THE HEALING FUNGUS
Inhibit tumor growth
Boost the immune system
Lower cholesterol levels
Mushrooms are so popular in Asian countries that they’re sold by streetcart vendors, just as we sell corn dogs and Italian ices. Those Asian buyers are following in ancient traditions. The use of mushrooms as medicine has been recorded in ancient Chinese manuscripts, and the earliest records of humans using psychotropic mushrooms date as far back as the Paleolithic period. Today, there are about 35 species of mushrooms available to us, and most are edible and have medicinal properties.
But while Americans have been slow to embrace these meaty morsels, they’re becoming increasingly commonplace, both in the kitchen and in numerous research laboratories.
Scientists are discovering what natural healers have known for ages. Mushrooms not only are important sources of nutrients but also stimulate the immune system. Researchers say that they possibly can help fight cancer and high cholesterol, and perhaps even AIDS.
Not long ago, scientists thought America’s favorite mushroom, the white button mushroom, had little medicinal value, but more recent studies have found that the mushrooms actually pack quite a punch, especially when it comes to preventing breast cancer.
Researchers at City of Hope, a Duarte, California, cancer research and treatment center, have found that the mushrooms suppress estrogen production, particularly in postmenopausal women. They conducted several studies on mice and found that these animals had a 58 percent reduction in the growth of breast tumors when they were fed mushroom extract.
The mushrooms contain a phytochemical called conjugated linoleic acid that inhibits aromatase, the protein in the body that makes estrogen, says Shiuan Chen, PhD, director of the department of surgical research at City of Hope. About 60 percent of premenopausal women and 75 percent of postmenopausal women with breast cancer have a hormone-dependent cancer, which means estrogen helps tumors grow, so controlling estrogen levels can limit or prevent tumors. Postmenopausal women have smaller amounts of estrogen in their bodies, so the mushrooms provide even greater protection for them.
Although you can buy fresh shiitake mushrooms at specialty markets, you’re more likely to find them in their dehydrated form. Here’s how to use them:
Soften them. To reconstitute dried mushrooms, place them in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring them to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Then drain, slice, and add them to your recipe. You may want to reserve the mushroom water, which adds a rich taste to soups and sauces.
Cut them fine. Reconstituted mushrooms don’t look as pretty as their freshly picked brethren. Also, they have a slightly pungent flavor that in large amounts may be objectionable to some diners. Chefs usually chop them, using them sparingly for stir-fries, meat and vegetable casseroles, soups, pasta, and grain dishes.
Other forms of mushrooms were also found to help prevent breast cancer. White stuffing mushrooms had the strongest protection but white button, shiitake, porto-bello, cremini, and baby button mushrooms all showed a significant effect, whether eaten raw or cooked.
Eating only about 3½ ounces of mushrooms a day could help prevent breast cancer, Dr. Chen says. He is now researching these compounds and their effects on prostate cancer.
This isn’t the first time mushrooms have been in the spotlight for their cancer-fighting abilities. Shiitake mushrooms have long been used in Japan to shrink tumors. These large, meaty black mushrooms contain a polysaccharide, or complex sugar, called lentinan. Polysaccharides are large molecules that are similar in structure to bacteria, explains Robert Murphy, ND, a naturopathic doctor in Torrington, Connecticut. When you eat shiitake mushrooms, your immune system starts amassing an army of infection-fighting cells. “In essence, they fool the immune system into kicking into action,” he says. Researchers have found that when they feed lentinan in the form of dried mushroom powder to laboratory animals with tumors, they can inhibit tumor growth by 67 percent.
Researchers are also looking at the maitake mushroom, also known as hen of the woods or the dancing mushroom. Like shiitakes, maitake mushrooms have a centuries-old reputation for being helpful in treating people with cancer. Only recently are they getting the attention that they deserve in Western nations.
The active polysaccharide in maitake mushrooms, which is called beta-glucan or D-fraction, has been highly effective in shrinking tumors in laboratory animals—maybe even more effective than lentinan, say experts.
