Shiitake are delicious and nutritious edible mushrooms with great flavor and an alluring aroma which also contain a material well-known for its medicinal benefits. The name shiitake (shii-mushroom) is derived from Japanese words: “shii” meaning tree related to oak and beech and “take” meaning mushroom. Shiitake usually have central stalks attached to circular-shaped mushroom caps that are light tan to dark brown and 5-25cm across. Some strains produce light-colored mushrooms, while others produce dark ones. Some shiitake have a nice flecking with velvety white hairy material on the caps. Mushrooms that grow primarily in temperate climates, shiitake grow singly or in clusters in declining or dead hardwoods, in particular, Shii (Pasania spp.), oaks (Quercus spp.), and other Asian oaks and beeches (Stamets, 2000).
Shiitake is used medicinally for diseases involving depressed immune function, including cancer, AIDS, environmental allergies, and frequent flu and colds. It also appears beneficial for soothing bronchial inflammation and regulating urine incontinence (Liu and Bau, 1980), as well as for reducing chronic high cholesterol. According to one prominent Japanese researcher, lentinan is an immunomodulating agent. For older persons, it serves as a general rejuvenating agent, no matter what the condition of their health. For young people, it presents a potent protection from overwork and exhaustion (Aoki, 1984b) or chronic fatigue syndrom.