Medicinal Mushrooms

The beefsteak fungus,  Fistulina hepatica (Schaeff.) With.
Credit: Jiří Berkovec
Source: Wikimedia Commons (CCby-as 2.5)

"The  Fistulina hepatica is that red mass growing on oaks and chestnuts, which is like a tongue in shape, smells like meat when broiled, and is almost as nutritious. It is in great abundance, and is called "the poor man's fungus." Abroad it is stewed for stock, when old; but when young, the flesh is excellent, either by itself or in made-dishes. When full-grown it is a "blackened misshapen mass, that looks like live, and that deeply stains the fingers with an unsightly red fluid"; but it spite of its want of beauty, this unsightly mass yields to none in esculent properties, and calls forth Dr. Badham's warmest eulogiums." (From the article "Maligned agarics" in The National magazine, p. 24, 1858)

Wood infected by this fungus is highly valued by furniture makers, who refer to it as 'brown oak' due to the rich brown color it imparts to the heartwood. It is used for high-end furniture and architectural woodworking.

Classification

Kingdom Fungi
Phylum Basidiomycota
Class Basidiomycetes
Order Agaricales
Family Fistulinaceae
Genus Fistulina

The separable tubes on the undersurface place this fungus in the family fistinulacea, rather than polyporaceae.

Agarico-carnis lingua-bovis Paulet, Traité Champ.
  Atlas 2: 98 (1793)
Boletus buglossum Retz.
  K. svenska Vetensk-Akad. Handl. 30: 253 (1769)
Boletus bulliardii J.F. Gmel.
  Systema Naturae 2: 1436 (1792)
Boletus hepaticus Schaeff.
  Fung. Bavar. Palat. 4: 82 (1774)
Fistulina buglossum (Retz.) Pers.
  Neues Mag. Bot. 1: 109 (1794)
Fistulina endoxantha Speg.
  Fungi Fuegiani 25: 87 (1921)
Fistulina hepatica var. endoxantha (Speg.) J.E. Wright
  Boln Soc. argent. Bot. 9: 225 (1961)
Fistulina sarcoides St.-Amans
  Fl. agen.: 547 (1821)
Hypodrys hepaticus (Schaeff.) Pers.
  Mycol. eur. (Erlanga) 2: 148 (1825)

Beefsteak mushroom
Vegetable beefsteak
Oak tongue
Ox tongue
Chestnut tongue
Langue de boeuf (French)
Lingua di castagna (Italian)

Cap: 5-15 cm diameter, very juicy, shape dimidiate to flabelliform; surface slightly convex to flat; color dark-red to reddish-brown, slightly sticky when moist, radiate-striate with age, surface papillose (somewhat resembling a tongue's surface), margin entire to lobed; flesh 1.5-3 cm thick, soft, tough, streaked with dark- and light-reddish lines, in moist specimens exuding a red liquid when squeezed.
Tubes: easy to separate, not being bonded together; whitish when young, gradually turning red, 1-2.5 cm long.

The pore surface on the underside of the beefsteak fungus, up close.
Credit: Darvin DeShazer
Source: Mushroom Observer (CC by-nc-sa 3.0)
Stem: sometimes absent (ie., sessile), if present, usually short and thick (2-5 cm long), attached to side of cap, concolorous with cap.
Spore print: pale rusty brown.
Spores: ellipsoid, smooth, yellowish, non-amyloid, hyaline, 4-5.5 x 3-4 µm.
Habitat: on decaying trunks and stumps of chestnut, oak, and certain other deciduous trees, often low on the trunk.
Taste: sour.
Odor: fruity.
Edibility: edible, although many sources note its sour taste. A quote by Morgan, from the 1883 Botanical Gazette seems fitting here:

"FISTULINA HEPATICA, Huds., might be found growing at the base of nearly every chestnut tree; the specimens were often perfectly magnificent. Dodham says "No fungus yields a richer gravy, and though rather tough, when grilled it is scarcely to be distinguished from broiled meat." We, however, would express a decided preference for Mrs. Lewis' broiled chicken."