“You definitely get some of these polysaccharides that activate the immune system when you eat a healthy serving—about ½ cup—of these mushrooms,” says Dr. Murphy. “I tell people that they can go to the market and buy shiitake and maitake mushrooms and include them in their diets.” Both types are usually found in Asian food stores and some supermarkets.
Because the shiitake and maitake mushrooms have proven so effective in bolstering the immune system, some scientists have tested their mettle, with some success, against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
In laboratory studies, an extract of the maitake mushroom’s beta-glucan was able to prevent HIV from killing T cells, the immune system’s crucial white blood cells. “Eating these mushrooms on a regular basis seems to be a very good way to keep your immune system up and running,” says Dr. Murphy.
If your cholesterol levels are hovering near the danger zone—200 and above—you might want to consider making mushrooms a regular side dish on your table.
During the 1970s and 1980s, human and animal studies in Japan showed that one of the compounds in shiitake mushrooms, eritadenine, could effectively lower cholesterol levels. More recently, researchers from Slovakia have found that by feeding mice 5 percent of their diets in dried mushrooms, particularly oyster mushrooms, they could reduce blood cholesterol by 45 percent, even when the mice were given high-cholesterol foods.
Raw sliced mushrooms are a salad bar favorite. But you don’t want to make a habit of eating too many uncooked mushrooms, warn experts.
Raw mushrooms contain hydrazines, toxic chemicals that studies show can produce tumors in laboratory animals. Though nobody really knows how many raw mushrooms people have to eat to have that happen, experts recommend eating your mushrooms cooked because hydrazines are eliminated during heating.
Researchers still can’t say how many mushrooms people have to eat to get the same effect. But experts agree that adding a couple of these large, meaty morsels to your plate each day certainly can’t hurt, and it may help play a role in bringing your cholesterol levels down.
Mushrooms are a good filler in the dishes you make because they so often take on the taste of what they’re prepared with, says Jeannie Gazzaniga Moloo, PhD, RD, a Sacramento, California– based spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Sauté firm mushrooms such as cremini with other vegetables and seasonings. Or dice any kind of mushroom you like into small pieces, and add to soups and sauces.
If you don’t like the taste of mushrooms but you want to reap the nutritional benefits they offer, cut them very small, and add them to a marinara sauce. Then, just before you serve the sauce, use an immersion blender to incorporate the mushrooms right into the sauce, Dr. Moloo says. You’ll forget they’re even there.
Mushrooms offer two important B vitamins, niacin and riboflavin, that are not often found in vegetables. For once, the common white button mushroom may be a key player. While dried shiitake mushrooms have a higher nutrient concentration, they also have a strong flavor; most people won’t use them in large quantities. But white mushrooms, with their mild taste, can be eaten with virtually every meal.
Niacin is important because it helps your body form the enzymes needed to convert sugars into energy, to use fats, and to keep your tissues healthy. White button mushrooms are a good source, containing 4 milligrams of niacin, or 20 percent of the Daily Value (DV).
Like niacin, riboflavin is a “helper nutrient.” It’s needed to convert other nutrients, like niacin, vitamin B6, and folate, into usable forms. If you’re low on riboflavin, you could also be low on these other nutrients. A half-cup of boiled white mushrooms contains 0.2 milligram of riboflavin, or 12 percent of the DV.
Cook ’em up. For both taste and nutrition, mushrooms are better cooked than raw. This is because they are mostly water. When you cook them, you remove the water and concentrate the nutrients as well as the flavor. See “Food Alert” on page 441 for more on why cooked mushrooms are better for you.
Eat the exotic. To get optimal healing power from mushrooms, stick to Asian varieties, particularly shiitake and maitake, say experts. Other mushrooms that may provide therapeutic benefits are the enoki, oyster, pine, and straw varieties.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, and cook until golden. Add the mushrooms, top side down, and cook them for 5 minutes. Turn them over, and add the butter, thyme, wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings
Calories: 139
Total fat: 9.9 g
Saturated fat: 2.8 g
Cholesterol: 8 mg
Sodium: 145 mg
Dietary fiber: 1 g