Almond Mushroom (Agaricus blazei)

The nutritional value and reported medical properties of Agaricus blazei underpin its use for medicinal purposes to aid a wide range of disease conditions from chronic hepatitis to cancer. Of particular importance is the growing evidence supporting the Agaricus blazei’s anti-tumorigenic and immunological properties. Medicinal use usually follows extraction of components from the fruiting body of the mushroom. Extracts of Almond mushrooms are of particular interest due to legendary suggestions that the elderly population, local to the region where it was identified, were less likely to be affected by serious illnesses, potentially due to incorporation of this fungus into their diet. Its spores were taken to Japan in the mid 1960s, and since then, its biomedical properties have been extensively researched.