Another view of F. hepatica.
Credit: N. Vėlavičienė
Source: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

Bioactive compounds
Odor analysis

The volatile compounds from the fruiting bodies of Fistulina hepatica have been isolated and investigated using a variety of analytical techniques. A number of compounds have been identified as contributing to the overall flavor of this mushroom, including:

• 1-octen-3-one
• 1-octen-3-ol
• linalool
• phenylacetaldehyde
• butanoic acid
• an unidentified volatile compound with moldy odor
• (E)-2-methyl-2-butenoic acid
• (E)-methyl cinnamate
• (Z)-9-hexadecenoic acid methyl ester
• bisabolol oxide B
• phenylacetic acid (Wu et al., 2005).

A later study by the same research group (Wu et al., 2007) revealed differences in the volatile compound profile depending on growth conditions. Surface cultures grown on oak wood powder produced 53 major volatile compounds, while liquid cultures grown in standard nutrition solution made 39 major volatile compounds; twenty compounds were common to both.

Polyacetylenes (compounds with multiple carbon-carbon triple bonds) have been detected in the liquid cultures and in the fruiting bodies of the beefsteak fungus. In liquid culture, the following compounds were identified (values in parentheses indicate the amount, in mg/L of culture liquid): trideca-2,4,6,8-tetrayne (0.3), trans-trideca-4,6,8-triyn-2-en-l-ol (0.15), cis-dehydromatricarianol (0.15), trans-dehydromatricarianol (0.15), and 2D:3L:4L-trideca-5,7,9,11-tetrayne-l,2,3,4-tetra-ol (2.0) (Jones et al., 1966).

Two novel hydroxy-acids, HO-CH₂-CH=CH-[C≡C]₂-CH₂-CH₂-CO₂H (10-hydroxydeca-trans-2,trans-8-diene-4,6-diynoate) and HO-CH₂-CH=CH-[C≡C]₂-CH=CH-CO₂H (10-hydroxydec-cis-8-ene-4,6-diynoate) have been  isolated from fruit bodies (Farrell et al., 1973).

The composition of phenolic compounds and organic acids of the beefsteak fungus has been determined. The five phenolic compounds identified were caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ellagic acid, hyperoside and quercetin, of which ellagic acid was present in highest concentration (49.7% of phenolic compounds). The six organic acids found were oxalic, aconitic, citric, malic, ascorbic and fumaric acids; malic acid was most abundant (accounting for 57.9% of total organic acids) (Farrell et al., 1973).

Medicinal properties
Antioxidant activity

F. hepatica has been investigated for its capacity to act as a free-radical scavenging agent. Good radical-scavenging activity was noted against DPPH, the superoxide radical and the hydroxyl radical, while only a weak protective effect was seen against hypochlorous acid (Ribeiro et al., 2007).

Some Italian studies by Coletto have revealed that F. hepatica has potent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis (Coletto 1981, 1987/88), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Coletto, 1992). Also, the tetrayne-tetraol mentioned above has modest antibacterial activity, comparable with that of cephalosporin C against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmomlla typhi, when tested by the hole-plate method (Farrell et al., 1973).

The growth medium affects the nematicidal activity of F. hepatica (and various other fungi). When grown in Czapek broth, filtrates of the beefsteak fungus were pathogenic to the wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus grown in vitro. However, grown in potato dextrose broth, filtrates of the same fungus were not pathogenic (Dong et al., 2006)

Polysaccharides extracted from the mycelial culture of F. hepatica and administered intraperitoneally into white mice at a dosage of 300 mg/kg inhibited the growth of Sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich solid cancers by 80% and 90%, respectively (Ohtsuka et al., 1973).

Links

Mushroom Expert
Roger's Mushrooms
Fungi of Poland
Fungi on Wood
Biopix
www.hlasek.com
Patent for cultivation of fruit bodies

References

Coletto MAB.
[Basidiomycetes in relation to antibiosis. II. Antibiotic activity of mycelia and culture liquids]
G Batteriol Virol Immunol. 1981 74(7-12):267-74. Italian.

Coletto MAB.
Antibiotic activity in basidiomycetes III. Antibacterial activity of mycelia and culture filtrates.
Allionia (Turin) 1987/1988 28:165-70.

