Table of contents:
- Get to know Enoki mushrooms and their nutrients
- The potential of enoki mushrooms in preventing cancer, according to research
Have you ever seen a small yellowish white mushroom that looks like a hat with a hat? This uniquely shaped mushroom from Japan is known as enoki mushroom. A study in Japan found that enoki mushrooms can prevent cancer which is a scourge for almost everyone. Is it true or not? Check out the following reviews.
Get to know Enoki mushrooms and their nutrients
Enoki mushroom (golden mushroom) has the Latin name Flammulina velutipes or Flammulina populicola. Usually enoki mushrooms grow in winter near coniferous trees (coniferous trees) that have died. Apart from growing in the wild, this fungus is also cultivated by farmers. It's just that, this mushroom has a different shape depending on where this fungus grows.
The mushrooms that grow in the wild look shorter and have a bigger hat, while those cultivated by farmers are longer, brownish in color, and have a slightly smaller cap.
Enoki mushroom is one of the mushrooms that offers many nutrients. In 100 grams of dried enoki mushrooms, the nutritional content includes:
- 346 calories
- 53 percent carbohydrates (31 percent complex carbohydrates and 22 percent other forms of sugar)
- 26 percent protein
- 26 percent dietary fiber
- 3 percent fat (1 gram of polyunsaturated fat, 1.2 grams of total unsaturated fat, and 0.23 grams of saturated fat)
- A number of vitamins and minerals such as 0.35 grams of thiamine, 10.9 grams of pantothenic acid, 61 mg of niacin, 1.67 mg of riboflavones, 14 mg of calcium, o, 61 copper, 8.3 mg of iron, 3,100 potassium, 54 mg, and 19 mg sodium.
In addition, enoki mushrooms are also rich in antioxidants such as ergothioneines and soluble fiber which are effective in reducing the amount of bad cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, and lowering blood sugar levels in the body.
The potential of enoki mushrooms in preventing cancer, according to research
Apart from being used as food, enoki mushrooms are the first mushrooms to be studied for their nutrition to prevent cancer. Reporting from the Huffington Post, initial research conducted by Dr. Tetsuke Ikekawa, an epidemiologist from the Research Institute of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo, Japan in 1989.
From the research, Dr. Tetsuke Ikekawa saw that the death rate from cancer in Nagano Prefecture, Japan was reduced, even less than in other regions. Ikekawa suspects that Nagano is the center of enoki mushroom cultivation so that the consumption level of enoki mushrooms is also higher.
Then, further research found that the fact that enoki mushrooms contain two compounds that are bound to proteins, namely proflamin and flammulin. After being tested, these two compounds showed better immune system activity against melanoma cancer than turkey tail mushroom.
Another study published in the scientific journal Immunology shows that enoki mushroom extract can increase the survival rate of mice infected with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is the main cause of cervical cancer. In addition, the unique three beta glucans in enoki mushrooms, namely galactose, fucose, and mannose, can also support immune cells.
A large number of current studies have shown the potential of enoki mushrooms in preventing cancer. However, further research in humans is needed regarding what and how much consumption of mushrooms can reduce the death rate from cancer.
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