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Vegan Confinement – Herbal King Oyster Mushroom

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Vegan Confinement - Herbal King Oyster Mushroom

Vegan Confinement - Herbal King Oyster Mushroom

Vegan Confinement – Herbal King Oyster Mushroom.

Yes you have read it.

Let me introduce one of my favourite mushrooms of all time!

King oyster mushrooms!

During the course of preparing a vegan confinement for my wife, I have tried to use king oyster mushrooms in some of my dishes. Due to its texture, many have been using it to replace meat found in other dishes.

A little information about the mushoom.

Medicinally, eryngii (King oyster mushroom) is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM), along with other mushroom species, and is sometimes recommended by other alternative practitioners, although these uses have not been fully researched scientifically[2]. Research does suggest that some substances in the mushroom do have potential in medicine, including in the following areas[3]:

  • Treatment of certain cancers
  • Antiviral activity
  • Antimicrobial activity
  • Immune system support
  • Hormonal support
  • The reduction of fats, such as cholesterol, in the blood

1) It is great for your colon!

An anti-inflammatory protein found in P. eryngii called PEP has been shown to reduce the proliferation of colon cancer cells in both cultures of human tissue and in living mice, without damaging normal cells[4]. In a separate study, a polyphenol-rich extract from the same mushroom species was shown to also combine anti-inflammatory properties with the ability to kill colon cancer cells without harming normal cells[5]. In both cases, the effect is dose-dependent, meaning higher doses have a stronger effect. Both substances have at least some potential in the treatment of both colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Check out my fertility diet post for more information on your gut health!

2) Anti-cancer properties

“Cancer” is not a single disease but, rather, a large group of maladies; all involve uncontrolled and disruptive cell growth, but have different patterns of disease progression and different causes and risk factors, and require different treatments. It is incorrect to say that a substance can “cure cancer,” as a blanket statement, simply because it proves helpful against one or more diseases. That being said, substances extracted from P. eryngii have shown promise against multiple cancers in both cell cultures and animal models, including cancers of the liver and lungs[6] and breast[7].

Although the mushroom as a whole has not been tested as a cancer treatment, it’s worth noting that multiple substances derived from this species are being investigated—suggesting that study of the whole mushroom could be interesting.

3) Cholesterol-lowering properties

The reduction of fats, such as cholesterol, in the blood

Rats bred to have high cholesterol were given powdered P. eryngii in their diet to test the mushroom as a possible treatment for high cholesterol and obesity[8]. The rats receiving the mushroom showed significant decreases in cholesterol and an improvement in the ratio of “good” to “bad” cholesterol, as well as a reduction in total body weight. Apart from being killed by researchers at the end of the study, the animals were healthy. Other studies, both in rats and in cultured cells, showed similar results[9].

Ingredients

  1. 1 packet of king oyster mushroom (~400-500g)
  2. Huangqi 15g
  3. Danggui 10g
  4. Red dates 20g
  5. Goji berries 15g
  6. A dash of salt
  7. A dash of sesame oil
  8. Cooking oil

Steps

  1. Cut the mushrooms into slices
  2. Add a little cooking oil on the pan, and pan fry the mushrooms.
  3. Once golden-brown, add in 500ml of water together with the rest of the herbs
  4. Simmer for 40minutes
  5. Add in goji berries, salt and sesame oil at the end
  6. Enjoy your herbal mushrooms during your vegan confinement 

References

[2]     Money N.P. (2016). Are Mushrooms Medicinal? Fungal Biology. 120(4): 449–453.

[3]     Fu Z., Llu Y., Zhang G. (2016). A Potent Pharmacological Mushroom: Pleurotus eryngii. Fungal Genomics and Biology. 6 (1).

[4]    Yuan B., Ma N., Zhao L., Zhao E., Gao Z., Wang W., Song M., Zhang G., Hu Q., Xiao H. (2017). In Vitro and In Vivo Inhbitory Effects of a Pleurotus eryngii Protein on Colon Cancer Cells. Food and Function. 10.

[5]     H Q., Yuan B., Xiao H., Zhao L. Wu X., Rakariyatham K., Zhong L., Han Y., Muinde Kimatu B., Yang W. (2018). Polyphenols-Rich Extract From Pleurotus eryngii with Growth Inhibitoru of HCT116 Colon Cancer Cells and Anti-Inflammatory Function in RAW264.7 Cells. Food and Function. 9(3): 1601–1611.

[6]    Xue Z., Zhai L., Yu W., Wang H. (2014). Antitumor and Immunomodulary Activity of Pleurotus eryngii Extract. Journal of Food Biochemistry. 39(1).

[7]  Xue Z. Li J., Cheng A., Yu W., Zhang Z., Kou X., Zhou F. (2015). Structure Identification of Triterpene from Mushroom Pleurotus eryngii with Inhibitory Effects Against Breast Cancer. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. 70 (3): 291–6.

[8] Alam N., Yoon K. N., Lee J. S., Cho H. J., Shim M. J., Lee T. S. (2011). Dietary Effect of Pleurotus eryngii on Biochemical Function and Histology in Hypercholesterolemic Rats. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 18(4): 403–409.

[9] Cho J.H., Kim D. W., Kim S., Kim S.J. (2017). In Vitro Antioxidant and In Vivo Hypolipidemic Effects of the King Oyster Culinary-Medicina Mushroom, Pleurotus eryngi var. ferulae DDL01 (Agaricomycetes), in Rats with High-Fat Diet-Induced Fatty Liver and Hyperlipidemia. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 19(2): 107–119.

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