Archival plate of Lentinula edodes, Grifola frondosa, from Flora Batava, vol. 16

The Moss Herbal Database

Lentinula edodes, Grifola frondosa
Fam. Omphalotaceae and Meripilaceae
Parts: Fruiting bodies

Shiitake & maitake

Lentinula edodes, Grifola frondosa

Also: Shiitake, Maitake, Hen of the woods

WarmingMoisteningTonifying

Medicinal mushrooms that feed both the cook and the immune system.

Two prized culinary mushrooms: shiitake, with brown, cracked caps on oak logs, and maitake, the frilly gray-brown clusters called hen of the woods at the foot of oaks. Both nourish, help steady blood sugar, and keep immune defenses well supplied when eaten often.

Energetics: Warming, moistening, toning
Taste: Earthy, savory, rich
Family: Omphalotaceae and Meripilaceae (mushrooms)
Parts used: Fruiting bodies

Medicinal uses 4

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Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Frequent colds & low immunityTLC
Eating shiitake every day for four weeks raised immune markers in a clinical trial; their beta-glucans prime immune cells.
Blood sugar balanceTLC
Maitake extracts lowered blood sugar in animal and small human studies.
Heart supportTLC
Shiitake's eritadenine lowers cholesterol in animal studies.
Depletion & mineral needsTLC
A deeply nourishing food during recovery from illness and after birth, long-simmered into broth.

Preparations

Cooked mushrooms in meals, long-simmered broth, and double extracts.

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Cautions

Eat them cooked. Raw or undercooked shiitake causes a streaky, itchy rash, shiitake dermatitis, in some people.
Large amounts may add to diabetes medicines; watch your readings.

Medication interactions

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyFood amounts

Cooked shiitake and maitake are wholesome pregnancy foods. Concentrated extracts have not been studied in pregnancy.

BreastfeedingFood amounts

Cooked mushrooms in meals are considered compatible; concentrated extracts are best taken with practitioner guidance.

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Folklore

Shiitake is named for the shii, a Japanese chinquapin tree in the beech family that it grows on, and growers in China and Japan have raised it on cut logs for at least eight centuries. Maitake means dancing mushroom; one story says foragers danced when they found it, since a cluster could be traded for its weight in silver. A single maitake at the foot of an old oak can weigh more than 50 pounds.

How to grow

Shiitake grows on oak or other hardwood logs drilled and plugged with spawn, fruiting in six to eighteen months and for years after. Maitake can be grown on buried hardwood logs but is slower and fussier; foragers find it at the base of old oaks in autumn.

In the wild

Shiitake grows wild on fallen hardwoods in East Asia. Maitake fruits at the base of oaks across eastern North America, Europe, and Asia, often returning to the same tree year after year.

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