A traditional gilled mushroom native to East Asia, shiitake is among the most popular edible mushrooms, yet possesses a polysaccharide profile with a wealth of health benefits. Our sustainably grown shiitake are cultivated in climate-controlled greenhouses and further standardized to 40% polysaccharides.

New Roots Herbal’s Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is a hot water–extracted medicinal mushroom formula standardized to contain 40% polysaccharides (300 mg per capsule). Hot-water extraction is critical in obtaining a high-quality and effective mushroom product, and is the traditional Asian method of extraction. In the whole mushroom, polysaccharides are bound by indigestible cell wall comprised of chitin; chitin must be dissolved through hot water in order to gently release the medicinal components, the mushroom polysaccharides. Conversely, grinding the mushroom may cause damage to the long-chain polysaccharides and fails to remove the indigestible chitin (fibre), limiting the amount of therapeutic constituents that can be fit per capsule. Standardization ensures that the final product contains a consistent amount of polysaccharides to allow delivery of a therapeutic dose.

Shiitake contains several therapeutic polysaccharides; lentinan is the most prominent, triggering white blood cell–production for increased resistance to disease. Several other polysaccharides have been shown to improve numbers of CD4 cells that fight infection; this can be of critical use for those with suppressed immune system function, including HIV patients.

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