From the forests of the Rising Sun to the shelves of the pharmacy and gods negozi bio. It is the long path taken by the Japanese medicinal mushrooms, which are experiencing a real boom, coming to compete with local mushrooms to get into recipes all health.
Tasty and rich in beneficial principles, those dried and coming from certified organic crops lend themselves, in fact, to become ingredients of autumn dishes, marrying with risotto, baked potatoes, chicken, braised meat and stews, immediately after being soaked in water.
But what are the health benefits, according to modern mycotherapy? "The maitake, which in Japanese means dancing mushroom and whose botanical name is Leafy Grifola, it helps to counter hyperglycemia and peripheral insulin resistance.
This is revealed by the studies carried out by the University of Kobe (Japan) and the National Medical Center of Duarte (California) », explains Dr. Salvator Bardaro, professor of integrated medicine at the University of Siena and Pavia. «Thanks to an active principle, griffon D, useful for those who have one glycemia tend to be high when fasting, due to the extra pounds (in particular the abdominal fat visceral) which prevent insulin from being effective where it is needed ".
They are not all "kitchen"
The other mushroom native to the Far East, found both as supplement is dried in bags to keep in the pantry, it is shitake (Lentinula Edodes). «Its fame as a functional superfood is due to the presence of a beta glucan, the Lentinan, which it has an immunostimulating action proven by several studies. Basically, refine the defenses organic against viruses and bacteria and is therefore the ideal ingredient to cope with the rigors of winter ». On the other hand, it is not edible due to its bitter flavor and woody texture reishi mushroom (Ganoderma Lucidum). Its dry extract gives life to supplements, sold in pharmacies and herbalists to help deal with physical and mental stress.
“The Chinese emperors drank it in the form of tea for its ability to improve health and longevity », continues Dr. Bardaro. «Thanks to a pool of polysaccharides and glycoproteins, it protects neurons from damage free radicals and can help slow down cognitive impairment, especially after the age of 55. The dose? Two grams per day, one in the morning and one in the evening, in the form of pills, tablets or tablets».
Porcino champion of antioxidants
Research from the Pennsylvania State Center for Plant and Mushroom Products for Health reviewed 13 varieties of mushrooms and found that the richest in antioxidants is the porcine (Boletus Edulis group), while the poorest are champignons (Agaricus bisporus).
«The substances capable of protect from aging There are two cellular cells: glutathione and ergothioneine ”, explains Dr. Carmine Siniscalco, agronomist and mycologist in charge of the Ispra special mushroom project.
"It is good, however, to specify that at present we do not know how many of these antioxidant substances are bioavailable and are absorbed by the human body.
It is therefore necessary to curb the enthusiasm of those who speak of boletus as a natural shield against aging, cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, definitive studies are still lacking».
