Shiitake: The Healing Mushroom

Shiitake is one of the most prized foods in Eastern cuisine, imparting its rich, caramel-like flavor to seasonings, sauces, soups, and even soft drinks and candies. Yet, few enthusiasts of this delicacy are aware of its high nutritional value or its important role in traditional Chinese medicine and modern botanical research. Traditionally classified as a food that invigorates the blood, shiitake has been used as a popular treatment for colds, measles, and bronchial inflammations. Shiitake: The Healing Mushroom takes the reader on an engaging tour of the healing properties of one of the world’s most delicious foods.

In recent years, its growing popularity in the West has made shiitake, after the common button mushroom, the most cultivated mushroom in the world. Recent studies indicate its usefulness in lowering blood cholesterol levels and preventing heart disease. Research suggests that shiitake is valuable in immunotherapy, strengthening the immune system and enhancing the body’s ability to ward off cancerous tumors, viral infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The NIH is testing shiitake in its AIDS research program.