Jews Ear - Auricularia auricula judae – Judasohr – Tremella auricula - Kikurage – Senji - Mu Er/Wood Ear

Jew’s Ear

Auricularia auricula judae – Judasohr – Kikurage – Senji – Wood ear
– Máo mù'ěr

The mushroom for the heart and circulatory system

Although A. auricula judae and A. polytricha are two different species, they belong to the same Auricularia genus and share most active ingredients and therapeutic effects.

 

Interesting compounds

  • High adenosine content: inhibits platelet aggregation, has anxiolytic, vasodilatory, and anti-inflammatory effects (1-3).

  • High polyphenol content: antioxidant effect (1,4-6), hypocholesterolemic effect (7).

  • AAPs (Auricularia auricula Polysaccharides) (1,3,7,8) - water-soluble fraction:

    • Anticoagulant.

    • Cardioprotective, cardiotonic by scavenging free radicals (9,10) and anti-inflammatory effects.

    • Cholesterol-lowering.

    • Immunomodulation (11).

    • Anti-tumor.

    • Antibacterial.

    • Hypoglycemic (2).

  • High ß-D-glucan content (water-insoluble fraction) - biological response modifiers (BRM): anti-tumor (8,12).

  • Phospholipids: cephalin and sphingomyelin (12) - components of human cell membranes, especially in nervous tissue (13,14).

  • Glucuronic acid: anticoagulant effect (4).

  • Terpenes: analgesic effect (1).

  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) - show effectiveness in chronic bronchitis (3).

  • Nattokinase, urokinase, streptokinase from A. polytricha - fibrinolytic enzymes (15,16).

  • Nutritional content: protein 12.5 g/100 g, fat 1.7 g/100 g, total carbohydrates 66.1 g/100 g, water-soluble polysaccharides 10.2 g/100 g, ash 3.6 g/100 g (17).

 

Areas of action and applications

  • Cardiovascular diseases (1,4,5,7,12,18,19)

    • Prevention of thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke - animal studies reported antioxidant, antithrombotic, and cardioprotective effects (3,19).

    • Atherosclerosis – evidence from in vivo studies in mice.

    • Circulatory disorders – peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD).

    • Intermittent claudication – compared to aspirin, it showed almost the same effectiveness but without side effects (3,12).

  • Protects and improves the blood circulation in the mucous membranes (5,12,18,19)

    • In the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract (4):

      • Gastritis and colitis (1).

      • Hemorrhoids (1,5) and constipation with evidence from a clinical study (7).

    • In the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract (4):

      • Bronchitis, sore throat, pharyngitis, laryngitis, sinusitis (1,3,18).

      • Cough (3,18).

  • Metabolic diseases (4):

    • Hyperlipidemia – efficacy tested in animal studies (4,5,12,19,20).

    • Diabetes mellitus II – efficacy tested in animal studies (5,12,18); the administration of A. auricula-judae balances pancreatic enzyme secretion and helps regulate glycogen production and storage, leading to better control of hypoglycemia and diabetes (3).

    • Hypertension (1,12).

  • Complementary cancer treatment, especially for gastrointestinal cancers:

    • Polysaccharides from A. auricula judae may enhance the clinical therapeutic effects and immune functions in patients with gastrointestinal cancer (colorectal, hepatocellular, gastric, pancreatic, esophageal) without increasing side effects, especially in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (21).

    • Hepatocellular and gastric cancer cells in vitro (7,22).

    • Breast cancer in vitro and in vivo experiments with mice (23).

    • Solid form of Sarcoma 180 cells in tumor-bearing mice (2,7).

    • Lung cancer cells in vitro (7).

  • Autoimmune diseases:

    • Sjögren’s syndrome (1,18) - alleviates dryness of skin, eyes, tears, and saliva.

    • Rheumatoid arthritis (1,18).

  • Wound healing – antioxidant activity in UVB-damaged skin, promotes collagen production (1), fibroblast and keratinocyte proliferation, migration, and invasion (10).

  • Traditional use (1,3,12,18):

    • Hemostatic – hemorrhoidal bleeding, uterine bleeding.

    • Improves mental and physical energy, replenishes energy after childbirth.

    • Nourishes the lungs, treats angina, dry cough.

    • Improves blood circulation.

    • Postpartum thrombophlebitis.

    • Musculoskeletal diseases with inflammatory components – chronic neck and back pain, muscle pain, tendinitis, arthritis.

    • Relieves muscle tension – neck, back, shoulder pain, headaches, tinnitus, menstrual pain.

    • Eye conditions – infections, styes, dryness.

    • Jaundice.

    • Anxiety, insomnia.

    • Moisturizer for the skin.

Side effects

  • Szechwan purpura (syn. Szechwan restaurant syndrome) - appearance of patchy bruising on the face the day after consuming wood ear mushrooms. Caucasian women are particularly prone (2).

  • Possible inhibition of egg implantation in animals, meaning that pregnant women or those wishing to conceive should avoid consumption (1,3).

