Skip to content
DE
Botanical

Black Fungus Mushroom

Black fungus mushroom (Auricularia polytricha) is an edible wood ear fungus that grows on dead wood and is widely used in East Asian cooking.

Also listed as Black Fungus Mushroom Powder, Black Fungus Mushroom Extract, Auricularia polytricha, Auricularia polytricha extract

What it is studied for

No health effects are rated for Black Fungus Mushroom in the library yet.

A food and a research ingredient

Auricularia polytricha is an edible mushroom whose complex carbohydrates, called polysaccharides, are being investigated experimentally. In a mouse study, an irradiated polysaccharide preparation lowered blood and liver lipids; that finding does not establish cholesterol treatment in humans. 1

Questions people ask

Is the mouse study evidence for a supplement?

It supports further research on a specifically processed polysaccharide. It did not test ordinary mushroom powder in people. 1

Can dried wood ear soak overnight on the counter?

That exceeds the food authority’s two-hour room-temperature limit; longer soaking belongs in the refrigerator. 2

Sources

  2. Soaking Mushrooms and Food Safety Centre for Food Safety, 2023