Tempat keenam ialah cendawan shitake. Ia meningkatkan aktiviti sel NK sebangyak 42% dari paras asas.

Shitake Mushroom

Shiitake is a scented, edible mushroom grown in Asia, largely in Japan, China, and South Korea. They are generally cultivated on oak logs in forests, although more recently, synthetic logs made of sawdust and other agricultural wastes have become a new place to cultivate them. Shiitake Mushrooms range in color from tan to dark brown. They have wide open veils and tan gills, and their broad, umbrella-shaped caps have a soft, spongy texture.

Medicinal Properties &Uses:
Shiitake Mushrooms contain all eight amino acids that are ideal for human nutrition, two of which are leucine and lysine, and B vitamins, including B12. Scientists have isolated substances from Shiitake which may play a role in the cure and prevention of heart disease, cancer, and AIDS. It exhibits strong immune responses and has been extensively studied for use with cancers and viral infections. Shiitake Mushrooms contain a polysaccharide called “lentinan” that has proven to slow the growth of cancerous tumors in animals. This mushroom contains a variety of constituents that have demonstrated many actions including anti-tumor, liver protecting, anti-viral, immune modulation, and blood pressure lowering. Its extract is a powerful anti-fungal agent, used effectively to treat candida albicans. It is thought that lentinan enhances the immune system’s ability to fight infection. It is one of the three mushroom-based anti-cancer drugs approved by the FDA in Japan in 1985. Shiitake Mushrooms are used in Japan and China as a cancer-fighting agent. Studies have shown that Shiitakes also lower cholesterol.