SHIITAKE MUSHROOM - ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST: HEALTH BENEFITS OF SHIITAKE

SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS, LENTINULA EDODES

Shiitake mushrooms have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for thousands of years, and so are classed as medicinal mushrooms rather than culinary ones. They have become a symbol of longevity in Asia because of their health-giving properties.

  They can be used in much the same way as the ubiquitous white mushroom you find on every supermarket shelf, but they have a meaty texture, somewhat like chanterelles and oyster mushrooms but they are highly-prized in Asia, much as we prize truffles and morels in the West. They are relatively small when compared to the Giant puffball.

  Shiitake means wood mushroom, or rather Shii refers to the tree in Japan on which these mushrooms grow naturally, and take means mushroom in Japanese. These mushrooms are also known as “Black Forest mushrooms” as they also grow there in Europe. You can now buy logs impregnated with shiitake spores and grow your own. If you buy fried shiitake you should soak them in hot water to reconstitute them before cooking them or putting them in salads - you can eat them raw.                                                                                     

  Shiitake contain several B-complex vitamins- B2, B3, B5 and B6, and the minerals, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium, copper and zinc, along with all the 8 essential amino acids, protein and dietary fibre.

  Perhaps the best way of eating these meaty mushrooms is to sauté them for 7 minutes in olive oil to bring out their best flavour and maximize the health-giving nutrients. You can try the side dish recipe below.

  The American Cancer Society has said that lentinam, which is found in shiitake mushrooms, can reduce and slow the growth of some cancer cells and at the same time it boosts the immune system to combat these unwelcome cells too. More trials on humans are needed for us to discover if shiitake mushrooms and their constituents can help in our fight against cancer.

  Selenium, zinc and manganese all have antioxidant properties as do some of the other constituents of these mushrooms, and these combat the scavenging free radicals which can turn cells cancerous. These mushrooms may offer protection from breast, prostate and colon cancers.

  Extracts from the mushrooms have been found to possess antifungal, antibacterial and anti-virus (including HIV-1) properties.

  Shiitake mushrooms can also help prevent rheumatoid arthritis according to one study, and others have shown that they might help with lowering blood cholesterol levels and cardio-vascular diseases, perhaps helping to prevent atherosclerosis.

  Lentin, a protein found in these mushrooms has anti-fungal properties and helps to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. L-ergothioneine found in these has potent antioxidant properties.

  If you have gout or kidney problems, be careful - these mushrooms contain purines - you should not eat very many of them in your diet.

SHIITAKE SIDE DISH                                                      

Ingredients

250 gr fresh shiitake sliced,

1 large onion thinly sliced,

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped,

freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Chilli powder and 150 gr fresh tomatoes, chopped, handful of fresh parsley optional

Olive oil or sunflower oil for frying (or a mixture of both)

Method

Heat the oil(s) in a pan and then add the onions (with the chilli powder if using). Cook over a high heat for 2 minutes then lower the heat, stir and let them sweat, covered for 5-10 minutes.

Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for a further 2 minutes or until the onions are soft. Season to taste.

(If using the other optional ingredients add them after 2 minutes of putting the garlic and mushrooms in the pan.)

Serve as a side dish with any meat or game.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

FICUS NOTA, TIBIG: USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF FICUS NOTA

TIBIG, WILD PHILIPPINO FIG TREE, FICUS NOTA 

Tibig is the name of this tree in the Philippines, to which it is native; it is also a native of Borneo. It has been introduced to the Hawaiian Islands where it has been cultivated, but it is now seen as an invasive species on some islands. In the Philippines Tibig trees are being planted so that they do not become threatened.

  Tibig is a member of the Ficus genus making it a close relation of the European fig, the tropical fig (Ficus septica), and of course the wild Punjabi fig. It is also related to the peepal tree and the bohar or banyan.As a member of the Moraceae family of plants it is related more distantly to the mulberry and Shahtoot mulberry, the toothbrush or sandpaper tree and to jackfruit.                                                                             

  It is a useful tree as it can be used as hedging as a living fence and because it is a fast-growing evergreen, it is a useful nurse tree for saplings. This tree can grow to 20 metres tall in its native habitat, although they usually grow to around half this size, and is a pioneer species used for reforestation.

