Flammulina velutipes
Preparation and Serving Suggestions:
Brush or lightly rinse and trim the lower portion off of the cluster. Best served in salads or soups; or lightly cooked and served in stir-fry, or in a light sauce.
Enoki are tender, white mushrooms with long stems and small caps and a sweet, mild taste. They are usually sold in clusters just as they are pulled from the bottles they are traditionally grown in. Enoki's are also known as snow mushrooms or winter mushrooms because they fruit in the wild in the late fall through early winter. They are native to temperate regions all over the world where they grow on a variety of broadleaf trees. This mushroom can freeze, thaw, and continue to grow. It's love for cold temperatures make this mushroom a difficult one to grow, and it requires very precise environmental control and constant monitoring.
Reported Health Benefits:
Enoki has been reported to contain compounds that prevent as well as cure liver disease and gastroenteric ulcers. In addition, like many other specialty mushrooms, Enoki contains immunodomodulatory, antitumor, tumor inhibiting, and anti-biotic substances.
Selected References:
Badalyan, S.M. and L. A. Hambardzumyan. 2001. Investigation of Immunomodulating Activity of the Medicinal Mushroom Flammulina velutipes (Curt.:Fr.) Karst. In Vitro. Cytokine Induction by Fruiting Body Extract. Perspectives of Medicinal Mushrooms in Healthcare and Nutrition in the 21st Century. 12-14 Septemeber Kiev, Ukraine. Abstract in International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 3(2-3). Pg. 110.
Hobbs, Christopher, L. Ac. 1995; Medicinal Mushrooms, an Exploration of Tradition, Healing, and Culture; Botanica Press, Santa Cruz, CA pg. 177-8
Kozova, J. and Z. Rehacek. 1967. Antibiotics of Flammulina velutipes cultivated in submerged culture. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 12(6):567-568
Leung, M. Y., et al. 1997. The isolation and characterization of an immunomodulatory and anti-tumor polysaccharidepreparation from Flammulina velutipes. Immunopharmacology 35(3):255-263
Wasser, S. P. and A. L. Weis. 1999. Therapeutic effects of substances occurring in higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms: a modern perspective. Crit Rev Immunol 19(1):65-96
Wasser, S.P. and A.L. Weis. 1999. Medicinal Properties of Substances Occurring in higher basidiomycetes Mushrooms: Current Perspectives (Review). Int J of Med Mushrooms. Vol. 1(1) :31-62
Ying, J., et al. 1987. Icons of Medicinal Fungi from China. Translated by X. Yuchan. Beijing Science Press.
Yoshioka, Y., et al. 1973. Studies on antitumorpolysaccharides of Flammulina velutipes (Curt.ex Fr.)Sing. I. Chem Pharm Bull 21:1772-1776
Zhang, H., et al. 1999. Flammulin Purified from the Fruit Bodies of Flammulina velutipes (Curt.:Fr.)P. Karst. Int J of Med Mushrooms. Vol.1, pp. 89-92