These healing fungi are good food, too. Medicinal mushrooms are low in calories and contain valuable nutrients such as potassium, iron, niacin and vitamins B1 and B2. The Mushroom Monarch Primarily grown in Asia, this dark, meaty, capped woodland mushroom is the most widely cultivated in the world, second only to the button mushroom. Known as the Monarch of Mushrooms, shiitake was once so prized in Japan for its flavor and quality that it was reserved for sole use by the emperor and his family. In the Far East, shiitake has traditionally been used to increase vitality, improve circulation and fight the common cold.
Polysaccharides appear to work by indirectly activating healthy cells that engulf tumor cells.
Eritadenine, another compound found in shiitake, has been found to lower blood cholesterol. Shiitake has few side effects, which include diarrhea and skin rashes. Hobbs also cautions people using blood thinners to avoid continual use of shiitake, as it has anti-clotting properties. Maitake is a first-class adaptogen, meaning that it helps the body adapt to physical or emotional stress and bring other body functions into balance. Cancer patients may also benefit from maitake, which makes chemotherapeutic drugs more effective and therefore reduces the need for high doses of them.