Coletto MAB.
Antibiotic activity in basidiomycetes. VI. Antibiotic activity of mycelia and cultural filtrates of thirty three new strains.
Allionia (Turin) 1992 31:87-90.

de Pinho PG, Ribeiro B, Gonçalves RF, Baptista P, Valentão P, Seabra RM, Andrade PB.
Correlation between the pattern volatiles and the overall aroma of wild edible mushrooms.
J Agric Food Chem. 2008 56(5):1704-12.

Dong JY, Li XP, Li L, Li GH, Liu YJ, Zhang KQ.
Preliminary results on nematicidal activity from culture filtrates of Basidiomycetes against the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Aphelenchoididae).
Ann Microbiol. 2006 56(2):163-6.

Farrell IW, Keeping JW, Pellatt MG, Thaller V.
Natural acetylenes Part 41. Polyacetylenes from fungal fruiting bodies.
J Chem Soc Perk Trans I. 1973 22:2642-3.

Frerejacque M.
The presence of d-arabitol in Fistulina hepatica.
Comptes Rendus. 1939 208:1123-4.

Jones ERH, Lowe G, Shannon PVR.
Natural Acetylenes .20. Tetra-acetylenic acid and other metabolites from Fistulina hepatica (Huds) Fr.
J Chem Soc C-Org. 1966 2:139-44.

Morgan AP.
Kentucky Fungi.
Botanical Gazette. 1883 8(1):156-7.

Murrill WA.
Illustrations of Fungi: VI.
Mycologia. 1910 2(2):43-7.

Ohtsuka S, Ueno S, Yoshikumi C, Hirose F, Ohmura Y, Wada T, Fujii T, Takahashi E.
Polysaccharides having an anticarcinogenic effect and a method of producing them from species of Basidiomycetes.
UK Patent 1331513, 26 September 1973.

Rai M, Mandal SC, Acharya K.
A proximate composition of Fistulina hepatica, an endemic mushroom of the Darjeeling hills.
J Hill Res. 2007 20(1):39-41.

Ribeiro B, Valentão P, Baptista P, Seabra RM, Andrade PB.
Phenolic compounds, organic acids profiles and antioxidative properties of beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica).
Food Chem Toxicol. 2007 45(10):1805-13.

Schwope DM, Givan GV, Minto RE.
Progress toward the synthesis of Fistulina hepatica natural products.
Abst Pap Am Chem Soc. 2003 225:U352-U352 Part 2. Meeting Abstract: 426-ORGN.

Tsuge N, Mori T, Hamano T, Tanaka H, Shin-ya K, Seto H.
Cinnatriacetins A and B, new antibacterial triacetylene derivatives from the fruiting bodies of Fistulina hepatica.
J Antibiot (Tokyo). 1999 52(6):578-81.

Wu SM,  Krings U, Zorn H, Berger RG.
Volatile compounds from the fruiting bodies of beefsteak fungus Fistulina hepatica (Schaeffer Fr.) Fr.
Food Chem. 2005 2005 92(2):221-6.

Wu SM, Zorn H, Krings U, Berger RG.
Volatiles from submerged and surface-cultured beefsteak fungus, Fistulina hepatica.
Flav Frag J. 2007 22(1):53-60.

 

The comb tooth mushroom, Hericium coralloides (Scop.) Pers.
Credit: 'Lebrac'
Source: Wikimedia Commons (GFDL)

Classification

Kingdom Fungi
Phylum Basidiomycota
Class Basidiomycetes
Order Russulales
Family Hericiaceae
Genus Hericium

