''Phellinus linteus'' (Japanese "meshimakobu", Chinese "song gen", Korean "sanghwang", English "mesima", American English "black hoof mushroom") is a

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

. It is shaped like a hoof, has a bitter taste, and in the wild grows on mulberry trees. The stem color is dark brown to black.

Uses

In Asian

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

, the mushroom is prepared as a

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

. Extracts containing polysaccharide-

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

complexes from ''P. linteus'' are promoted in Asia for potential

anti-cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal ble ...

activities, but there is insufficient evidence from

clinical studies Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dieta ...

to indicate its use as a prescription drug to treat cancer or any disease. Its processed

mycelium Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrates. A typical single spore germinates ...

may be sold as a dietary supplement in the form of capsules, pills or powder.

References

linteus Medicinal fungi Fungi of Asia Taxa named by Miles Joseph Berkeley Taxa named by Moses Ashley Curtis {{Agaricomycetes-stub

Uses

See also

References