If you’re not already eating edible medicinal mushrooms, it would be a good idea to start. Especially, if your immune system is down or you’re struggling with blood sugar imbalances, high blood pressure, and/or cancer.
There’s a wealth of scientific data linking mushrooms to a host of benefits for good health:
- Shitake Mushrooms contain a compound called lentinan. In clinical studies patients using shitake mushrooms have shown higher survival rates and lower recurrence of cancer.[1]
- Maitake Mushrooms have anticancer, antiviral, and immune-system enhancing effects and may also help control both high blood pressure and blood sugar levels.[2]
I’m using both of these medicinal mushrooms in this delicious and health supportive soup.
Use the recipe below to start cooking up better health!
- 7-8 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups water
- ½ cup dried maitake mushrooms (¼ oz), soaked in 2 cups water
- 3 inches alaria seaweed (or wakame), soaked and chopped
- ¼ cup burdock root, thin diagonals
- ½ cup daikon root, half moons
- 1 tbsp. ginger, minced
- 6 oz tofu cubed (or other protein)
- 1/4 cup enoki mushrooms (or other mushrooms)
- 1-2 leaves bok choy chopped
- 4 tbsp. sweet white miso
- 2-3 scallions, chopped
Strain the water from the mushrooms and add additional water to get 4 cups total liquid. Put the liquid into a soup pot and turn the heat high. Chop the shitake and maitake mushrooms and add to the pot, with alaria and burdock root, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add daikon root, ginger and tofu, and cook 2-3 minutes. Add enoki mushrooms and bok choy. Put miso paste into a bowl and add hot liquid from the soup to liquefy the miso. Add the miso to the soup and shut off the heat. Let sit 2-3 minutes. Garnish with minced scallions.
[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nalini-chilkov/cancer-foods_b_1192207.html
[2] http://www.drweil.com/diet-nutrition/nutrition/mushrooms-for-good-health/
Andrea Beaman is an internationally renowned Holistic Health Coach, Natural Foods Chef, Speaker and Herbalist. Named one of the top 100 Most Influential Health and Fitness Experts, she is also a recipient of the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Award for Excellence in Health-Supportive Education and a Health Leadership award from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Since 1999, Andrea has been teaching people how to harness the body’s own preventative and healing powers using food, herbal remedies and alternative medicine.
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