Clavaria madreporaeformis Retz.
  Suppl. Scand. 1: 19 (1779)
Dryodon acicularis (Sacc.) Bourdot [as 'aciculare']
  Bull. trimest. Soc. mycol. Fr. 48: 221 (1932)
Dryodon coralloides (Scop.) P. Karst.
  Meddn Soc. Fauna Flora fenn. 6: 15 (1881)
Dryodon coralloides var. crispus Cejp
  (1928)
Friesites caput-ursi (Fr.) P. Karst.
  Meddn Soc. Fauna Flora fenn. 5: 41 (1880)
Friesites coralloides (Scop.) P. Karst. [as 'corallioides']
  Meddn Soc. Fauna Flora fenn. 5: 41 (1880)
Hericium abietinum (Schrad.) Schleich.
  Catalogus Plant. Helvetia: 57 (1821)
Hericium alpestre f. caput-ursi (Fr.) Nikol.
  Acta Inst. Bot. Acad. Sci. USSR Plant. Crypt., Fasc. II 5: 337 (1950)
Hericium caput-ursi (Fr.) Corner
  Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist., Bot. 1(7): 192 (1955)
Hericium laciniatum (Leers) Banker
  Mem. Torrey bot. Club 12: 114 (1906)
Hericium ramosum (Bull.) Letell.
  Hist. Champ. France (Paris): 43 (1826)
Hericium ramosum f. caput-ursi (Fr.) D. Hall & D.E. Stuntz
  Mycologia 63: 1111 (1971)
Hericium reichii Opiz
  Lotos 1: 256 (1851)
Hydnum abietinum Schrad.
  Spicil. Fl. Germ. 1: 181 (1794)
Hydnum aciculare Sacc.
  Michelia 2(no. 6): 154 (1880)
Hydnum caput-ursi Fr.
  Monogr. Hymenomyc. Suec. (Upsaliae) 2(2): 278 (1863)
Hydnum coralloides Scop.
  Fl. carniol., Edn 2 (Vienna) 2: 472 (1772)
Hydnum laciniatum Leers
  Flora herbornensis: 276 (1775)
Hydnum novae-zelandiae Colenso
  Proc. N.Z. Inst. 21: 79 (1889)
Hydnum ramosum Schwein.
  Herbier de la France: 390 (1788)
Manina caput-ursi (Fr.) Banker
  Mycologia 4(5): 277 (1912)
Manina coralloides (Scop.) Banker
  Mycologia 4(5): 276 (1912)
Medusina coralloides (Scop.) Chevall.
  Fl. Gén. Env. Paris 1: 279 (1826)
Merisma coralloides (Scop.) Spreng.
  Syst. veg., Edn 16 4: 496 (1827)

Bear's head tooth
Comb tooth
Conifer coral
Coral spine fungus
Coral tooth
Ästiger Stachelbart (German)

Fruiting body: 8-30 cm diameter, fleshy, white at first, light brown or yellowish with age, a few main branches arising from the narrow base, every main branch sending forth numerous smaller branches, on which dense and crowded spines hang in rows.
Spines: cylindrical, pointed at apex, 0.5 - 1.5 cm long.
Spore print: white.
Spores: colorless, smooth, ellipsoid to subglobose, amyloid, hyaline, 5-8 x 4.5-6 µm.
Habitat: solitary or clustered clumps, usually on dead hardwood trees; saprobic; late summer and fall; common.
Odor: indistinct.
Edibility: edible.

Bioactive compounds

An early study on polysaccharides isolated from this mushroom revealed that it is a linear molecule containing only α-1,4 glucosidic linkages. Also, the polysaccharide differs from that of higher plants in that it consists only of short-chain amylose molecules (32 to 45 glucose units long), whereas in plants the polysaccharides may have chain lengths extending into the thousands, depending on the species (McCracken and Dodd, 1971).

Experiments using radiolabeled glucose suggest that the D-xyloside herical, isolated from cultures of H. coralloides, is thought to be a precursor in the synthesis cyathane-skeleton molecules, including erinacine E, discussed below. Herical is known to inhibit a large spectrum of fungi and bacteria and shows cytotoxic and hemolytic properties (Anke et al., 2002).

The D-xyloside herical

Medicinal properties
Nematicidal activity

A nematicidal fatty acid mixture was obtained from cultures of H. coralloides. This mixture, which contained primarily linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids, showed toxic effects towards Caenorhabditis elegans (Stadler et al., 1994).

In 1998, a Pfizer research group isolated erinacin E (see structure below) from the fermentation broth of H. coralloides (Saito et al., 1998). Erinacin E is a highly selective agonist at the κ opiod receptor(IC₅₀ of 0.8 µM compared with binding at the µ opiod receptor, IC₅₀ of >200 mM). This molecule was earlier isolated from fruiting bodies of H. erinaceum, where it was reported to be a potent stimulator of nerve growth factor synthesis (Kawagishi et al., 1996). Stimulators of nerve growth factor synthesis are being investigated as potential medicines for degenerative neuronal disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and peripheral nerve regeneration (Yamada et al., 1997). The total synthesis of erinacine E has recently been reported (Watanabe and Nakada, 2008).

