Chinese Black Mushroom is Shiitake - to be EcoEcho new specialty forest natural log cultivation

As featured in Master Lin's Winter Stir Fry recipe - sign up at http://springforestqigong.com for free monthly newsletter email pdf

 Some eyebrows might be raised if dried shiitake mushrooms are missing from a celebratory feast during the Chinese New Year, as the shiitake is especially prominently featured in Cantonese cuisine.

State laws do not allow dehydration unless with a special license - but you can still do sun air-drying of wild mushrooms. Sun drying really brings out the flavor!  And New York is trying to change their food code law - as per Cornell University:

WHEREAS, the cultivation of mushrooms on logs, straw, and other agricultural materials is becoming an important niche crop for farmers in New York.
WHEREAS, dried mushrooms are a high-value product that offers the farmer an additional product for sale and relief of the pressure to sell an entire crop fresh
WHEREAS, research has shown that mushrooms exposed to UV radiation (sunlight) for at last five hours increase in Vitamin D content 200 – 300%
WHEREAS, currently New York Regulations prohibit dehydration of mushrooms in home kitchens and require that growers use a 20C kitchen for this activity
WHEREAS, the risks of contamination from dehydrating mushrooms are very low to non-existent
WHEREAS, Cornell Small Farms Program and the northeast Food Venture Center are developing clear protocols for the safe harvest, processing, and dehydration of home and farm-grown mushrooms
THEREFORE, it is proposed that Section 276.3 of the New York State Agriculture and Markets regulations is amended to include “home and farm-grown dried mushrooms” as an eligible home processed food.

Chinese Black Mushroom is also called 

“Flower Mushroom”, xiang-gu [Xiang = Fragant] or huāgū (花菇)
huā = Flower and
gū = mushroom

Flower mushroom: the mushroom cap bears apparent cracks (locally known as “baau fa”) 花菇

 In addition, cold weather helps the shiitake to conserve nutrients. If there is frost or low humidity, the mushroom cap would crack and its fragrance would be intensified. That’s why a large, thick and rough mushroom with “baau fa” is more prestigious.

Or  Shiitake, (The word "shiitake" literally means "oak mushroom,") a moniker derived from the Japanese name for these delicious fungi. In China they are called “fragrant mushrooms” xiānggū (香菇).  First character is Fragrant or

Xiāng or xiang yu

Or  

dōnggū (冬菇), “winter mushroom”,

 Usually fresh ingredients are crucial to the flavour of your cooking, but when it comes to Chinese black mushrooms the dried ones have a stronger taste, more umami flavour, and they last longer.

https://shiitake-marusho.com/english.html

 Drying the shiitake mushroom will break the cells and cause the enzyme to work, enhancing the flavor in the process. Soaking the mushroom in water before heating it allows the enzyme to become active, causing an approximately tenfold increase of a component called guanylic acid in its savory flavor. Guanylic acid is one of "three great flavor components" of Japanese cuisine. Its deliciousness is the main reason why people still eat dried shiitake mushroom as a traditional food since 1000 years ago.

Shiitake drier in Japan

A cracked cap shiitake mushroom is called "hana donko" (flower donko) due to its resemblance to a flower. Hana donko is even more delicious and expensive than normal donko shiitake. Please be sure to choose the bag of mushrooms which contains lots of shiitake mushrooms with cracked caps.

 

Case Study 12 | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural ...

www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/priority-areas/.../case-study-12/

As far as quality is concerned, Oita Prefecture's dried log wood cultivated Shiitake have won the title of best in Japan at the National Dried Shiitake Competition ...

 The high grade log-grown shiitake in question are Donko shiitake mushrooms from Oita by OSK.

 Dried Shiitake Fragrant Mushrooms (干香菇)

They are dried from winter shiitake mushrooms (冬菇). Usually winter shiitake mushrooms have the highest quality and strongest aroma.

hmmm

 The smell of this special mushroom is very similar to garlic and is due to an ingredient called Lenthionine.