  The fruit grows on short stems from the branches and stem of the tree, and is edible, although reportedly the figs are eaten with sugar. The tree is used for firewood and for making charcoal and is also used medicinally in the Philippines. Its white flowers are very small and hard to see.

  When the stem or trunk is cut watery sap exudes from it which is potable, and this is drunk three times a day for fevers, or applied to relieve muscle pains. It would seem that the fruit is not used medicinally, although, no doubt it has laxative properties as do other figs.

THREE OF THE MEADOW RUES: THALICTRUM FLAVUM, T. AQUILEGIFOLIUM AND T.MINUS: INFORMATION

small meadow rue

SMALL MEADOW RUE, GREATER MEADOW RUE AND YELLOW OR COMMON MEADOW RUE

The three meadow rues which are native to the British Isles are Thalictrum flavum, Common meadow rue, or Yellow meadow rue, Thalictrum aquilegifolium, Columbine or Greater meadow rue and Thalictrum minus the small meadow rue. They are not related to the herb rue which is a member of the Rutaceae family, but these are in the Ranunculaceae or buttercup family which makes them relatives of the lesser celandine, stinking hellebore, the Christmas rose, wood anemone, stavesacre, wolfsbane, monkshood, goldenseal and black cohosh.

small meadow rue

   Thalictrum minus is native to Europe, south west Asia and parts of north west Africa and South Africa. Unlike the other two meadow rues it has yellow, plum-brown flowers, rather like the figwort in colour and its foliage is similar to the Maidenhair fern.                                        

   The young leaves of this meadow rue can be cooked and eaten like spinach, although some of the Ranunculaceae family members have some toxicity so caution is recommended. Some research has been done on this plant and some new alkaloids and other compounds have been discovered in it. An infusion of the leaves or a decoction of the root has been used in traditional medicine in the past to help reduce fevers

common meadow rue

  The Common meadow rue has tufty yellow flowers and tends to grow in moist places, such as water meadows, fens and ditches. This is Thalictrum flavum which can grow to over a metre high. It is this one that Nicholas Culpeper the English herbalist who wrote his Herball in the 17^th century mentions thus:-

“Government and virtues. Dioscorides saith, That this herb bruised and applied, perfectly heals old sores, and the distilled water of the herb and flowers doth the like. It is used by some among other pot-herbs to open the body, and make it soluble; but the roots washed clean, and boiled in ale and drank, provokes to stool more than the leaves, but yet very gently. The root boiled in water, and the places of the body most troubled with vermin and lice washed therewith while it is warm, destroys them utterly. In Italy it is used against the plague, and in Saxony against the jaundice, as Camerarius says. A poultice made of the leaves has been known to give ease in the sciatica; and the country people in Buckinghamshire boil the roots and young leaves in ale, and take it as a purge. In smaller doses it works by urine, and removes obstructions of the viscera.”                                                                               

greater meadow rue

  The third meadow rue is Thalictrum aquilegifolium, or Greater Meadow rue, or Columbine meadow rue, the latter name being given to it because of the similarity of its leaves to columbines. This one in also native to North America, where it was used in the 19^th century to flavour spruce beer which was taken as a digestive tonic. It was also used as a purgative and diuretic, so one wonders what happened to those who drank the beer!

  As you can see from the pictures, these three meadow rues are quite distinctive, although all are in the same genus.This last has been used in Chinese medicine for the treatment of respiratory problems such as asthma, in combination with other herbs.

