[#2004-13] Medicinal Value of Culinary-Medicinal Maitake Mushroom Grifola frondosa (Dicks.:Fr.) S.F. Gray (Aphyllophoromycetideae). Review., Cun Zhuang et al.

Medicinal Value of Culinary-Medicinal Maitake Mushroom Grifola frondosa (Dicks.:Fr.) S.F. Gray (Aphyllophoromycetideae). Review.

Cun Zhuang and Solomon P Wasser

ABSTRACT: Grifola frondosa (Maitake) is a culinary—medicinal mushroom found in some parts of Europe, North America, and Asia. It usually grows naturally on and around the roots of various kinds of deciduous trees. In Japan, it was found in the northern part, and wild G. frondosa was served only at top-class restaurants because of its good flavor, crisp texture, and excellent aroma. Since the mid-1980s, the development of successful cultivation methods has led to its availability in large-scale production and extensive research. The main research on G. frondosa has been conducted in antitumor, anti-HIV, antihypertension, antidiabetes, antihyperlipemia, and antiobesity, and the results demonstrated that G. frondosa is one of the most bioactive, safe mushrooms. In this article, the artificial cultivation and the physicochemical and pharmacological properties of G. frondosa are described in detail.