The Herbarium
Print plate
Shiitake botanical plate

Herb. No. 034 · Omphalotaceae

RangeFig. atlas
Approximate native range — a teaching atlas, not a survey

East Asian oak-log fungus, now the world’s most grown gourmet mushroom.

Native · East Asia

Native Also grownNow a garden plant worldwide
LegalGentlefungus

Shiitake

Lentinula edodes

Medicinal fungiKitchenHarvest

The farmable forest mushroom — food first, immune-modulating lentinan as a bonus.

Shiitake is both supper and medicine. Lentinan (a beta-glucan) has been used as an injected adjunct in Japan; that is not a home soup. As food, regularly eaten shiitake is a reasonable immune-supporting habit. A minority of people get a flagellate rash from undercooked specimens.

Flavor

Deep forest umami, garlic-wood when dried.

Parts used

Fruiting body

Helpful

  • Delicious
  • Log or block culture is a classic homestead skill
  • Meat of the evidence is as food

Cautions

  • Shiitake dermatitis from raw/undercooked
  • Log culture takes a year

Field assistant

Ask about traditional use, safety, or the law. The assistant will not teach illegal cultivation or give medical orders.

Related symptoms

low immunityfatigueinflammation

Teas with this plant

Remedies with this plant

  • Lion’s mane and tulsi week

    Adult: a culinary portion of lion’s mane (about a cup cooked) several times a week. Tulsi: one 8 oz cup in the afternoon. Rosemary: kitchen leaf, not the bottle of oil.

  • Winter mushroom pot

    Adult: one 8–12 oz mug of the strained decoction, 3–5 days a week in winter, or a weekly pot used over two days. Culinary garlic in the same soup.

Harvest this plant

When to cut, how to dry, and how to store it — garden and kitchen crops only.

Open harvest notes