Shiitake

Lentinula edodes · Lentinus edodes

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Immune function¹ Add-on to standard cancer treatment² Chemotherapy taste disorders³ Borderline high triglycerides⁴ Persistent human papillomavirus⁵	Allergy to shiitake⁶ Prior shiitake dermatitis⁷ Pregnancy or nursing⁸

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is an East Asian culinary mushroom whose polysaccharide lentinan is considered a biological response modifier acting on immune signaling, not a direct tumor cytotoxin⁹. That immune activity drives its use as a supportive adjunct alongside cancer chemotherapy, for general immune function, and for borderline lipid abnormalities. Antiviral and antibacterial uses rest on laboratory work, with clinical data lacking⁹. Typical patients are adults receiving chemotherapy and those with borderline cholesterol.

A 2026 systematic review found a better tumor response rate when Lentinula edodes extracts were added to standard cancer treatment, but no difference in survival, adverse events, or quality of life². Lipid evidence is limited: shiitake bars lowered triglycerides by about 10% in one trial in people with borderline high cholesterol⁴. In a 2024 laboratory study using simulated human digestion and fermentation, a shiitake polysaccharide produced short-chain fatty acids and protected intestinal barrier function in a cell model; no human trial has tested this. Products listing shiitake number 2,867 in the US label database, sold as capsules, tablets, powders, and liquids; see Form comparison.

Shiitake dermatitis, a self-limiting linear rash tied to lentinan, follows raw or undercooked mushrooms, and avoiding re-exposure is the usual management⁷. Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use alongside blood thinners rather than avoidance⁶.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

41 sources, 35 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources