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Originally Posted by piemma
They are ALL gone! We ate them Christmas Eve. We ate them Christmas day. My kids took some home and I gave a lot to my neighbors. I'll ping you next year if you are interested.
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Those are great for medicinal use too.
The underground tubers from which hen of the woods arises has been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine to enhance the immune system. Researchers have also indicated that whole maitake has the ability to regulate blood pressure, glucose, insulin, and both serum and liver lipids, such as cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids, and may also be useful for weight loss.
Maitake is rich in minerals (such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium), various vitamins (B2, D2 and Niacin), fibers and amino acids. The active constituent in maitake for enhancing the immune activity has been identified in the late 1980s to be the protein-bound polysaccharide compound, beta-glucan, an ingredient found especially in the family of polyporaceae.
Cancer prevention is one of the purported uses of Maitake mushroom extract.[1] [2] Maitake is thought to exert its effects through its ability to activate various effector cells, such as macrophages, natural killer cells, T cells, interleukin-1 and superoxide anions, all of which have anti-cancer activity.