A medicinal mushroom recipe that tastes amazing!

serves 2

5 minutes to prepare

• 2 cups organic chicken broth or vegetable broth (or use stock for a richer flavor)

• 2 cups chopped shiitake and/or maitake mushrooms - or any variety, or a mix

• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

• good quality salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

• chives, scallions or other fresh herbs for garnish

Bring the stock and mushrooms to a rolling boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk. Puree with an immersion blender or in a countertop blender. Add seasonings to taste. Put back on low heat for another minute to let flavors marry.

Try a dash of dried thyme, or a teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves for a savory flavor.

Try a teaspoon of green or red Thai chili paste for a spicy, aromatic flavor (more if you like it more spicy).

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh herb of your choice.

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Maitake Mushroom and Shiitake Mushroom Health Benefits - Medicinal Mushrooms That Are Actually Delicious to Eat

About 15 years ago I became fascinated with the Candida “epidemic” that was apparently sweeping the nation. I did plenty of dietary trials with clients who had been put on anti-candida diets by their holistic practitioners. I moderated a candida website/chat room that had thousands of members. I learned a lot. I recently came across some old articles I wrote for my own candida website and wanted to share this information on medicinal mushrooms, as lately I’ve been craving mushrooms and enjoying them in my menus.

Mushrooms are packed with nutrients your body craves. Regular grocery store varies like white button mushrooms and portobellos are nutritious in their own right, but I’m going to focus on two of the more “exotic” varieties that are still easy to get our hands on - shiitake mushrooms and the lesser known maitake mushrooms (also called hen of the woods). 

Indeed, shiitake mushrooms and maitake mushrooms taste fantastic in a stir fry or soup, sautéed as a side dish, or made into a gravy. But they’re also known as medicinal mushrooms, along with the not-so-delicious varieties including reishi mushroom, cordyceps, chaga, and turkey tail (usually taken in supplement forms such as a tea, tincture, or powder).

Shiitakes are easily available in most grocery stores. You can frequently find fresh maitake mushrooms (hen of the woods) at farmers markets and in Asian supermarkets.

When I was studying macrobiotics at the Kushi Institute in the mid-nineties, shiitake mushrooms were used as medicinal mushrooms as part of an anti-cancer diet protocol, and added to our culinary dishes for their rich and potent flavor.

Maitake mushrooms have been used in China and Japan not only as part of the traditional diet, but also are used as medicinal mushrooms to treat conditions including diabetes and hypertension. Here in the United States respected medical institutions such as the Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center are exploring the benefits of maitake mushrooms for their tumor shrinking properties and holistic cancer prevention and treatment.

What makes shiitake mushrooms and maitake mushrooms “medicinal”?

Let’s get into it.

Did you know that some fungi are more closely related to animals than plants are to those same animals? And that some diseases which affect fungi can affect humans as well? Weird, but true.

For instance, three pathenogenic microorganisms which cause diseases common to fungi and humans (these are ones I know of, I'm sure there are more):

• Escherichia coli (E Coli)

• Staphylococcus aureus (the most common cause of staph infections)

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a bacteria which causes the common "hot tub rash, or "hot tub folliculitis")

One of medicinal mushrooms' natural defenses is to produce antibiotics to fight infection from microorganisms. In fact, antibiotics commonly prescribed at the doctor's office are often derived from fungi.

There is an increasingly accepted hypothesis in modern medicine that polypore mushrooms like maitake mushrooms can help provide a immune "shield" against a number of infectious diseases. Shiitake mushrooms, while not polypores, are also known for their immune enhancing properties.

One of the beneficial elements in these medicinal mushrooms are certain polysaccharides, which are a form of complex carbohydrates. Cellulose (plant fiber) and pectin (found in fruits such as citrus, apples and pears) are two other well known forms of polysaccharides.

Okay, once again, let me reiterate that I'm no scientist, but I am an avid reader and always poking around for new and interesting information. Here's some more information on healing mushrooms - some of which even I wouldn't attempt to explain scientifically, but nonetheless I find it compelling because there is an abundance of scientific and medicinal research coming back with positive results.

Maitake mushrooms and the other healing mushrooms contain an abundance of not only "polysaccharides" but also "protein-bound polysaccharides", including the much touted beta-D-glucans, which is one reason they all possess such potent immune-strengthening properties (beta-D-glucans is primarily used for immune enhancing properties as well as its ability to help lower cholesterol).

Other medicinal herbs and plants - including Aloe Vera, Echinacea and Astragalus - contain polysaccharides, which are believed to be a major part of their immune-enhancing actions. Protein-bound polysaccharides found in the medicinal mushrooms have been shown to be even more effective for immune responses than individual polysaccharides.

Thus, it's hypothesized that the protein-bound polysaccharides found in mushrooms such as maitake mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are extra-beneficial for people whose health is compromised.

Animal and human trials demonstrate that these medicinal mushrooms enhance the production of T-cells, helper T-cells, natural killer cells and macrophages.

They also contain sterols and triterpenes which have been demonstrated to help lower blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels as well as reduce inflammatory responses. They've also been shown to protect and enhance liver function.

All mushrooms are surprisingly rich in protein and B vitamins (which help to relieve stress, depression and fatigue commonly associated with run-down immune systems).

They're also the only non-animal source of vitamin D that I know of. The USDA's recommended daily intake of Vitamin D is 200 IU (international units), which is considered a very low estimate by numerous health experts. All mushrooms synthesize vitamin D from natural sunlight (or even artificial light), but look at the comparison between regular button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms:

• 100 grams of white button mushrooms contain an average of 18 IU of vitamin D.

• 100 grams of shiitake mushrooms contain an average of 96 IU of vitamin D!

Remember, vitamin D is synthesized by the body from sunlight, or obtained from food sources like cod liver oil, salmon, eggs, milk.

Or... from a delicious bowl of medicinal mushroom soup!