Wild Matsutake from Changbai Mountain

Wild Matsutake from Changbai Mountain

　　Wild Matsutake from Changbai Mountain

　　Wild Matsutake from Changbai Mountain, also known as Matsutake mushroom, Monkey Head Mushroom, Cauliflower Fungus, Hedgehog Fungus, Face-to-Face Mushroom, or Mountain Hermit Fungus, is called Yamabushitake in Japan. It belongs to the Fungi kingdom, Basidiomycota subkingdom, Aphyllophorales order, Hericiaceae family, and Hericium genus. Matsutake is a precious edible and medicinal fungus. It is tender in texture and delicious in flavor, often served at banquets as a delicacy. It is commonly ranked among the four most prestigious dishes along with bear’s paw, sea cucumber, and shark’s fin, and is praised with the saying “Matsutake is the mountain delicacy, just as bird’s nest is the seafood delicacy.”

　　The fruiting body of the Matsutake is white when fresh and light yellow or yellowish-brown when dried. It is block-shaped, typically 5–20 cm in diameter. The fruiting body consists of many thick, short branches that are extremely swollen and shortened, fused together, and shaped like cauliflower, with only a small hollow in the center, forming one large fleshy mass. The base is narrow, while the upper part is swollen and covered with needle-like spines. The spines bear the hymenium. These spines are well-developed, some reaching up to 3 cm in length, hanging down, initially white and later turning yellowish-brown. The entire fruiting body resembles a monkey’s head, and its color resembles a monkey’s fur, hence the name Monkey Head Mushroom.

　　Matsutake is rich in nutrients. According to measurements, every 100 grams of dried Matsutake contains 26.3 grams of protein, 4.2 grams of fat, 44.9 grams of carbohydrates, 6.4 grams of crude fiber, 10.2 grams of moisture, 856 mg of phosphorus, 18 mg of iron, 2 mg of calcium, and vitamin B1

　　0.69 mg, vitamin B2

　　1.89 mg, 0.01 mg of carotene, and also includes 16 kinds of amino acids, seven of which are essential for the human body. Matsutake is not only rich in nutrients but also delicious and fragrant, making it a prized variety of edible fungi throughout history.

　　Matsutake has unique medicinal value. Traditional medicine considers Matsutake to be neutral in nature and sweet in taste, aiding digestion and benefiting the heart. It can help treat indigestion, gastric ulcers, antral gastritis, stomach pain, bloating, and neurasthenia, among other conditions. In recent years, research has highlighted its anti-cancer properties. In Shanghai, trials involving 166 cases of malignant digestive tract tumors such as gastric cancer, cardia cancer, and esophageal cancer showed an effectiveness rate of 69.3% and a marked effect in 15%. For 227 cases of gastric and duodenal ulcers and chronic gastritis, improvement was seen in 86.6% of cases, with a marked effect in 26.8%. Evaluations indicated that after taking the medication, patients experienced symptom relief, increased appetite, and reduced pain. For some tumor patients, it also improved cellular immune function, reduced tumor size, and extended survival time.