Maitake

Botanical: Grifola frondosa
Family: Maitake Mushroom

---Synonyms---Grifola frondosa Maitake Mushroom,
---Part Used---All.
---Habitat---Japan.

---Description---Maitake Mushroom is also known by the name Dancing Mushroom, famous for its taste and health benefits. Legend holds that those who found the rare mushroom began "dancing with joy". Others attribute the name to the way the fruit bodies of the mushroom overlap each other, giving the appearance of "dancing butterflies". In Japan, Maitake Mushroom is called "King of Mushroom". Maitake is a very large mushroom (the size of a basketball), which grows deep in the mountains of Northeastern Japan. Maitake is extremely sensitive to environmental changes, which has presented many challenges to those cultivating this mushroom. Only recently have Japanese farmers succeeded in producing high-quality organic Maitake Mushrooms, allowing for wider availability both in Japan and the United States. The fruiting body and the mycelium of Maitake are used medicinally. In China and Japan, Maitake Mushrooms have been consumed for 3000 years. Years ago in Japan, the Maitake had monetary value and was worth its weight in silver. This Mushroom was offered to Shogun, the national leader, by local lords. In the late 1980s, Japanese scientists identified the Maitake to be more potent than lentinan, shiitake, suehirotake, and kawaratake mushrooms, all used in traditional Asian medicine for immune function enhancement.

---Constituents---Mushrooms have long been treated much like herbs in China and Japan, and have been used for many health purposes. Nutrition researchers have chemically analyzed some of these mushrooms and determined that they contain unique nutrients and compounds not found in other plants. As research continues, the virtue of mushrooms, such as Maitake Mushroom, grows stronger throughout the world. Historically, Maitake has been used as a tonic and adaptogen. It was used as a food to help promote wellness and vitality. Traditionally, consumption of the mushroom was thought to prevent high blood pressure and cancer - two applications that have been the focal point of modern research. The polysaccharides present in Maitake have a unique structure, and are among the most powerful to be studied to date. The primary polysaccharide, beta-D-glucan, is well absorbed when taken orally and is currently under review for the prevention & treatment of cancer, and as a supportive tool for HIV infection.

---Medicinal Action and Uses--- Clinical research with Maitake Mushroom has increased dramatically in the past several years. Laboratory studies have shown that Maitake Mushroom extract can inhibit the growth of tumors and stimulate the immune system of cancerous mice. Human clinical studies of patients with breast and colorectal cancers are currently under way in the United States. In China, sixty-three patients with lung, stomach, or liver cancers or leukemia who took four capsules of Maitake extract three times daily before meals for one to three months showed an "anticancer" effect. Reports that Maitake may help AIDS patients fight Kaposi's sarcoma and other symptoms are preliminary and require further scientific studies. Additionally, people with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) may also benefit from Maitake, according to researchers Hiroaki Nanba and Keiko Kubo, authors of "Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products". Researchers investigated a specific, high-molecular polysaccharide in Maitake called the X-fraction. They found that mice given Maitake had an increased ability to recognize glucose, and the control group had higher blood glucose levels. The researchers suggested that Maitake can reduce insulin resistance, thereby increasing insulin sensitivity. The X-fraction appears to be the active compound with anti-diabetic properties.

---Dosages and Preparations---Take one (1) to two (2) tablespoons, three (3) times each day with water at mealtimes.