κ opioid agonist erinacine E

Links

Mushroom Expert
Fungi of Poland
Fungi on Wood

References

Anke T, Rabe U, Schu P, Eizenhofer T, Schrage M, Steglich W.
Studies on the biosynthesis of striatal-type diterpenoids and the biological activity of herical.
Z Naturforsch C. 2002 57(3-4):263-71.

Ginns J.
Hericium coralloides N. amer auct (Hericium americanum sp nov) and the European Hericium alpestre and Hericium coralloides.
Mycotaxon. 1984 20(1):39-43.

Hallenberg N.
Hericium coralloides and Hericium coralloides (basidiomycetes) in Europe.
Mycotaxon. 1983 18(1):181-9.

Kawagishi H, Shimada A, Hosokawa S, Mori H, Sakamoto H, Ishiguro Y, Sakemi S, Bordner J, Kojima N, Furukawa S.
Erinacines E, F, and G, stimulators of nerve growth factor (NGF)-synthesis, from the mycelia of Hericium erinaceum.
Tetra Lett. 1996 37(41):7399-402.

McCracken DA, Dodd JL.
Molecular structure of starch-type polysaccharides from Hericium ramosum and Hericium coralloides.
Science. 1971 174(7):419.
Pubmed

Saito T, Aoki F, Hirai H, Inagaki T, Matsunaga Y, Sakakibara T, Sakemi S, Suzuki Y, Watanabe S, Suga O, Sujaku T, Smogowicz AA, Truesdell SJ, Wong JW, Nagahisa A, Kojima Y, Kojima N.
Erinacine E as a kappa opioid receptor agonist and its new analogs from a basidiomycete, Hericium ramosum.
J Antibiot. 1998 51(11):983–90.
Pubmed

Stadler M, Mayer A, Anke H, Sterner O.
Fatty acids and other compounds with nematicidal activity from cultures of Basidiomycetes.
Planta Med. 1994 60(2):128-32.
Pubmed

Watanabe H, Nakada M.
Biomimetic total synthesis of (-)-Erinacine E
J Am Chem Soc. 2008 130(4):1150–1.

Yamada K, Nitta A, Hasegawa T, Fuji K, Hiramatsu M, Kameyama T, Furukawa Y, Hayashi K, Nabeshima T.
Orally active NGF synthesis stimulators: potential therapeutic agents in Alzheimer's disease.
Behav Brain Res. 1997 83(1-2):117-22.
Pubmed

 

Last modified: 01-Sep-2008

The shaggy mane, Coprinus comatus growing in wood chips.
  Credit: Robert Sasata
  Source: © healing-mushrooms.net

Classification
 
Kingdom Fungi
Phylum Basidiomycota
Class Basidiomycetes
Order Agaricales
Family Agaricaceae
Genus Coprinus

Common names

Shaggy mane
Shaggy ink cap
Lawyer's wig
Shaggy parasol
Spargelschopf [Asparagus Top] (German)

Cap: 2.5-5 cm wide; oval to cylindrical, aging to convex or bell-shaped; dry; with shallow grooves near the edge; white, with reddish brown scales. Flesh soft, white.
Gills: free of the stalk, very crowded together, white when very young, becoming gray, then black, and dissolving (deliquescing) with age.
Stalk: 5-20 cm long, 1-2.5 cm thick, becoming enlarged at the base; white, with a hollow interior; with a white, ring-like zone of fibers near the base.
Spore print: black.
Habitat: solitary, scattered, or clustered on lawns, in pastures, or along roadsides; spring, fall, and early winter.

The shaggy mane is a favorite amongst mushroom hunters as it is easily recognized, with no dangerous look-alikes. Furthermore, it is a delicious edible.

Shaggy manes being fried in olive oil with chopped onions.

However, be sure to cook your specimens shortly after picking; this species will auto-digest (deliquesce) and will probably not last in your refrigerator overnight.

An older specimen of C. comatus with deliquescing gills.

The chemical structure of a water-soluble fucogalactan obtained from the crude intracellular polysaccharide of Coprinus comatus mycelium was characterized by sugar and methylation analysis along with ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The polysaccharide is composed of a pentasaccharide repeating unit (Fan et al., 2006).

