Be Healthy with Shiitake Mushrooms

     Mushrooms should be firm, plump and clean without wrinkles or slimy spots.

• Shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the human gastric cancer, resulting in Chinese for more than 6,000 years.
• Shiitake mushrooms contain an active compound called lentinan that strengthens the immune system’s ability to fight infection and disease. The compound has been shown to be more effective than prescription drugs against influenza and other viruses, even strengthening the immune systems of persons infected with HIV.
• Lentinan has also been shown to have anti-cancer activity in at least two ways against human gastric cancer, resulting in the fragmentation and destruction of cancer cell nests.
• An active component in shiitake mushrooms called eritadenine lowers cholesterol levels. Animal research has shown this compound lowers cholesterol no matter what types of dietary fats the lab animals are given.
• Shiitake mushrooms contain a significant amount of L-ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant.
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  Source: World’s Healthiest Food