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Auricularia auricula-judae | Wood Ear
Auricularia auricula-judae | Wood Ear
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Cardiovascular Support | Anti-inflammatory | Antioxidant
Shop Wood Ear mushrooms wholesale with the Mushroom Dispensary.
Note: Can be purchased as powders or made up in blends to personal specifications, and supplied in capsules or powders upon request.
All of our mushroom specimens and extracts are lab-tested, quality-controlled, and supplied by trusted growers on farms we have personally visited.
Summary
Summary
Auricularia auricula-judae grows throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. It is highly valued in Asian cooking for its crunchy, rubbery texture. A type of jelly fungus, it produces fruiting bodies that are translucent and ear-shaped, hence its names ‘Wood Ear’ and ‘Jelly Ear. As with other jelly fungi, A. auricula-judae fruiting bodies contain high levels of polysaccharides and these are the main bioactive component, although phenols have been shown to contribute to the total antioxidant and hypercholesterolaemic activity ²,³. Both A. auricula-judae and A. polytricha (Mao Mu Er ‘Hairy Wood Ear’, or Yun Er ‘Cloud Ear’) are considered species of Mu Er in Chinese medicine and today are used interchangeably ¹.
Recommended Medicinal Uses
Recommended Medicinal Uses
• Anti-inflammatory for soothing irritated or inflamed mucous membranes6
• Strong antioxidant properties ⁷⁻⁹
• Anti-thrombotic & increases clotting times in vitro and in vivo ¹⁰⁻¹¹
• Lowers total blood cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL levels & enhances the level of blood HDL ³,¹²⁻¹⁴
• Exhibits inhibitory activity against one of the key enzymes involved in Alzheimer’s disease ⁴,⁵
Dose
Dose
2-3g/day polysaccharide extract.
Contraindications
Contraindications
Caution should be exercised when prescribing to patients on anti-coagulant medication. Owing to possible anti-fertility effects, it is recommended that A. auricula-judae not be taken by pregnant or lactating women or those planning to conceive ¹⁷. We recommend that medical professionals prescribing Wood Ear mushrooms check contraindications with patients’ medical history and active prescriptions.
Research
Research
1. Hobbs C. Medicinal Mushrooms – An Exploration of Tradition, Healing and Culture. Williams, Oregon : Botanica Press, 2002.
2. Research progress in Auricularia auricula polysaccharide. Huang XG, Quan YL, Guan B, Hu Y. Liangyou Shipin Keji. 2010;18(1):47–50, 54.
3. Hypocholesterolemic effects of Auricularia auricula ethanol extract in ICR mice fed a cholesterol-enriched diet. Chen G, Luo YC, Ji BP, Li B, Su W, Xiao ZL, Zhang GZ. J Food Sci Technol. 2011;48(6):692–698.
4. Evaluation of antioxidant property and quality of breads containing Auricularia auricula polysaccharide flour. Fan LS, Zhang SH, Yu L. Li Ma Food Chemistry. 2007;101(3):1158–1163.
5. Heat-stable components of Wood Ear mushroom, Auricularia polytricha (Higher Basidiomycetes), inhibit in vitro activity of Beta Secretase (BACE1). Bennett L, Sheean P, Zabaras D, Head R. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2013;15(3):233–249.
6. Polysaccharides in fungi. XIV. Anti-inflammatory effect of the polysaccharides from the fruit bodies of several fungi. Ukai S, Kiho T, Hara C, Kuruma I, Tanaka Y. J Pharmacobiodyn. 1983;6(12):983–990.
7. Antioxidant capacity of fresh and processed fruit bodies and mycelium of Auricularia auricula-judae (Fr.) Quél. Kho YS, Vikineswary S, Abdullah N, Kuppusamy UR, Oh HI. J Med Food. 2009;12(1):167–174.
8. Antioxidant and nitric oxide synthase activation properties of Auricularia auricula. Acharya K, Samui K, Rai M, Dutta BB, Acharya R. Indian J Exp Biol. 2004;42(5):538–540.
9. Antioxidant activity of submerged cultured mycelium extracts of higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms. Asatiani MD, Elisashvili VI, Reznick A, Nevo ED. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2007;9(2):151–158.
10. The nontoxic mushroom Auricularia auricula contains a polysaccharide with anticoagulant activity mediated by antithrombin. Yoon SJ, Yu MA, Pyun YR, Hwang JK, Chu DC, Juneja LR, Mourão PA. Thromb Res. 2003;112(3):151–158.
11. Inhibition of human and rat platelet aggregation by extracts of Mu-er (Auricularia auricula). Agarwal KC, Russo FX, Parks RE Jr. Thromb Haemost. 1982;48(2):162–165.
12. Effect of polysaccharide from Auricularia auricula on blood lipid metabolism and lipoprotein lipase activity of ICR mice fed a cholesterol-enriched diet. Chen G, Luo YC, Li BP, Li B, Guo Y, Li Y, Su W, Xiao ZL. J Food Sci. 2008;73(6):H103–108.
13. The hypocholesterolemic effect of two edible mushrooms: Auricularia auricula (tree-ear) and Tremella fuciformis (white jelly-leaf) in hypercholesterolemic rats. Cheung PCK. Nutr Res. 1996;16(10):1721–1725.
14. Isolation and purification of polysaccharides from wood ear (Auricularia auricular) and their hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities. Yi MA, Tang J, Han C. 2005 IFT Annual Meeting. ift.confex.com 18B-13.
15. Chemical characterization of Auricularia auricula polysaccharides and its pharmacological effect on heart antioxidant enzyme activities and left ventricular function in aged mice.Wu Q, Tan Z, Liu H, Gao L, Wu S, Luo J, Zhang W, Zhao T, Yu J, Xu X. Int J Biol Macromol. 2010;46(3):284–288.
16. Auricularia auricula polysaccharide protects myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury. Ye TM, Qian LB, Cui J, Wang HP, Ye ZG, Xia Q. Zhongguo Yingyong Shenglixue Zazhi. 2010;26(2):154–158.
17. Anti-fertility action of Auricularia auricula polysaccharide. He B, Chen Q, Zhongguo Yaoke Daxue Xuebao. 1991;22(1):48–49.
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