Medicinal Properties
Anti-tumor activity

The water extract of Coprinus comatus was recently identified as containing potent antitumor compounds for breast cancer. Because breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, and because there is no effective therapy for estrogen-independent (ER-) breast cancer, these findings are highly significant. The antitumor potential of the water extract was shown to manifest itself in three ways:

1) it inhibited the growth of both ER+ and ER- breast cancer cells
2) it induced both ER+ and ER- cells to die (apoptosis)
3) it inhibited tumor colony formation in vitro
(Gu and Leonard, 2006)

An alkaline protein named y3, purified from fruiting bodies of C. comatus, was shown to inhibit a gastric cancer cell line with an IC₅₀ of 12 µg/mL (Wu et al., 2003).

Serum lysozyme activity is used as a general indicator of immune system fitness. In addition to breaking down polysaccharides found in bacterial cell walls, lysozyme can also bind to the surface of some invading bacteria and make it easier for white blood cells to engulf them. Chinese research has shown that polysaccharide solutions extracted from C. comatus and given to mice had the ability to increase serum lysozyme activity (Li et al., 2001).

A number of studies have demonstrated that consumption of C. comatus can help regulate blood glucose concentrations. Feeding mice a diet containing powdered dried fruit bodies of C. comatus (one-third of their food intake, by weight) reduced their plasma glucose concentrations and improved intraperitoneal glucose tolerance. Also, body weight gain was halted, even though total energy intake was not substantially reduced. Plasma glucose was marginally lowered 10 hours after intragastric administration of dried C. comatus (3.6 g/kg body weight). The results suggest a slowly generated, mild hypoglycemic effect of C. comatus in normal mice, accompanied by metabolic effects capable of interrupting body weight gain (Bailey et al., 1984).

In other studies, the hypoglycemic activity of fermented mushroom of Coprinus comatus rich in vanadium was investigated. Vanadium salts have insulin-mimetic activity, and vanadium compounds are being studied as potentially orally active replacements for insulin. Vanadium salts mimic most of the effects of insulin in vitro and also induce normoglycemia and improve glucose homeostasis in insulin-deficient and insulin-resistant diabetic rodents in vivo. One study showed that Coprinus comatus fermentation liquid and sodium vanadate inhibited ascension of blood glucose in mice (Han et al., 2003). The blood glucose and the HbA1c (glycosylated hemoglobin – used to measure plasma glucose concentration) of the mice were analyzed. Also, the sugar tolerance of the normal mice was also determined. After the mice were given the vanadium-rich mushroom mycelia, the blood glucose and the HbA1c of hyperglycemic mice decreased, ascension of blood glucose induced by adrenalin was inhibited and the sugar tolerance of the normal mice was improved. Also, the body weight of the alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice was increased gradually. In the fermented mushroom of C. comatus, vanadium at lower doses in combination with C. comatus, induced significant decreases of the blood glucose and HbA1c levels in hyperglycemic mice (Han et al., 2006).

Polysaccharides extracted from the mycelial culture of C. comatus and administered intraperitoneally into white mice at a dosage of 300 mg/kg inhibited the growth of Sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich solid cancers by 100% and 90%, respectively (Ohtsuka et al., 1973).

Coprinus comatus is known to contain compounds that kill nematodes (Li and Xiang, 2005). Specifically, this fungus immobilizes, kills and uses free-living nematode Panagrellus redivivus and root-knot nematode Meloidogyne arenaria. It does so by making a structure called a ‘spiny ball’, a burr-like structure assembled with a large number of tiny tubes. Nematodes added to C. comatus cultures grown on nutrient agar become inactive in hours. Electron microcopy shows that C. comatus infects P. redivivus by producing penetration pegs from which hyphae colonize nematode bodies. Within days, the infected nematode is digested and consumed by mycelial hyphae. It is thought that this may be a mechanism to help the fungus thrive in nitrogen-poor environments (Luo et al., 2004).

Over fifty years ago, shaggy-manes were found to contain ergothioneine, a thiol compound with antioxidant properties (List ,1957). The anti-oxidant activity was later confirmed (Badalyan et al., 2003).

The fungal antioxidant metabolite, ergothioneine.

