The Nutritious and Delicious Benefits of Enoki Mushrooms*

If you are wanting fresh inspiration for unique ingredients to add to recipes, or a new excuse to go out foraging, then diving into Enoki mushrooms is a great place to start. Do you want to support several systems in your body all at once as well as consume more vitamins, minerals, and other healthy nutrients?* This article will cover the basics of what you need to know about the many benefits of Enoki mushrooms and inspire you to learn more by trying this mushroom for yourself.* 

Interested in Enoki Mushroom benefits?* Here’s What You Want to Know!

Enoki mushroom has many different names, including “golden needle fungus,” “lily mushroom,” “winter mushroom” (because it grows during the cooler months), or “velvet stem mushroom.” (1) Although you might be more accustomed to purchasing white button mushrooms or Portobello mushrooms at the supermarket, Enoki mushrooms are also sometimes sold there, as well as mushroom farms, and they can even be cultivated in one’s own home. One interesting fact to know when purchasing or growing Enoki mushrooms is that the cultivated version looks different than the wild mushrooms themselves. This is interesting because even though it is the same type of mushroom, it may be unrecognizable if you didn’t know this!

 (2) Wild species of enoki mushroom have colorful caps ranging from brown to yellow; the caps of the wild mushrooms are larger than the cultivated variety. Cultivated Enoki mushrooms are long and white. (3) In the wild, Enoki mushrooms grow on dead hardwood or organic matter, typically in the form of stumps and logs. These mushrooms are most prominent in late fall as the weather begins to cool down.(2) Enoki is distributed widely throughout the world. Its habitat ranges from Ireland and Britain, Asia, Europe, North Africa, and North America.(4) After you look in more detail at a mushroom guide or even sign up for a mushroom walk with a professional, you could find these for yourself and not only get the benefits from consuming them but also the many benefits of being out and connecting to nature.*

Enoki mushroom benefits people in ways that have been acknowledged for quite some time.* In fact, the long history of use of Enoki mushrooms by humans dates back to 800 AD when they were already being cultivated in China.(3) Clearly Enoki mushroom benefits us and has lots of potential which we will now explore in more detail.*

What are the Specific Enoki Mushroom Benefits?*

There are several benefits to consuming Enoki mushrooms.* The benefits of Enoki mushroom begin with its high nutrient content.* They are full of vitamins and minerals, unsaturated fatty acids, and they are also a source of protein.* Enoki mushrooms contain Linoleic acid which is essential for humans.* Linoleic acid is a building block in the creation of inflammatory mediators in the body, and the way we get this nutrient is by obtaining it from food.* Therefore cooking up Enoki mushrooms and making them a substantial food source in your diet could be a great way to get some of these Enoki mushroom benefits!* Furthermore, Enoki mushrooms contain Phenolic acids, which are compounds that support the body in maintaining healthy levels of oxidation, which in turn is supportive to the cardiovascular system.*(3)

In addition to all the benefits from the nutrients mentioned above, Enoki mushrooms also contain an abundance of dietary fiber which promotes healthy cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure.* Many mushrooms, for example Shiitake or Oyster, contain dietary fiber but Enoki contains even higher levels than many other species.*(3) 

If this isn’t inspiring and impressive to you already keep reading because Enoki mushroom benefits extend even further.* These mushrooms also contain a compound known as Fungal Immunomodulatory Protein which may help support the immune system.* This compound may potentially promote a healthy and normal response to seasonal transitions.* Polysaccharides are compounds in Enoki mushrooms which also are supportive to the immune system.* Enoki mushrooms are clearly beneficial in such a large variety of ways.* In addition to all the benefits above, they also encourage a healthy response to inflammation and may provide liver support.* One more fun fact to add on to this abundance of information is that Enoki mushroom may support healthy cognition and information retention.*(3) Perhaps consider cooking up some Enoki during busy times at school or work!

These benefits of Enoki mushroom are so expansive that they may support your overall health in more ways than one.* Next time you are deciding which mushrooms to cook with dinner, perhaps you can try Enoki for a change and enjoy not only a new flavor, but also the knowledge of the many Enoki mushroom benefits.* 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to  diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

References

1.)DOI: 10.5713/ajas.17.0787

2.) Kuo, M. (2013, February). Flammulina velutipes. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com   

     Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/flammulina_velutipes.html

3.)DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00474

4.) https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/flammulina-velutipes.php

Images

"Enoki Mushrooms" by Squirmelia is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

"Flammulina velutipes" by Celes247 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

"enoki mushroom and baby bok choy soup" by JUL7777 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0