Other names: Lentinula edodes, Xianggu, Hua Gu, Pyogo, Forest Mushroom, Black Mushroom, Houževnatec Jedlý, Shii-take, Siitake, Mavitari Shiitake, Shiitakesopp, Chitak, Twardziak Jadalny, Hongo Shiitake

Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, where it has been used for food and as a medicinal mushroom for thousands of years. In nature, it grows on fallen logs. It was first cultivated in China about 1000 years ago, making it one of the first mushroom species to be domesticated. Cultivation later spread to Japan, where samurai warriors controlled most of the production for the aristocracy. Today, it is the second most cultivated and popular mushroom in the world, just after the button mushroom. Workers exposed to extreme amounts of shiitake mushroom can develop bronchial asthma and skin lesions.

Shiitake contains vitamin D, copper, selenium, and eritadenine, a compound known to reduce cholesterol. Its major bioactive component is lentinan, a polysaccharide thought to be responsible for many of the mushroom’s beneficial effects. The antitumor property of lentinan was first reported in the 1960s, and it was also found it has antibacterial, antifungal, and antidiabetic activity.

Shiitake may be beneficial for, high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, obesity, fatigue, memory, and to boost the immune system.

Compliance: food or food ingredient, cosmetics ingredient 

Compliance varies from country to country. There is no harmonized botanical list of allowed botanicals in food or food supplements for all EU countries. Compliance for cosmetic ingredients is harmonized in EU.

Please check your local regulation.