Wow produced artificially

 In fruiting bodies cultivated on bed logs injected with amino acid solution by the improved method, the mean contents of lentinic acid, a precursor of the odorous compound lenthionine, approximately doubled compared to that in the untreated logs, although the infi ltration area of the solution injected by the improved method was smaller than that by the former method.

https://mushroomingtogether.blogspot.com/2017/04/weird-and-crazed-shiitake-why-your.html
These are the strains I want to get the Spring Forest "flower donko" huāgū and dōnggū Asian grade of Shiitake

  Its aromatics are reminiscent of garlic and pine and it imparts a rich, smoky, umami flavor

 As per Cornell: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/d/958/files/2014/03/Shiitake-BMP-3-11-1osfnxs.pdf

 

consumers pay a considerable premium for forest grown mushrooms compared to the same species of mushrooms grown indoors on sawdust and sold primarily in grocery stores.

Along with initiatives to convince more consumers that forest-grown mushrooms are superior and the price differential is justified, consumers need a way to distinguish forest grown from sawdust grown mushrooms.

So the Chinese shiitake are grown on artifical logs - created from wheat bran and saw dust with gypsum and some sugar.

 The [Forest cultivated] shiitake mushrooms that survive these extreme conditions will have a chewy, tender texture, and a dynamic flavor close to the shiitake mushrooms found in the wild.

It does not have the same nutritional value as real logs in the wild - since a mushroom has to compete to grow in the wild - so has stronger nutrition.

The blocks are extremely susceptible to disease, attacks from other fungi, and insects. Oftentimes, growers
will use pesticides or fungicides to control bugs, disease, and other invading species.
  Unfortunately, by using sawdust blocks, the nutritional and organic value of the mushrooms is drastically decreased.

So "cultivation" of Shiitake in China was started around 800 years ago - according to Japan. So in the Song Dynasty.

 Wu San Kwung who first began mushroom cultivation, in Zhejiang in the Sung dynasty about 1,000 years ago. Instead of focusing on button mushrooms, he grew shiitake (or xiang yu in Chinese) by impregnating logs with spores.

 

Is Japanese Shiitake Superior to Others? 

That’s correct. In Japan, the mushroom growers drill holes in a whole piece of wood and plant the hyphae of the shiitake inside. Afterwards, they move the wood to a humid spot in the forest and water it regularly. In cold weather, the growers would cover it up to ensure the steady growth of the shiitake.

The other regions grow shiitake on mixed wood shavings in a plastic bag, which is placed in the greenhouse. The benefits of this approach are the short growing time and large amount of output. But that can’t compete with the nutrients Japanese shiitake get from an intact piece of wood and the natural surroundings. You can smell the difference when you put the Japanese shiitake close to your nose.

And EcoEcho status?

An annual renewal is required once each calendar year.  There is no charge for filing the annual renewal unless the assumed name is expired for failure to file an annual renewal, in which case there is a reinstatement fee.

So I had to reactivate my EcoEcho assumed business name. I just filed the form with the payment.

In Minnesota DBA (Doing Business As) is known as assumed name

Reinstatement.

Any assumed name certificate that expires as a result of failing to file the annual renewal, and any assumed name certificate filed prior to September 5, 2011, that expires because of the expiration of the original or renewed ten-year term, may be reinstated by filing the annual renewal with the $25 reinstatement fee.

Oops - I overpaid by $5 - I wonder if they'll send me the change! haha.  Oh but wait - since I changed my address then I have to "start" all over again!



So why Shiitake? It's a medicinal food!

less than one large shiitake mushroom) can provide measurable anti-inflammatory benefits. This finding is great news for anyone who is interested in bringing small amounts of shiitake mushrooms into his or her diet, without necessarily making it any sort of dietary focus. Consumption of these small amounts of shiitake mushroom by 50 study participants lowered blood levels of the inflammatory messaging molecule MIP-1alpha (macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha) and increased blood levels of anti-inflammatory molecules including interleukins 4, 10, and 1alpha (IL-4, IL-10, and IL-1a). This study outcome is not surprising since shiitake mushrooms have an extensive track record as an anti-inflammatory food.

and...