References

  1. Dr Walter Ardigò. Healing with Medicinal Mushrooms. A practical handbook. Youcanprint; 2017. 394 p.

  2. Stamets P. Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms =: Shokuyō oyobi yakuyō kinoko no saibai. 3rd ed. Berkeley, Calif: Ten Speed Press; 2000. 574 p.

  3. Rogers RD. The fungal pharmacy: the complete guide to medicinal mushrooms and lichens of North America. Berkeley, Calif: North Atlantic Books; 2011. 591 p.

  4. Bianchi I, Marrocchesi R. Guarire con i funghi medicinali: proprietà terapeutiche e istruzioni per l’uso dei 12 funghi medicinali più importanti. Treviso: Editoriale Programma; 2015.

  5. Haertel B, Rimböck M, Neuerer T. Vitalpilze – modulierend - aufbauend - stärkend. Salzburg: Druckerei Roser GmbH; 2019.

  6. Yu X, Wang R, Lai B, Tan M. Effect of Auricularia auricula fermentation broth on the liver and stomach of mice with acute alcoholism. Food Funct. 2021 Jan 7;12(1):191–202.

  7. Bandara A. A review of the polysaccharide, protein and selected nutrient content of Auricularia, and their potential pharmacological value. Mycosphere. 2019;10(1):579–607.

  8. Badalyan SM, Barkhudaryan A, Rapior S. Recent Progress in Research on the Pharmacological Potential of Mushrooms and Prospects for Their Clinical Application. In: Agrawal DC, Dhanasekaran M, editors. Medicinal Mushrooms [Internet]. Singapore: Springer Singapore; 2019 [cited 2021 Dec 27]. p. 1–70. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-6382-5_1

  9. Xiao B, Chen S, Huang Q, Zeng J, Zhang Y. Preparation of Wood Ear Mushroom, Auricularia auricula-judae (Agaricomycetes), Polysaccharides by Neutral Protease and Their Antioxidant Stress Capacity. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2021;23(5):41–53.

  10. Mapoung S, Umsumarng S, Semmarath W, et al. Skin Wound-Healing Potential of Polysaccharides from Medicinal Mushroom Auricularia auricula-judae (Bull.). J Fungi (Basel). 2021 Mar 25;7(4):247.

  11. Ibe V, Ihim SA, Ikegbunam M, Ugwu M, Nworu CS. Influence of Nigerian Jelly Ear Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Auricularia auricula-judae (Agaricomycetes), on Humoral and Cellular Immunity. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2020;22(5):467–78.

  12. Guthmann J. Heilende Pilze: die wichtigsten Arten der Welt: Beschreibung - Inhaltsstoffe - Wirkung. 2., aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage. Wiebelsheim: Quelle & Meyer Verlag; 2021. 446 p.

  13. Cephalin [Internet]. [cited 2022 Jan 18]. Available from: https://www.bionity.com/en/encyclopedia/Cephalin.html

  14. Sphingomyelin. In: Wikipedia [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2022 Jan 18]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sphingomyelin&oldid=1058433295

  15. Junior Letti LA, Destéfanis Vítola FM, Vinícius de Melo Pereira G, et al. Solid-State Fermentation for the Production of Mushrooms. In: Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering [Internet]. Elsevier; 2018 [cited 2022 Jan 18]. p. 285–318. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9780444639905000141

  16. Mohamed Ali S, Ling TC, Muniandy S, et al. Recovery and partial purification of fibrinolytic enzymes of Auricularia polytricha (Mont.) Sacc by an aqueous two-phase system. Separation and Purification Technology. 2014 Feb;122:359–66.

  17. Kadnikova IA, Costa R, Kalenik TK, Guruleva ON, Shi Yanguo. Chemical Composition and Nutritional Value of the Mushroom Auricularia auricula-judae. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2015;3(8):478–82.

  18. Rebensburg P, Kappl A. Gesund mit Heilpilzen: Immunsystem stärken, Krankheiten heilen und Beschwerden lindern. München: riva; 2020. 271 p.

  19. Martin Powell. Medicinal mushrooms. [Internet]. Place of publication not identified: Mycology Press; [cited 2021 Dec 27]. Available from: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11571096

  20. Zhang Y, Li X, Yang Q, et al. Antioxidation, anti-hyperlipidaemia and hepatoprotection of polysaccharides from Auricularia auricular residue. Chem Biol Interact. 2021 Jan 5;333:109323.

  21. Ma Y, Wang C, Zhang Q, et al. The effects of polysaccharides from Auricularia auricula (Huaier) in adjuvant anti-gastrointestinal cancer therapy: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Pharmacol Res. 2018 Jun;132:80–9.

  22. Ping Z, Xu H, Liu T, et al. Anti-hepatoma activity of the stiff branched β-d-glucan and effects of molecular weight. J Mater Chem B. 2016 Jul 14;4(26):4565–73.

  23. Wong JH, Ng TB, Chan HHL, et al. Mushroom extracts and compounds with suppressive action on breast cancer: evidence from studies using cultured cancer cells, tumor-bearing animals, and clinical trials. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2020 Jun;104(11):4675–703.