7 Health Benefits of Chanterelle Mushrooms
Chanterelle mushrooms are not only delicious, they’re also medicinal!
I’ve gathered the health benefits of chanterelle mushrooms for you for the next time you go foraging.
Are Mushrooms Good for You?
chanterelle mushrooms come in lots of different shapes, sizes, and colors. The ones that aren’t toxic are quite healthy and tasty, containing many important vitamins and minerals.
For many years they’ve been used for their unique ability to add flavor in lots of different cultures’ cuisines. Although they’re actually fungi, mushrooms are lumped in the vegetable category for cooking purposes. Mushrooms allow you to add extra taste without sodium or fat.
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Poisonous mushrooms can be hard to identify in the wild, so you should always buy from a reliable grocery store or market. The most common types found in grocery stores are:
- shiitake
- portobello
- crimini
- button or white mushroom
- oyster
- enoki
- beech
- maitake
They each have a unique look and taste.
When choosing your mushrooms, make sure they feel firm, aren’t moist to the touch, and are mold-free. They can be stored in a paper bag inside the fridge for about five days. Brush the dirt off and rinse them lightly when you’re ready to use them.
Nutritional benefits of eating chanterelle mushrooms
You can’t go wrong with mushrooms. They’re fat-free, low-sodium, low-calorie, and cholesterol-free. They’re also packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Nutritional benefits vary depending on the type of mushroom. But overall, they are a good source of the following nutrients.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants help protect the body from damaging free radicals that can cause conditions like heart disease and cancer. They also protect you against damage from aging and boost your immune system. Mushrooms are rich in the antioxidant called selenium. In fact, they are the best source of the mineral in the produce aisle.
Beta glucan
Beta glucan is a form of soluble dietary fiber that’s been strongly linked to improving cholesterol and boosting heart health. It can also help your body regulate blood sugar, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Oyster and shiitake mushrooms are believed to have the most effective beta glucans.
B vitamins
Mushrooms are rich in the B vitamins: riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid. The combination helps protect heart health. Riboflavin is good for red blood cells. Niacin is good for the digestive system and for maintaining healthy skin. Pantothenic acid is good for the nervous system and helps the body make the hormones it needs.
Copper
Copper helps your body make red blood cells, which are used to deliver oxygen all over the body. The mineral is also important to other processes in the body, like maintaining healthy bones and nerves. Even after being cooked, a 1-cup serving of mushrooms can provide about one-third of the daily recommended amount of copper.
Potassium
Potassium is extremely important when it comes to heart, muscle, and nerve function. There’s about as much potassium in 2/3 cup of cooked Portobello mushroom as there is in a medium-sized banana.
How to eat chanterelle mushrooms
Mushrooms are incredibly versatile. You can prepare them in so many ways and pair them with tons of different ingredients. Slice them up raw and toss them in a salad, grill them, sauté them, or roast them. Add them to soups, sandwiches, wraps, casseroles, and Italian dishes. Mushrooms work well as a side dish, or as the main course for vegetarians. Portobello mushrooms are often served as “burgers” or “steaks” because of their meaty texture.
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Health Benefits of Chanterelle Mushrooms`
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) use of chanterelles
According to TCM, chanterelles are often used to treat eye conditions such as night blindness and eye inflammation.
Chanterelles are also used to treat dry skin and to tonify the mucous membranes that may be caused by a Vitamin A deficiency.
Chanterelles contains a high amount of Vitamin A.
They’re also used to increase immunity to respiratory tract infections.
Traditional Latvian Use
In Latvia, chanterelles have been traditionally used to treat infections, such as tonsillitis, and tuberculosis and respiratory infections (just like in TCM).
They’re also used to treat wounds, especially abscesses and boils.
A recent study supports chanterelles’ antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing reputation. (Source)
Other traditional Latvian herbal remedies using chanterelles are to remove radiation from the body and the removal of intestinal worms.
This may be the result of people noticing that worms never eat chanterelles, nor do any other insects rest on their caps.
Modern Studies on the health Benefits of Chanterelles
Modern medicine is late to the game in researching folk and natural remedies, so there are only a handful of small studies to reference and much more formal experiments need to be done before we can fully understand the medicinal benefits of chanterelles.
However, this study conducted on rats tested the wound-healing properties of chanterelles against a reference drug, Madecassol.
The wounds treated with chanterelle extract showed “complete repair of the epidermal layer, increased collagen production, and a remarkable degree of neovascularization and epithelization.”
Other studies have isolated the polysaccharides found in chanterelles and showed that they inhibit COX-1 and COX-2 (enzymes which produce prostaglandins as part of the inflammatory response).
Another study that analyzed one type of polysaccharide, mannans, found that they inhibited the proliferation of cancer colon cells.
In fact, a further study from Mexico identified a water extract of chanterelles as an effective cancer treatment and may help prevent the need for chemo.
It proved effective in treating hemic and circulatory hypoxia.
So, in addition to being FREE food, chanterelle mushrooms are also delicious and medicinal.
That, to me, is a huge homesteading win – take a lovely walk in the woods, harvest some free food, and feed your nutrition and health.