However, we are confident that shiitake and most other commonly eaten mushrooms provide very valuable amounts of biotin! So we are excited to see new studies about proteins in shiitake mushrooms called lentiavidins. You might recognize the "avidins" part of this name from research on egg whites. Avidins are egg-white proteins that can bind together with biotin. In the case of shiitake, researchers have added the designation "lenti"—from the shiitake genus Lentinula—to come up with the new protein name, "lentiavidins."

hmm...

 shiitake mushrooms are our 4th best source of copper. (Our top three sources for this antioxidant mineral are sesame seeds, cashew nuts, and soybeans.) Researchers now know that a key enzyme found in shiitake mushrooms—called laccase—requires four atoms of copper to function properly. As a result of its laccase enzyme content, shiitake provides us with 650 micrograms of copper (0.65 milligrams) in a serving size of ½ cup cooked.

and Beta-Glucans!

 However, shiitake mushrooms are unusual in containing not only a large amount of total glucans but also a large amount of one specific glucan called beta-glucan. Because these glucans cannot be broken down by enzymes in our digestive tract, they pass undigested all the way through to our large intestine where they help support growth of desirable bacteria in our digestive tract. This result earns shiitake mushrooms the right to be called a health-supportive food. But perhaps more importantly, beta-glucans also provide support for a wide variety of body systems, including our immune system, antioxidant system, and our endocrine system. Because beta-glucans can bind onto certain receptors on our immune cells, they can help support immune system function. These polysaccharides can also function as antioxidants and have been shown to have free radical scavenging activity. In addition, beta-glucan intake has been linked to better regulation of our blood sugar and insulin levels.

 pretty awesome. Too summarize:

have caught the attention of many researchers. In particular, recent studies have shown the ability of shiitake mushrooms to help protect us against cardiovascular diseases (including atherosclerosis) by preventing too much immune cell binding to the lining of our blood vessels. In order for immune cells and other materials to bind onto our blood vessel linings, certain protein molecules—called adhesion molecules—must be produced and sent into action. By helping to block the adhesion molecule production process, substances in shiitake mushrooms can help protect our blood vessels. (The adhesion molecule production that is partially blocked by shiitake mushroom components includes the adhesion molecules ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin.)

and

• Shiitake mushrooms have long been recognized as a very good, non-animal food source of iron. But a recent preliminary study has determined that the bioavailability of iron from shiitake mushrooms may be even better than we thought. Although conducted on laboratory animals (female rats) rather than humans, this study found the iron in dried shiitake mushroom to be equally as bioavailable as supplemental iron in the form of ferrous gluconate. (Ferrous gluconate is a very commonly used low-dose iron supplement.) While we don't usually spotlight research on laboratory animals, we found this result to be especially promising for individuals who consume little or no animal products and are often looking for foods that can supply valuable amounts of bioavailable iron. 
•  

One especially interesting area of immune system support involves the impact of shiitake mushrooms on immune cells called macrophages. Among their many important activities, macrophage cells are responsible for identifying and clearing potentially cancerous cells from the body. In order to carry out this task, they need to be "activated" in a particular way. (In more scientific terms, their activated phenotype needs to reflect a higher level of interleukin 1-beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha, and a lower level of interleukin 10.) Shiitake mushrooms are able to help macrophage cells achieve this activated profile so that they can do a better job clearing potentially cancerous cells. Researchers refer to this result as an "anti-cancer immunity" that is enhanced by shiitake mushroom intake.