Compositional analysis

A study of flavor compounds present in C. comatus (Dijkstra and Wiken, 1976; Djikstra, 1976) revealed a variety of compounds in the water extract from the fruit body, including:

• 3-octanone
• 3-octanol
• 1-octen-3-ol
• 1-octanol
• 2-methyl-2-penten-4-olide
• 1-dodecanol
• caprylic acid
• 5’-GMP
• glutamic acid
• n-butyric acid and isobutyric acids (putatively).

Interestingly, a mixture of 37 compounds found in the extract had a stronger flavor than the natural extract, suggesting the presence of compounds that mask or lessen the flavor intensity.

The fatty acid composition (by % of total fatty acids) of C. comatus is summarized in the table below:

Fatty acid type	Fruit body	Stem
Saturated fatty acids	20.0	31.8
Monounsaturated fatty acids	32.3	68.6
Polyunsaturated fatty acids	26.0	61.8
Palmitoleic acid	9.63	14.6
Palmitic acid	0.199	1.77
Stearic acid	3.46	6.6
Oleic acid	6.17	5.07
Linoleic acid	25.8	59.5
Arachidic acid	1.66	3.69

Antimicrobial activity

A Russian study has revealed that various strains of the genus (formerly known as) Coprinus, including C. comatus, have antimicrobial activity (Ershova et al., 2001). I’ll post more details once I get my hands on the original article.

Badalyan CM, Gasparyan AV, Garibyan NG.
[Investigation of the antioxidant activity of some basidial macromycetes]
Mikol Fitopatol. 2003 37(5):63-8. Russian

Bailey CJ, Turner SL, Jakeman KJ, Hayes WA.
Effect of Coprinus comatus on plasma glucose concentrations in mice.
Planta Med. 1984 50(6):525-6. No abstract available.
Thieme

Dijkstra FY.
Studies on mushroom flavours. 3. Some flavour compounds in fresh, canned and dried edible mushrooms.
Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1976 160(4):401-5.

Dijkstra FY, Wiken TO.
Studies on mushroom flavours 2. Flavour compounds in Coprinus comatus.
Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1976 160(3):263-9.

Ershova EY, Efremenkova OV, Zenkova VA, Tolstykh IV, Dudnik YV.
The revealing of antimicrobial activity of strains of the genus Coprinus.
Mikol Fitopatol. 2001 35(6):32-7.

Fan J, Zhang J, Tang Q, Liu Y, Zhang A, Pan Y.
Structural elucidation of a neutral fucogalactan from the mycelium of Coprinus comatus.
Carbohydr Res. 2006 341(9):1130-4.

Gu YH, Leonard J.
In vitro effects on proliferation, apoptosis and colony inhibition in ER-dependent and ER-independent human breast cancer cells by selected mushroom species.
Oncol Rep. 2006 15(2):417-23.

Han C, Yuan J, Wang Y, Li L.
Hypoglycemic activity of fermented mushroom of Coprinus comatus rich in vanadium.
J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2006 20(3):191-6.

Han C, Xing F, Jiang F, Wang Y.
A study on co-effects of Coprinus comatus fermentation liquid and sodium vanadate on the process of inhibiting ascension of blood glucose in mice.
Edible Fungi of China. 2003 22(1):39-40.

Li S, An L, Zhang H.
Effects of polysaccharide from Coprinus comatus on activity of serum lysozyme in Kunming mouse, China.
Edible Fungi of China. 2001 20(4):36-8.

Li Y, Xiang H.
Nematicidal activity of Coprinus comatus.
Acta Phytopathologica Sinica. 2005 35(5):456-8.

List PH.
[Occurrence of ergothioneine in shaggy-mane, Coprinus comatus.]
Arch Pharm Ber Dtsch Pharm Ges. 1957 290/62(11):517-20. German. No abstract available.

Luo H, Mo MH, Huang XW, Li X, Zhang KQ.
Coprinus comatus: A basidiomycete fungus forms novel spiny structures and infects nematodes.
Mycologia. 2004 96(6):1218-24.

Ohtsuka S, Ueno S, Yoshikumi C, Hirose F, Ohmura Y, Wada T, Fujii T, Takahashi E.
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Last updated: 25-Sep-2008