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In addition to the culinary qualities of the shiitake mushroom, these are some of its medicinal properties:
Antimicrobial Properties
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It contains compounds with antibacterial effects such as oxalic acid, which fights S. aureus and other bacteria
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It contains erythedenine, a compound with antilipidemic effects that is also an antiviral agent.
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Other shiitake compounds such as lentinan (antiviral) and centinamycins A and B (antibacterial) are effective against infections (1)
Immune stimulation
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Contains polysaccharides that are effective in the treatment of inflammation.
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The enzyme Superoxide Dismutase and other anti-oxidant agents can reduce the deterioration of the immune system with age
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Lentinan stimulates lymphocyte production and has been used experimentally with anti-cancer results (2)
Cardiovascular Modulation
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Compounds such as erythedenine, sterols and betaglucans help reduce cholesterol
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Experiments with shiitake suggest that its consumption:
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1. Prevents an increase in blood pressure
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2. Reduces and controls the level of fat in the liver
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3. Helps clean the arterial plaque (3)
Bibliography of studies used:
1. Ulrike Lindequist, Timo H. J. Niedermeyer y Wolf-Dieter Jülich : The Pharmacological Potential of Mushrooms, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1193547/
2. Seema Patel y Arun Goyal : Recent developments in mushrooms as anti-cancer therapeutics: a review, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339609/
3. HYUN YANG, INHO HWANG, SUN KIM, EUI-JU HONG, y EUI-BAE JEUNG : Lentinus edodes promotes fat removal in hypercholesterolemic mice, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3829752/