The most famous immune-supportive components in shiitake mushrooms are its polysaccharides. (Polysaccharides are large-sized carbohydrate molecules composed of many different sugars arranged in chains and branches.) Although many fungi are well-known for their polysaccharides, no single fungus has been more carefully studied than the shiitake mushroom. We know that this fungus is unique in its variety of polysaccharides, and especially its polysaccharide glucans. (Glucans are polysaccharides in which all of the sugar components involve the simple sugar glucose.) Among the glucans contained in shiitake mushroom are alpha-1,6 glucan, alpha-1,4 glucan, beta-1,3 glucan, beta-1,6 glucan, 1,4-D-glucans, 1,6-D-glucans, glucan phosphate, laminarin, and lentinan. Shiitake mushrooms also contain some important non-glucan polysaccharides, including fucoidans and galactomannins.

and

 the β-glucan content is higher in the stipe than in the pileus

 i.e. more in the stem (stipe) than in the cap (pileus).

and

 One of the best ways for us to reduce our risk of chronic oxidative stress is consumption of a diet rich in antioxidant nutrients. Shiitake mushrooms are a very good source of three key antioxidant minerals: manganese, selenium, and zinc. They also contain some unusual phytonutrient antioxidants. One of the best studied is ergothioneine (ET). This unique antioxidant is derived from the amino acid histidine, although it's unusual since it contains a sulfur group of molecules that are not present in histidine itself. In studies on ET and our cells' oxidative stress levels, one fascinating finding has been the special benefits of ET for cell components called mitochondria. Mitochondria use oxygen to produce energy for the cell. Heart cells have greater concentrations of mitochondria than most any other cell type in the body. For this reason, researchers believe that ET may be one of the key nutrients from shiitake mushrooms that provide us with cardiovascular support.

and

Medicinal extracts from shiitake mushrooms have been studied much more extensively than the whole food itself. In cell and laboratory animal experiments, numerous components of shiitake mushrooms have been show to help block tumor growth, sometimes by triggering programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the cancer cells. These components have been collectively referred to as "anti-tumor mycochemicals" provided by shiitake mushrooms. Researchers have speculated that more than 100 different types of compounds in shiitake mushrooms may work together to accomplish these anti-tumor results. While the unique polysaccharides in shiitake mushrooms were first thought to be its primary anti-cancer compounds, scientists are now convinced that shiitake provides many non-polysaccharide substances that have anti-tumor effects.

 and

You may sometimes also hear shiitake mushroom being referred to as the "Black Forest mushroom," and they do indeed grow naturally in that German mountain range.

There is a local restaurant started by a neighborhood family friend called the Black Forest - so they might be interested.

Only 5% of all mushroom are grown the way mother nature intended….in hardwood logs, stumps or bolts. Everything you see at the big fancy box grocery store are grown on sawdust blocks. Don’t get us wrong, all edible mushrooms have some type of health benefit. You just get MORE of everything from log grown Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms i.e, stronger flavor notes, incomparable taste, many different sizes, robust earthy smell, texture that you have never experienced until now.  Log grown mushrooms are the way nature intended for them to grow.  Log grown mushrooms have the full spectrum of nutrients available to them, whereas, the sawdust blocks are a mixture of several parts of a tree, not the whole tree.

and

Shiitakes have four to ten times the flavor of common white button mushrooms. In addition to their robust, woodsy flavor and meaty texture, shiitakes provide high levels of protein (18%), potassium, niacin and B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. They have natural antiviral and immunity-boosting properties and are used nutritionally to fight viruses, lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure. Lentinan, an immunostimulant derived from shiitakes, has been used to treat cancer, AIDS, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibrocystic breast disease, and other conditions with impressive results.

http://www.goba.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mushroom_Growers_Handbook_2_-_Shiitake_Cultivation.pdf

The Stems and The Gills
Log-grown mushrooms will always have short stems and the gills (on the bottom of the mushroom) will be pure white and unbroken. Block-grown mushrooms may have bulbous stems or broken or discolored gills.

The Smell
If the mushrooms have any kind of smell (besides mushroom-smell) like ammonia they are most likely low-quality block-grown specimens.

So I'm using alder trees. 14 grams of protein per 100 grams of shiitake.

So that means 1 cup of shiitake grown on alder equal 1 days FDA of protein! amazing.



