The shiitake mushroom is an edible mushroom from Asia that grows on freshly cut wood. The fact that it is also called the “King of Mushrooms” and is mentioned in the writings of the  The fact that TCM was already prominently mentioned over 2000 years ago underlines its special position within the medicinal mushrooms.

Highlights of Shiitake

• Its main ingredient is the so-called "lentinan", which is chemically a glucan that is said to have an immune-modulating and anti-tumor effect. For example, in Japan, an infusion containing lentinan ("lentinan") has been used as an adjunct to cancer therapy since 2000 (see Ajinomoto: History of Pharmaceuticals Business, October 2008).
• Many users report antibacterial and antiviral effects of the shiitake mushroom. This could also be attributed to the ingredient lentinan, as this is said to improve the release of the antibodies immunoglobulin A produced in the intestine and increase the formation of T cells.
• Many users of shiitake mushrooms have observed a cholesterol-lowering effect, which has not yet been conclusively explained scientifically. One possible cause could be the shiitake substance eritadenine, which is said to inhibit linoleic acid metabolism in liver cells.

Extract instead of powder - advantages in detail

• The mushroom powder, which is then later extracted using hot water, is produced using the so-called “shellbroken process”; the mushroom is ground so finely that the chitin cell wall of the mushroom is broken open. This allows the ingredients to be optimally utilized by the organism.
• Only the fruiting body is used to produce the mushroom extracts, NOT the part below the ground (“mycelium”), which contains hardly any nutrients, or the substrate on which the mushroom is grown. Such products can contain many undesirable byproducts, from wood to manure.
• Mushroom extracts in particular contain high concentrations of highly effective and bioactive polysaccharides and glucans, which are relevant for the immune system.
• The extraction not only causes the release of the active substances from the cell organelles, but also the enrichment of the fungal active substances by separating the insoluble accompanying substances.
• Another advantage of extracts over powder is that they can be standardized and reproduced. This means that the dosage and combination with other preparations can be carried out precisely and in a targeted manner.
• The proportion of polysaccharides also varies in the extracts: a few products even contain up to 30%

Legal consumer information: German and European law aims to protect consumers from allegedly misleading claims of effectiveness. The statements made here refer to the original Ayurvedic and TCM texts. This knowledge, which has been passed down for thousands of years, is based on experience passed down from generation to generation. It is not intended to claim that the products described here have an effect in the sense of Western medicine. All products are food supplements; they are not medications and have no medical effect. If you are ill and require medical care, please contact your doctor or pharmacist.

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