Matsutake mushrooms - health benefits

What are Matsutake Mushrooms?

Matsutake mushrooms are also known as pine mushrooms, Tricholoma matsutake, or Tricholoma nauseosum. These mushrooms are believed to have originated in Japan, but can be found in the northern parts of Europe, as well as in Asia (particularly Korea, China, Bhutan, and Laos) and North America.

They are very popular and much appreciated in Japanese and Korean cuisine for their distinctive flavor. In Japanese culture, these pine mushrooms are so revered that some Japanese people are prepared to pay several thousands of dollars for a kilo of natively Japanese and wild mushrooms. The imported Matsutake mushrooms grown in other countries are much less valuable, but still used in tasty meals.

The tradition of using Matsutake in the art of natural healing started in ancient China more than 3000 years ago. In these days, people believed in the magical properties of matsutake mushrooms and often used them in certain rituals.

How Can You Use Matsutake Mushrooms?

Modern medicine found these mushrooms to be excellent sources of proteins, vitamins and minerals. They are full of vitamins A, B6, C and also thiamine, niacin and riboflavin. What's more, these pine mushrooms also contain plenty of minerals such as potassium, sodium, iron, copper, calcium and phosphorus. Copper is important for many different biochemical reactions in the body and also for the production of red blood cells, which makes these mushrooms valuable. Potassium, found in high amounts in matsutake mushrooms, is excellent for a healthy heart and muscles and contributes to a fluid balance in the body.

These mushrooms are completely without cholesterol and contain just traces of fat, and because of that they are considered to be very healthy.

Matsutake mushrooms were even suggested to play a successful role in the fighting of different cancers. Many medications are used to treat cancerous changes in the body, but all of them also affect healthy tissue to some extent, causing serious side effects. If these anti-cancer medications kill cancer cells they will most certainly kill some of the healthy cells in the body, because the drugs can’t differentiate between healthy and cancer cells. Matsutake mushrooms are believed to be a natural anti-cancer remedy, that doesn’t have unwanted side effects. 

Most cancers are considered to be the result of the pollution damage of our cells. Carcinogens from the industry, such as benzene, are blamed for almost 80% of all cancer cases. Matsutake mushrooms have anti-cancerous properties, due to the substances present in them. These substances are: different glycans, polysaccharides AB-P and AB-FP, at least different steroids, uronyde, and some nucleic acid elements are responsible for carcinostatic properties of these mushrooms.

Matsutake mushrooms were proven helpful in over 85% in the some animal testing for carcinomas. They showed positive results on animals tested also for: solid cancers and cancers induced by chemicals. These mushrooms can prevent the metastasis of carcinoma cells, because they can affect and reinforce the immune system. They are also found to prevent the risk of cancers by regular consummation. While none of this means that pine mushrooms are a substitute for cancer treatment, you may ask your doctor about the potential health benefits of consuming them as a supplement — alongside which they can also simply represent a tasty and healthy meal for mushroom lovers.