Presentation of shiitake
Also called “oak lentin” (Lentinus edodes), shiitake is a mushroom edible belonging to the Marasmiaceae family. Extremely popular in Asian countries, shiitake has been cultivated in China and Japan for over 2,000 years. Documents associated with Emperor Chüai dated to the year 199 in fact state a culture of shiitake (xiāng gū 香菇, which literally means mushroom fragrant). Today, the cultivation of shiitake alone represents 10% of the world production of mushrooms and in Asia it is even more commonly consumed than the button mushroom here.
Under the Ming dynasty, shiitake was often presented as an elixir of long life and even today it is appreciated as much for its taste as for its countless medicinal properties.
Properties and benefits of shiitake
Shiitake has always been associated with its medicinal properties which help fight respiratory ailments such as colds. In Asian countries, many people consume preparations made from shiitake at the approach of winter to stimulate their body and improve their immune defenses. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) it is said to strengthen the spleen and invigorate qi, which means that it stimulates the digestive system, promotes assimilation and generates energy. It is therefore also used in cases of inappetence, shortness of breath and fatigue.
Excellent general fortifier, it is recommended to consume it very regularly in the event of convalescence, fatigue, constitutional weakness, anemia or even retardation or weakness of bone growth in children.
Also in TCM, it is considered that it treats the “blood emptiness”, that is to say it increases the quality of the blood and treats dizziness, complexion or pale lips. However, it prevents high blood pressure (supporting scientific studies).
In addition, it has interesting hypoglycemic properties to prevent type 2 diabetes and obesity: it allows a better transformation of fats into energy, its linoleic fatty acids promote weight loss, the strengthening of muscles and bones and its high in β-glucan and eritadenine increases satiety and regulates blood sugar.
Shiitake is also known to contain lentinan, a polysaccharide which has anti-cancer properties, especially against cancer of the stomach and cervix. In practice, shiitake can most often reduce the effects of cancerous diseases and repair chromosomes damaged by aggressive chemotherapy, as various studies have shown.
Let us add pell-mell that it is also hepatoprotective and choleretic (it promotes the excretion of bile, prevents gallstones and helps treat chronic hepatitis), cholesterol lowering (eritadenine very significantly lowers the cholesterol level in blood) and urinary tract regulator (useful in cases of frequent urination, urinary incontinence or illness
renal).
Using shiitake
Shiitake is mainly used in cooking, like any edible mushroom (many compare the cooking of shiitake to that of button mushrooms). Asian dishes (broths, soups, wok meat recipes, sautéed vegetable dishes, etc.) naturally give pride of place to shiitake. Be careful, however, not to soak the fresh shiitakes in water to wash them, as this may lose a good part of its nutrients and make it flabby during cooking. In dried form, its taste is more pronounced and this time it must be rehydrated for at least an hour.
For its medicinal properties, shiitake is also available for consumption in the form of capsules or tablets to be swallowed.
In Japan and China, lentinan is directly extracted from shiitake. Concentrated then purified, it can be administered by intravenous injection to people undergoing a medical course of chemotherapy or to people whose immune system is weakened by a disease. More simply, consuming 15g of dried mushroom or 30g of fresh mushroom daily helps prevent cancer and reduce the risk of metastasis.
If we refer to what Asian populations practice, a daily consumption of shiitake around a dozen grams seems to emerge as the benchmark to follow.
Contraindications of shiitake
Pregnant women, children, people suffering from allergies or hypereosinophilia are among the populations for which it is not recommended to consume shiitake. It is also not recommended in cases of chronic itching (it is especially believed that it is to be avoided in this case, even if the risks are minimal). Excessive consumption should also be avoided if one suffers from chronic indigestion.
Apart from this target audience, there is no other contraindication to the use of shiitake in cooking or as a food supplement to benefit from the benefits of this mushroom. It is also particularly suitable for vegetarians and vegans because of its richness in amino acids (including the eight essential amino acids that the body cannot manufacture on its own).