Shiitake mushrooms are well-regarded for their potential health benefits.

✔️ IMMUNE SUPPORT

With its rich profile of phytonutrients, this organic powder is a fantastic nutrition source of Vitamin B2, B5, and D, ensuring you receive a nutrient boost with every sprinkle². Additionally, it contains vital minerals like copper, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, promoting overall wellness.

What sets this shiitake powder apart is its unique amino acid composition. It's one of the few plant-based sources that contain all seven essential amino acids, including linoleic acid known for its weight loss and digestion benefits. Incorporating this powder into your diet can help support your overall health goals¹.

✔️ WEIGHT CONTROL 

Shiitakes, brimming with soluble dietary fibre, including beta-glucan, have the remarkable ability to increase the feeling of fullness, thereby aiding in weight management.

Additionally, shiitake mushrooms boast phytonutrients that promote heart health and bolster immune function. Researchers have even observed that rats on a high-dose shiitake diet experienced a substantial reduction in body weight gain, surpassing the results of low or medium mushroom diets. Even when added to a high-fat diet, shiitake mushroom powder still facilitated weight loss³.

✔️CARDIOVASCULAR SUPPORT

Shiitake mushrooms are low in sodium and free of saturated fats. And they contain linoleic acid. This is an omega-6 essential fatty acid needed to support heart health. Lentinan also supports the heart.  

Cholesterol is also a risk for your dog’s heart, especially since many dogs eat a diet high in fat. Luckily, Shiitake mushrooms contain many compounds that fight cholesterol. They contain eritadenine, which inhibits an enzyme that produces cholesterol. The beta-glucans in shiitake also lower cholesterol². 

Finally, the potassium in Shiitake mushrooms may help reduce blood pressure. This is important for dogs with kidney disease or Cushing’s that may have high blood pressure⁴. 

✔️DIGESTION AND GUT HEALTH

Shiitake mushrooms promote digestion and gut health with their fibre content, which aids in reducing gut inflammation and maintaining a robust microbiome⁵. These mushrooms also offer a substantial array of around 30 different enzymes, including amylase, which plays a role in breaking down starches—a valuable attribute for dogs consuming high-starch kibble diets.

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is considered a valuable medicinal mushroom in many traditional forms of medicine and has been used in China and Japan for nearly 6,000 years. In Japan, the shiitake mushroom was often used as a medicine for treating bronchial conditions. They were also seen as an excellent substance to tonify the ‘Qi’ or vital life force.

The organic Shiitake powder is sourced from the finest ingredients and produced with utmost care. The mushrooms are grown in their natural habitat on wood in China, allowing them to develop their full potential in taste and nutritional value.

We recommend starting with a dosage of 0.7125 grams (approx. 8th of a teaspoon) per 15 kg of weight for the first 3 days.

We would then look to raise the dosage for serious need to 1 g (1/2 of a teaspoon) for every 15 kg of bodyweight per day, or as recommended by your Vet.

(1) Balakrishnan B, Liang Q, Fenix K, Tamang B, Hauben E, Ma L, Zhang W. "Combining the Anticancer and Immunomodulatory Effects of Astragalus and Shiitake as an Integrated Therapeutic Approach." Nutrients. 2021 Jul 27;13(8):2564. DOI: 10.3390/nu13082564. PMID: 34444724; PMCID: PMC8401741.

(2) Dai X, Stanilka JM, Rowe CA, Esteves EA, Nieves C Jr, Spaiser SJ, Christman MC, Langkamp-Henken B, Percival SS. "Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults." J Am Coll Nutr. 2015;34(6):478-87. DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2014.950391. PMID: 25866155.

(3) Handayani D, Chen J, Meyer BJ, Huang XF. "Dietary Shiitake Mushroom (Lentinus edodes) Prevents Fat Deposition and Lowers Triglyceride in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet." J Obes. 2011;2011:258051. DOI: 10.1155/2011/258051. PMID: 22028957; PMCID: PMC3199106.

(4) Kabir Y, Yamaguchi M, Kimura S. "Effect of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and maitake (Grifola frondosa) mushrooms on blood pressure and plasma lipids of spontaneously hypertensive rats." J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1987 Oct;33(5):341-6. DOI: 10.3177/jnsv.33.341. PMID: 3443885.

(5) Moreno A, Parker VJ, Winston JA, Rudinsky AJ. "Dietary fiber aids in the management of canine and feline gastrointestinal disease." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 260, Issue S3. Online Publication Date: 26 Oct 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.22.08.0351.