FIELD PENNY-CRESS, ANCIENT WEED WITH BIOFUEL POTENTIAL: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIELD PENNY-CRESS

FIELD PENNY-CRESS, THLASPI ARVENSE  

Field penny-cress likes to live in cultivated fields and farmers heartily dislike it as it depletes the nutrients in the soil. However researchers in Illinois believe that it could be a biodiesel and animal fodder crop as its seeds have a high oil yield. This would help scientists in their search for biofuel which comes from a crop which is not a traditional food one, such as soy beans or maize.

  Field pennycress is a native of Europe and was introduced to North America. They also grow in parts of North Africa and Asia. It grows to heights of between eight and sixteen inches (20-40 cms.) and has “winger” seed pods which are round and flattened. This is how it gets its genus name, Thlapsi which is the ancient Greek for “to crush.” Arvense means “of the fields” meaning fields used for crops. Field penny-cress cannot survive in areas of dense vegetation but adores tilled land.                                                   

  It is a member of the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family of plants making it a relation of mustard, savoy cabbage and others, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, watercress, swede,  turnips, horseradish, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, shepherd’s purse, scurvy-grass and flixweed to name but a few of its relations. Its leaves are high in protein and vitamin C, and they are said to taste like mustard and onions. In fact the ground seeds have been used as a mustard substitute.

  It has been a notorious weed for centuries and one Finnish law dating from 1734 illustrates this. The law says “Let he who throws wild oats, field penny-cress, or any other weed into his neighbour’s field lose his honour and be fined…and pay compensation for damage.”  This seems a steep penalty for such an action! Clearly field penny-cress was and is a particularly unpleasant weed.

   Indeed, it has a rather unpleasant smell, according to some. However its leaves are edible but slightly bitter when young. These can be added to salads or used as a potherb or added to soups. When the plant comes into flower the leaves are very bitter and unpalatable though. They can also cause gastric problems, so beware.                                       

   The sprouted seed can be added to salads and contains an oil which was used in the past for lighting.

  Other English names for this plant are fanweed, stinkweed and Mithradate mustard. It has been used for the treatment of carbuncles and internal ulcers too, as well as acute appendicitis, as a diaphoretic (promoting sweat in fevers), a diuretic, for rheumatism, as an expectorant, and for liver problems, kidney inflammation, as a blood purifier and an expectorant. It has been found to have antibacterial properties against some bacteria. However, large doses can decrease white blood cell count, so if you use it treat it with care and under the supervision of a physician.

  Perhaps field pennywort will prove a good animal feed/biofuel crop and lose its negative reputation in the near future.

  

  

SNAPDRAGONS, SYMBOLS OF PRESUMPTION: HISTORY AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF ANTIRRHINUMS

SNAPDRAGONS, ANTIRRHINUM MAJUS

Snapdragons have been cultivated in Britain for centuries and they have now become naturalized in some parts of Britain, having long ago escaped form gardens. We had them in the gardens of my childhood and I loved the name and the fact that they actually could look like Chinese dragons (so I thought). In India they are called dog’s mouth which doesn’t have the same ring to it. I used to love waiting for a bee to come to the flowers and push its way into one to get at the pollen. Of course I also enjoyed opening the mouths of the dragons by pinching the back of the flowers between my thumb and fingers. We had yellow and orange ones as well as maroon and yellow ones and red, which were probably the original wild snapdragons which are thought to have come from the Mediterranean region.

  As members of the Scrophulariaceae or figwort, family they are related to toadflax, water figwort which is sometimes called water betony, foxgloves, eyebright, brahmi or water hyssop and mullein. In the 17^th century Nicholas Culpeper uses the term snapdragon for toadflax and the name calves’ snout, both of which are also used for snapdragons.

   In the Victorian Language of Flowers, the snapdragon represented presumption. In the distant past in various countries the snapdragon was thought to be powerful enough to ward off spells and curses. Toadflax was also valued for similar reasons.

  A snapdragon growing in a garden will usually only grow to around two feet tall, but in its wild state it could reach heights of six feet. They flower in Britain between July and September and seed between August and October. It has been reported that they have been cultivated for their seed oil, although the seeds in the garden snapdragons are so small as to make this seem unlikely- perhaps those cultivated for their oil have larger seeds.

