Shiitake mushroom, also known as fragrant mushroom, stone mushroom, and winter mushroom, is a type of mushroom that belongs to the Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing species in the Tricholomataceae family. When the mushroom is about six to seven-tenths mature and the edges are still curled inward and the cap is not fully expanded, it should be harvested promptly and then dried by roasting, grilling, or sun-drying. Wild shiitake mushrooms are typically harvested in autumn, winter, and spring and then dried.
【Processing Method】Take the original medicinal material, remove impurities, and screen out any dirt.
【Appearance of the Medicinal Slice】The cap of the mushroom is semi-fleshy, flatly hemispherical, or flat. The surface is brown or purplish-brown with light brown or brown scales and irregular cracks. The flesh of the mushroom is white or light brown. The stem is central or slightly eccentric, nearly cylindrical or slightly flattened, curved or straight, often with scales. The upper part is white, and the lower part is white to brown with solid texture. The base of the stem is slightly swollen. It has a slight fragrance and a mild taste.
【Processing Functions】Shiitake mushrooms have a sweet and mild taste, and they are neutral in nature. They enter the liver and stomach meridians. They have the functions of tonifying the upright qi, strengthening the spleen and promoting digestion, dispelling wind and clearing rashes, anti-cancer properties, and resolving phlegm and regulating qi. Shiitake mushrooms are used in their raw form and are used for deficiency of upright qi, fatigue, poor appetite, indigestion, anemia, rickets, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, urticaria, and tumors. When combined with water decoction of deer antler grass and root of Japanese spindle tree, they can be used to treat edema (Chinese Medicinal Fungi); when combined with water decoction of shiitake mushroom stems and longan flesh, they can be used to treat measles that does not break out (Fujian Materia Medica); when stewed in wine, they can be used to treat night sweats and urticaria (Fujian Materia Medica). Processing can improve the cleanliness of the medicinal material.
