Eden Foods Maitake Mushrooms - Dried & Sliced, 0.88 oz

Maitake mushrooms (Grifola frondosa) were traditionally called the 'dancing mushroom' or 'butterflies dancing', indigenous to China, Japan and parts of North America. Growing wild in Japan they were found at the base of the oak trees. Maitakes' delicate, rippled cluster appearance evokes images of butterflies dancing. So highly valued in Japan for its rich, succulent flavor and healthful properties that it was affectionately called the 'dancing mushroom'. Those who found maitake growing in the wild could be seen dancing with joy at their discovery. In feudal Japan maitake were exchanged for their weight in silver with each mushroom weighing 50 to 100 pounds. Held in such regard that the growing location of wild maitake was kept secret even amongst family members. In North America maitake are known as 'the hen of the woods', the rippled clusters being reminiscent of ruffled feathers. Most recently it has been called the 'King of Mushrooms' for its many health promoting qualities. Today wild maitake are a rare find. To meet the growing demand for this gourmet mushroom, all manufacturers grow maitake in a substrate mixture composed of sawdust from the broadleaf or beech tree, or a mixture of rice bran, millet bran and wheat bran. The substrate for EDEN Maitake is sterilized with steam heat to prevent the growth of mold. The sterilized substrate is then inoculated with maitake spores. The maitake grow to maturity in approximately 30 to 60 days and are then naturally dried. EDEN Maitake are grown in Japan without the use of fungicides, chemicals or preservatives.Most commercial varieties of maitake are grown on substrates treated with fungicides to prevent mold from growing, and the mushrooms are often treated with chemicals and preservatives.Maitake has been used for hundreds years in Japanese and Chinese herbology to help avoid what was termed 'diseases of excess' believed caused by excessive consumption of animal food and heavy saturated fats. Traditionally believed to be of particular benefit to the liver and lungs, cleansing and neutralizing toxins both internally and externally. It was used not only as a food but as a tea to promote health and vitality, thought to prevent high blood pressure and degenerative disease.Modern medical researchers have conducted numerous scientific studies focusing on maitakes' healing properties in regard to various types of cancer and immune system problems. Of particular interest are carbohydrates in maitake, called polysaccharides, in particular beta glucan that researchers believe may be largely responsible for maitakes' immune activating properties. Maitake has even been shown to relieve some of the side affects of chemotherapy such as nausea and hair loss. According to Barrie Cassileth, Ph. D., Chief of Integrative Medicine at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 'One of the beauties of maitake is that it has no toxicity and no side effects. It's a no lose product. It may be helpful, but it's not