  The flowers and leaves are the main parts of the snapdragon to be used in traditional systems of medicine, and they have been employed in Europe and Asia for much the same purposes. In Iraqi traditional medicine the whole plant has been used in a decoction for its astringent, detergent properties, for wound cleaning and healing. It has also been used as a diuretic and treatment for liver diseases.

  In Europe the plant’s leaves and flowers have been gathered in summer and dried for alter use, to be used in poultices in the treatment of tumours, abscesses and sores. This has also been used for piles and a decoction or infusion has been used to reduce fevers and inflammation.

  In Asia the leaves and flowers have been used for pain relief and to reduce inflammation wile poultices are used for burns, scalds, piles and skin eruptions.

  Snapdragons are attractive ornamentals which have health benefits too.

PEARLWORTS OF CULPEPER: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF UPRIGHT CHICKWEED AND (BIRDEYE) PEARLWORT

Sagina procumbens, birdeye pearlwort

UPRIGHT CHICKWEED, MOENCHIA ERECTA AND (BIRDEYE) PEARLWORT, SAGINA PROCUMBENS 

 In Nicholas Culpeper’s time, the 17^th century, these plants were both in the Sagina genus. Now, however the upright chickweed or pearlwort as he called it has been moved to the Moenchia genus. Sagina procumbens lies along the ground and trails, annoying gardeners who want to have immaculate lawns without tufts of this plant in them. This plant is difficult to distinguish in its natural state as it doesn’t grow very tall – around two centimeters high.

  Upright chickweed, on the other hand can grow to the dizzying height of ten centimeters, although it is usually smaller. Its green sepals and white petals make it an unusually pretty plant.

Upright chickweed

   Both plants belong to the Carophyllaceae family and so are related to carnations, cloves, common sand spurry, the now rare corn cockle and wallflowers. The pearlwort is found all over the Northern hemisphere although the upright chickweed is native to Europe, including the British Isles and was introduced to North America and Australia. It is not yet classed as one of the invasive weeds in those countries however. Sagina procumbens is native to North America and can also be found in parts of the South American continent.

  It has been reported that the upright chickweed was at one time hung over doorways in one of the Inner Hebridean islands off the coast of Scotland, as it was believed to ward off evil and bring good luck.

  The 17^th century herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper had this to say of both plants which he called Pearlworts in the same Sagina genus: -

upright chickweed

  “Government and virtues. The Moon governs these little plants, but the knowledge of their virtues is not supported upon the authority of experience, but very considerable ones are attributed to them. They are said to be powerful diuretics, and good against the gravel and stone, taken in the form of an expressed juice, or in a strong infusion. The opinion of dissolvents of the stone, is at this time over: but while it remained in credit, and the several kinds of saxifrage were supposed to possess it, these plants had their share in character.”

  Of course, these days they are not used for their health benefits, perhaps because they are so easily overlooked.

MELILOT OR SWEET CLOVER - HERB WITH MANY USES:HISTORY AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF MELILOT

 MELILOT,  SWEET CLOVER, MELILOTUS OFFICINALIS          

Melilot is known as sweet clover and was once in the trefoil family along with red and white clover. However it is now in the Fabaceae or Leguminoseae family of plants making it a relative of the Burmese Rosewood tree, the European laburnum, jhand, dhak, alfalfa, Borneo or Pacific teak, field restharrow, the ashoka tree (Saraca indica), lupins, indigo, the Monkey Pod tree, gum Tragacanth or gond katira and the Butterfly pea, the Indian coral tree, lentils, soya beans, choliya and chickpeas, peas, green beans, carob, to name just a few.

  It has been known by many names in English such as King’s Clover, Sweet Lucerne, Wild laburnum and Hart’s tree, as deer browsed on it. Its genus synonym is Melilotus arvensis, and although it grows wild in the UK now, it was introduced from Europe and was cultivated as a fodder plant. Melilotus comes from the Greek word for honey, meli and lotus, so the plant is known as the honey lotus. It actually smells a lot like new-mown hay due to its coumarin content. It is useful in potpourris as it retains its fragrance when dried. It has also been used to stuff pillows to banish nightmares.

