Shimeji and Turkey Tail mushroom

Shimeji Mushroom: Are edible mushroom native to East Asia. It is also available in Northern Europe. It is a difficult cultivate mushroom.

• Adding Shimeji increases taste of soups and is a good garnishing ingredient.
• It is known to have other medicinal properties.
• Good for asthma and breathing problems.
• It contains beta-glucans the compound that fights against cancer tumor.
• It is good for controlling blood sugar level.
• Shimeji is also rich in umami (oo-mammy) tasting compounds such as guanylic acid, aspartic acid, glutamic acid. (Umami is a savory taste practiced in Japan)

Turkey Tail mushroom: Trametes versicolor is the common name for Turkey Tail mushroom. It is also known as cloud mushroom or Coriolis. It contains two complex polysaccharides namely PSK and PSP. Because of the two compounds Turkey Tail mushroom is gaining lot of attention.

• It is also an edible mushroom. But the importance for this fungus in medicinal field is gained more obvious.
• As per a clinical study by NIH funded project, it improves immune system of women who suffer from stage I-III breast cancer.
• It also controls infection growth of Aspergillus niger, Candidada albicans, E. coli, herpes, Streptococcus pneumonia. It is also good for people who suffer from chronic fatigue condition.

Image credit: Indofungi.com, https://www.milkwood.net/ (Get more information on Turkey tail mushroom here)