While the Shiitake is native to eastern Asia, it's widely available because of easy cultivation. They can be grown at home with a log, the sun, and some starter fungus called spawn.
In the wild, they grow on fallen, dead deciduous trees like beech and maple. Shiitakes look like the quintessential mushroom with a stem and umbrella-like brown cap.
The Shiitake has been known in China for at least 800 years and has made its way into countless Asian dishes.
It can be sauteed, steamed, made into stock, stuffed and baked, and prepared in myriad other ways. Some recipes besides the one below can be found here.
Like some other mushrooms on our list, Shiitakes stimulate the immune system, improving the body's ability to fight viral and bacterial infection, including the microbes that lead to dental cavities.
Shiitakes are also heart-friendly. They lower cholesterol by inhibiting absorption. The Shiitake also decreases the tendency of platelets to stick together. Platelet adhesion and aggregation are natural processes but can aggravate conditions like atherosclerosis and lead to clots forming in blood vessels. Both of the above mechanisms work to lower blood pressure naturally.
Like Turkey Tail, the Shiitake contains a polysaccharide that is showing promising results in cancer research. It is called Lentinan, and it suppresses the growth of tumors and may prevent cancer formation. Additionally, it induces apoptosis in cancer cells, which is to say it makes them destroy themselves.
Shiitakes have also been shown to reduce the side effects of traditional cancer treatment by chemotherapy.
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