What preparation of remedial mushrooms is the best?

What preparation of remedial mushrooms is the best?

Libor Hejl

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It is not easy to say what a method is the best for the consumption of remedial fungi. There are many questions that would have to be answered first. Some fungi contain healing substances that dissolve in water, while other fungi contains such a substance that needs to be dissolved in alcohol. Sometimes they are thermostable, otherwise thermolabile.

A lot of species of fungi not only is valuable for positive substances, but also for a delicate taste. It is important to cook any fungi carefully to avoid destroying of these substances. The same rules like for vegetable apply. It is wise to use the water that is used for boiling of fungi as it contains dissolved polysaccharides. It is the same with the oil used for frying. Thermolabile substances are destroyed by overcooking. The most considerate method is a light searing. Some sources state that fungal cell walls are rigid due to the polysaccharides and are biologically active only if they are extracted before the consumption. Polysaccharide complexes are partly broken by the activity of acids and enzymes in our digestive system. They are more bioactive, if they are cooked before the consumption. Most of the active substances are in cell walls and are released after 45-60 minutes of the decoction. Terpenes are quite thermostable. Most of the active polysaccharides are dissolved in water, while some others in alcohol only. That's why the best way is to prepare a double extraction.

Only a few side effects when consuming remedial fungi were recorded. That is the reason why remedial fungi are considered to be very safe even when used long-term. Most of the bad reactions of a human's body were caused by lack of enzymes for digesting of a fungi. Very often such a reaction appears when consuming a popular and safe fungi. Rarely, anaphylactic reactions (type of allergy, sensitization to a protein) were recorded after consuming remedial fungi. It is recommended to take several fungi species together as every species contains different substances. All the tonics, fungi included, are recommended to be taken in the course of 3-9 months. 

We can encounter several types of commercial products on the market. Generally, we can divide them in several groups: dried fungi, extracts and capsules. Capsules are filled by a dried and powdered mycelium. Extracts are made by the extraction of mycelial substances in water and alcohol. It is more fruitful to consume mycelial products as the key substances are more concentrated in mycelium than in fruitbodies. There are some exceptions though, of course. If we decide for fungi picked up in the nature and they are hardly consumable in cuisine (e.g. Polypores), then it is adviseable to make a double extract. You can follow this recipe:

The double extract is made of water and alcohol extracts. The water part contains especially polysaccharides, while the alcohol one mainly triterpens. We use 500 ml of a pure alcohol. Let's crush fungi in a mixer or chomp them to small pieces. Then, put the fungi into a larger jar and fill the jar by the alcohol. Close the jar and place it in a warm, dark place. After 4-6 weeks open the jar and strain it. Put the squeezed mushrooms in a pot, add water and cook for 2-3 hours. If needed, you can add water during the cooking. Then, strain it, throw the mushrooms out and continue in cooking of the decoction until most of the water is evaporated. Then let it get cold and finally mix it with the alcohol extract. It's done...