Mushrooms are a great source of various nutrients that our body needs. While, today, most restaurants provide nicely cooked and garnished mushroom dishes in their menu, mushrooms have been there for centuries. While some mushrooms have been cooked and consumed, some other medicinal ones have been consumed in other forms. This article specifically talks about maitake mushrooms and all that you need to know about these wonderful mushrooms.

What are maitake mushrooms?

Maitake mushrooms, pretty much like the name suggests, come from East Asia. The name maitake is a Japanese word, which means dancing. Thus, maitake mushroom means the dancing mushroom. They have been named so because in the ancient times, when people came across these mushrooms, they would celebrate finding the mushrooms by dancing. However, in the west, these are popularly known as the Hen of the woods for their clustered growth that would assume a shape of feathers.

Maitake mushrooms are one of those mushrooms that have a great medicinal value and can also be cooked. They are in fact one of the healthiest forms of culinary mushrooms that you would find. Even traditionally, they have been used by people in the kitchen just as actively as they would use it in other medicinal forms.

Where do they come from?

Maitake mushrooms are wild mushrooms that grow in the forests of various Asian, European, and North American countries. You would spot them growing on hardwood trees. In hardwood trees, they prefer growing on oak trees more than others. The most favorable months for the growth of maitake mushrooms is between September and October. Growing from little and tiny spores, each maitake mushroom is capable of growing really large in size.

Primary Compound found in maitake mushrooms

The reason why maitake mushroom has so many health benefits is because of the compounds that it is composed of. Maitake mushrooms contain complex compounds which are still under the microscopes of researchers. One of the primary compounds found in maitake mushrooms is beta-glucans. Beta glucans is a complex form of sugar that is found in various fungi. The immunity boosting benefits that maitake mushrooms are popular for come from this compound.

Benefits of maitake mushrooms

With the compounds that maitake mushrooms are made of, they have certain health benefits that they are capable of offering. First up, the most significant benefit of having maitake mushrooms is enhanced immunity. Maitake mushrooms have anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. With the help of these properties, they help in fighting various diseases and deliver an overall better immune strength. Maitake mushrooms have compounds that can even attack cancer cells. And in general, they help the cells develop normally, thus preventing cancerous growth.

Besides this, maitake mushrooms also regulate cardiovascular health. Maitake mushrooms can help in lowering the blood pressure and managing the level of sugar in the blood. As a result, it may help people who are suffering from diabetes.

Like all edible mushrooms, maitake mushrooms are also very nutritious. Maitake mushrooms can be consumed by everyone, and it is a great source of nutrition especially for people who are trying to lose weight. They are low in calories and cholesterol. They also provide the body an abundance of minerals and various vitamins, like vitamin B-complex. Besides that, they are fibrous and provide our body the fiber it needs.

you can have maitake mushrooms in various ways. Cooking up a delicious meal would be a great idea. However, if you are planning to take maitake mushrooms to boost your immunity or manage your blood pressure, you need to be more consistent in having maitake mushrooms. In that case, taking maitake mushroom supplement would help a great deal.