 According to John Gerard, the 16^th century herbalist and apothecary to the King, it was a common sight in fields in his day. He also used it for medicinal purposes and says this of it: “Melilote boiled in sweet wine untile it be soft, if you adde thereto the yolke of a rosted egge, the meale of Linseed, the roots of Marsh Mallowes and hogs greeace stamped together, and used as a pultis or cataplasma, plaisterwise, doth asswge and soften all manner of swellings.”

  This herb comes from Europe and was extolled by Pliny for its ability to soften “hot-tempered” sores of the eyes, anus externally and internally he prescribed it for stomach ache, gastric problems as well as uterine and liver problems. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, also used the flowers for septic ulcers.

  Fuchs (1543) recommended melilot mixed with honey for facial spots and wrote that taken orally the chopped herb was good for bladder problems. It has been used in European folk medicine for so long that it has been approved for use for the treatment of problems associated with varicose veins, such as swelling and pain in the legs, night cramps of the legs, phlebitis and thrombosis, piles and lymphoedema by the German Commission E. If a medicinal herb has been used for more than thirty years with no health problems reported, it can gain the approval of the European Medical Agency.

  The use of melilot over the long-term has been found to help with the problems associated with melilot mentioned above, but it should be noted that the use of the herb is not a quick fix.

  Nicholas Culpeper, writing in the 17^th century has this to say about melilot:

“ Government and virtues. Mellilot, boiled in wine, and applied, mollifies all hard tumours and inflammations that happen in the eyes, or other parts of the body, and sometimes the yolk of a roasted egg, or fine flour, or poppy seed, or endive, is added unto it. It helps the spreading ulcers in the head, it being washed with a lye made thereof. It helps the pains of the stomach, being applied fresh, or boiled with any of the aforenamed things; also, the pains of the ears, being dropped into them; and steeped in vinegar, or rose water, it mitigates the head-ache. The flowers of Mellilot or Camomile are much used to be put together in clysters to expel wind, and ease pains; and also in poultices for the same purpose, and to assuage swelling tumours in the spleen or other parts, and helps inflammations in any part of the body. The juice dropped into the eyes, is a singularly good medicine to take away the film or skin that clouds or dims the eye-sight. The head often washed with the distilled water of the herb and flower, or a lye made therewith, is effectual for those that suddenly lose their senses; as also to strength.”

   The young shoots can be eaten cooked like asparagus, and the leaves and seed pods can be cooked as a vegetable as well as being used as flavouring. The leaves can be added to desserts as a vanilla substitute. The crushed dried leaves really do have a vanilla flavor, but should be used with caution as they contain coumarin, so only use a few if you use them. The dried leaves like those of the neem tree make good moth repellants.

  A tisane can be flavoured with the fresh or dried flowers, and in Switzerland the leaves are used to make cheese, Schabzieger, as in German the herb is known as zieger kraut.

  This ‘recipe’ is for a bath to ease varicose veins and so on and was taken from the Fairfax still-room book of 1651.If you want to try it remember that a quart is two gallons.

“To make a bath for Melancholy take Mallowes, pellitory-of-the-wall, of each three handfulls. Camomile flowers, Mellilot flowers of each one handfull senerick seed one ounce and boil them in nine gallons of water untill they come to three, then put in a quart of newe milk and go and go into it bloud warme or something even warmer.”

  It can be used as an ointment for rheumatic pains and for varicose veins, and the infusion has in the past been used for conjunctivitis, although this use as eye drops has not been officially approved in Europe. The tisane of the dried or fresh flowers and leaves has been used for painful menstruation and intestinal problems, including flatulence.

  Melilot has a long tradition of use and is also a good sleep herb. As it can grow up to around four feet tall it is easy to spot in June and July when it is usually in full flower.