Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa), commonly referred to as the “hen of the woods”, has a fascinating origin story, starting in Japan, where maitake has been enjoyed as a super food for thousands of years. Maitake means “dancing mushroom” in Japanese, and while there are many reasons this mushroom may make one dance with joy, one story stands out more to me than the others. Maitake was a highly valued commodity in feudal Japan, where local lords would trade their subjects an equivalent weight in silver for maitake. Thus, the name “dancing mushroom” stems from the Japanese commoners who would dance for joy when they found maitake, knowing they would be greatly compensated for their discovery. The mushroom was so highly valued in Japan that up until it was commercially grown, the expert mushroom foragers would keep their harvest areas so secret that they would only reveal their locations after their death in their wills.
You probably know maitake as the delicious, woodsy, and spicy mushroom common in many Japanese dishes. A plethora of health benefits complement that amazing flavor…
Maitake Benefits
Maitake has proven itself as one of the most nutritionally rich polypore mushrooms out there, containing a wealth of health-beneficial compounds like beta-glucans, antioxidants, phytosterols, fiber, vitamins B and C, potassium, minerals, and amino acids… just to name a few. Through scientific investigation, Maitake has demonstrated the ability to support the immune system and be a valuable part of a well-rounded weight loss regimen.
Immune Support
Most functional fungi provide antioxidants and polysaccharides which contribute largely to their immune supporting properties. Maitake is no outlier here, containing both of these immune supporting compounds. What’s even more interesting is that these compounds have a non-specific effect on the immune system, meaning that their effect will be catered to what your body needs. Rather than being a bandaid fix, these compounds support your body’s inherent ability to defend itself.
Maitake as a Part of your Weight Loss Regimen
Maitake is a low-calorie and high fiber food, helping you feel fuller and avoid overeating. But it does much more than quell our appetites… Research has been performed on this Maitake, with one study focusing on Maitake's ability to support weight loss. In this study, 30 overweight adults received a Maitake supplement daily, with no other changes being added to their diets. The results were staggering, with the participants averaging an 11-13 pound weight loss over the course of 2 months! Incorporate Maitake into your routine with Birch Boys Maitake Tincture or by reaching for whole Maitake instead of a processed snack.
Birch Boys and Maitake Mushroom
If you're looking for a delicious mushroom that you can add to your daily diet, maitake is a great choice, and is easy to incorporate into stir-fry, rice dishes, soups, and pasta dishes. Birch Boys also offers a Maitake Tincture (water and ethanol extract) that makes it easy to take daily and to incorporate into your superfood arsenal.
About The Author
Garrett Kopp is the 25 year old Chaga visionary and founder of Birch Boys, Inc., a company well-known for its assortment of teas, tinctures, and extracts from healing wild fungi. Kopp grew up in the Adirondack Mountains, where he naturally developed a broad passion for the wild northern forests of New York. He began to specialize and narrow this passion toward Chaga after a freak accident where he helped himself to a cup of what appeared to be iced tea in his Grandmother’s refrigerator, who had started harvesting Chaga and brewing it on her own amidst a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Soon thereafter, Kopp and his grandmother expanded their Chaga harvesting activities to local farmer's markets, where they discovered significant demand for the fungus and its powerful ability to help everyday people.
These entrepreneurial efforts landed Kopp acceptance into Clarkson University’s early entrance program, the Clarkson School, where he studied Engineering & Management and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Several years and hundreds of research hours later, Kopp returned to his hometown. Having shipped to over 20,0000 individuals throughout all 50 states, Birch Boys has organically grown into a nationally recognized online brand . Kopp is proud to have built a vertically integrated supply chain, sustainably sourcing the fruits of tree-borne fungi from over 220,000 leased acres of leased private land in the Adirondack park, where it is carefully harvested by hand before being dried, processed, and extracted with love, at his fungi factory in none other than Tupper Lake, NY.
Recommended Reading
The Best Mushrooms for Skin Care
Mushrooms For Weight Loss
Why We Use Alcohol in Our Mushroom Tinctur
Comments (0)
There are no comments for this article. Be the first one to leave a message!