clinical studies of patients with breast and colorectal cancers are currently under way in the United States. In China, sixty-three patients with lung, stomach, or liver cancers or leukemia who took four capsules of Maitake extract three times daily before meals for one to three months showed an "anticancer" effect. Reports that Maitake may help AIDS patients fight Kaposi's sarcoma and other symptoms are preliminary and require further scientific studies. Additionally, people with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus may also benefit from Maitake, according to researchers Hiroaki Nanba and Keiko Kubo, authors of "Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products". Researchers investigated a specific, high-molecular polysaccharide in Maitake called the X-fraction. They found that mice given Maitake had an increased ability to recognize glucose, and the control group had higher blood glucose levels. The researchers suggested that Maitake can reduce insulin resistance, thereby increasing insulin sensitivity. The X-fraction appears to be the active compound with anti-diabetic properties.