Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine | Shiitake Mushroom

Description

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) is a fungus native to Japan, China, and Korea. Although these mushrooms are cultivated worldwide as of 2004, Japan is still the largest producer of shiitake mushrooms, producing 80% of the total supply. Used in Asian cuisine for over 2,000 years, cultivation of shiitake began almost 700 years ago in Japan. The Japanese consider the shiitake not only a flavorful food but also "the elixir of life." During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the shiitake was reserved only for the emperor and his family and it became known as the emperor's food. The word shiitake comes from shii (a type of chestnut tree) and take (mushroom). Shiitake is an excellent source for amino acids; vegetable proteins; iron;