So log cultivation?



and




There you have it folks!! Proof! Log cultivated shiitake are better nutrition - more qi energy.

Mushroom Polysaccharides: Chemistry and Antiobesity, Antidiabetes ...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5302426/

by M Friedman - ‎2016 - ‎Cited by 58 - ‎Related articles

Nov 29, 2016 - Mushroom Polysaccharides: Chemistry and Antiobesity, Antidiabetes, Anticancer, and Antibiotic Properties in Cells, Rodents, and Humans.

detached. Amazingly it's named after the hymen?

Analyses for total starch and glycogen, to a lesser extent, indicate these polysaccharides are less than 10% of the total carbohydrates in HMWP. These results suggest that the HMWP fraction had a high level of lentinan.

 http://www.davidmoore.org.uk/Sec04_13.htm

Shiitake can be easily found in all major supermarkets and for that reason this is by far the most common mushroom discussed in this report. Some of the anti-cancer effects it has on the body are:

• activating natural killer cells;
• activating macrophages;
• activating lymphocytes (T and B cells);
• increased production of colony stimulating factor;
• inhibits suppressor T cell activity;
• all these immune cells will play a part destroying tumour cells.

Lentinan also has other medicinal qualities, some of the key constituents of Lentinan are:

• β-D-glucan (as discussed);
• eritadenine: this is a cholesterol reducing component and can be used to control cholesterol levels (considered important to control of heart disease) [13].
• RNA fractions; these are antiviral nucleic acids, which stimulate the cell to defend itself against viruses, making it more resistant.

Oral doses of shiitake increases T-cells
The emperors of China are said to have eaten the mushroom in great quantities to slow the onset of old age. In Japanese traditional medicine (Kanpo), shiitake improves qi. (30) In TCM, it is strengthening and restorative. (6)

Shiitake contains protein, carbohydrates (largely dietary fiber), vitamins, minerals, and low levels of lipids. A polysaccharide in shiitake receiving much research attention is lentinan, a beta-glucan. (31) The lentinan content of shiitake varies according to growing methods and conditions, and storage. Prior to storage at 20[degrees]C, a content of 1.3% (dry weight) has been found. (32,33)

Shiitake and lentinan have shown antitumor activity when administered orally in experimental models. Lentinan appears to modulate the systemic immune function through stimulation of T cells, especially helper cells. (34,35,36,37)

Pesticide use and residue control in China 2010 pdf

Boom! So much for Black Mushrooms from China - chock full of toxic chemicals!

J Environ Sci Health B. 2017 Mar 4;52(3):218-221. doi: 10.1080/03601234.2017.1261555.

Evaluation of residue risk and toxicity of different treatments with diazinon insecticide applied to mushroom crops.

Navarro MJ¹, Merino L², Gea FJ¹.

Author information

Abstract

This work describes the phytotoxic effect of different doses of diazinon and different application times on Agaricus bisporus mycelium, and determines the residue levels in mushrooms from the first three flushes. Mushroom cultivation is a widespread commercial activity throughout the world. The application of insecticide diazinon to the compost or casing layer is a common practice to control two mushroom pests, the phorid Megaselia halterata and the sciarid Lycoriella auripila. Application to the compost does not result in any appreciable fall in yield or quality, and does not delay the harvest time. In contrast, application to the casing led to a slight fall (6.2%) in production and a smaller number of mushrooms although they are larger in size. Residue levels of more than 0.01 ppm are detected in many of the samples analyzed, and raising the question whether the product should continue to be used in mushroom cultivation in the conditions in which it is currently applied.

In China, a layer of casing soil is placed on top of the "logs" to maintain humidity moisture.

Incidence of solid tumours among pesticide applicators exposed to the ...

https://oem.bmj.com/content/72/7/496

by RR Jones - ‎2015 - ‎Cited by 29 - ‎Related articles

Objective Diazinon, a common organophosphate insecticide with genotoxic properties, was previously associated with lung cancer in the Agricultural Health ...