| ≥1 piece |
NP Nutra produces a high quality Organic Maitake 4:1 extract sourced from the best growers and dried to maintain its nutritional qualities.
We also offer a full range of organic and superfruit ingredients manufactured at our facilities all over the world and stocked in our 26,000 square foot facility in the greater Los Angeles area.
Contact us for free samples and more product information today.
Maitake Mushroom is native to Japan but is now also cultivated in other temperate regions of the world. This mushroom has been prized for centuries in Japan for its therapeutic qualities and delicious woody flavor. In feudal times, Maitakes were extremely valuable, and to this day they are hunted in the wild. It is said that Maitake lovers jealously keep locations a secret until their dying day.
Mai means dance and take means mushroom. Legend has it that Maitake hunters would dance for joy when they finally came across this elusive King of Mushrooms. It is only since the 1980s that they have been cultivated, to satisfy a growing demand in the culinary industry and for their well researched medicinal reputation.
Recent studies have shown that the presence of the polysaccharide beta glucan in Maitake Mushrooms support its traditional therapeutic use to enhance a healthy immune system Preliminary studies have shown that Maitake extract has positive effects in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, supporting bone health and blood pressure in the normal range.
Maitake contains potassium, calcium and magnesium that are essential for a healthy body. Present are the vitamins riboflavin, D and niacin that supports metabolism and a healthy blood system. Maitakes contain fibers that support digestive health and amino acids, which is essential in the human diet for sustaining the body.
Maitake Mushrooms thrive on the forest floor, clustered in the dark among leaf litter, at the foot of oak or similar trees. Maitake is indigenous to temperate hardwood forests, feeding on the dead roots of aging trees and thriving in conditions that have a limited range in temperature, moisture and humidity. They surface from dark grey mounds beneath the soil at the base of the tree, emerging with frond-like fruiting bodies of fungi overlapping each other.
In the United States they are known as hen of the woods, because of their grey to brown color, occasionally with a tint of orange, which apparently resembles hen feathers. Beneath the fruit are spores that sprinkle the forest floor or are carried away by the wind. Maitakes have been known to grow up to a weight of 50 pounds. They can also be found in the northern temperate forests of Europe and other parts of Asia.