Black and white fungus are most healthy when eaten together.

Introduction: There are black and white fungus, and white fungus is tremella. Separately speaking, whether white fungus or black fungus, both have excellent therapeutic effects. So, what are the effects and benefits of combining black and white fungus?

Effects and Benefits of Black Fungus

Black fungus is a nutritious edible fungus. Because it grows on rotten wood and its shape resembles a human ear, it is named black fungus. Black fungus is extremely nutritious. According to historical records, it was a delicacy exclusively enjoyed by emperors in ancient times. Nutritionists praise black fungus as the "meat among vegetables" and the "king among vegetables" because it has the highest iron content among various vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods.

Black fungus also has various medicinal values and is a precious medicinal herb. The famous Ming Dynasty pharmacologist Li Shizhen recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica" that black fungus is sweet and neutral in nature, mainly treating qi deficiency and loss of appetite, with effects of replenishing qi and benefiting intelligence, moistening the lungs and nourishing the brain, invigorating blood and stopping bleeding. Modern medical researchers have new discoveries about the effects and benefits of black fungus: if a person consumes 5-10 grams of black fungus daily, its anti-platelet aggregation effect is equivalent to taking a low dose of aspirin daily. Therefore, people call black fungus "food aspirin".

At the same time, black fungus is rich in cellulose and a special plant collagen. These two substances can promote gastrointestinal motility, promote the excretion of fatty foods from the intestines, and reduce the absorption of fat from food, thereby preventing obesity. In addition, because these two substances can promote gastrointestinal motility, prevent constipation, and are beneficial for the timely removal and excretion of toxic substances from feces, they play a role in preventing colorectal cancer and other digestive system cancers. Therefore, the elderly, especially those with a habit of constipation, can persist in eating black fungus and often consuming fungus porridge, which has good effects on preventing various geriatric diseases, anti-cancer, cancer prevention, and delaying aging.

West Lily and Black Fungus

Effects and Benefits of White Fungus

White fungus, also known as tremella, is called snow ear in its highest quality form. It is hailed as the "crown among fungi," being both a precious and nutritious nourishing food and a strengthening and tonifying medicine. Royal families in past dynasties regarded tremella as a "product for prolonging life" and a "magic medicine for immortality". So, what are the effects and benefits of white fungus?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, tremella is considered sweet and light in taste, neutral in nature, and acts on the lung and stomach meridians. It has the effects of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, and nourishing the stomach to promote body fluids. It is suitable for dry cough, little phlegm or phlegm with blood streaks, dry mouth and throat, neurasthenia and insomnia due to yin deficiency. Moreover, tremella is both a food and a medicine. Its medicinal nature is mild and safe to take. It can clear lung heat, nourish stomach yin; strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite, and is moisturizing without being greasy. It has the effects of strengthening the body's resistance, tonifying, and nourishing.

Modern medical research has confirmed that tremella is rich in protein, carbohydrates, fat, crude fiber, various inorganic salts, and vitamins. Among the 18 amino acids it contains, 7 are essential amino acids for the human body. The pharmacologically active ingredient of tremella is tremella polysaccharide, which mainly consists of acidic polysaccharides, neutral heteropolysaccharides, and acidic oligosaccharides. Tremella polysaccharide has significant antioxidant effects, enhances human cellular and humoral immunity, and can counteract the decrease in immune function caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy in cancer patients, inhibiting the growth of tumor cells. Tremella also has effects such as dilating the coronary arteries, reducing coronary resistance, improving the microcirculation of the coronary arteries, increasing the nutritional blood flow of the myocardium, lowering blood lipids, reducing blood viscosity, and reducing thrombosis.

Papaya and Tremella Soup

The Magic of Combining Black and White Fungus

From the perspective of dietetic health care, both black fungus and white fungus have the effect of preventing lipofusin formation and belong to foods that are beneficial for longevity and anti-aging. At the same time, both fungi contain polysaccharides, which have immune-enhancing and antiviral effects. However, due to the different content of nutrients in the two, their effects on the human body after consumption are still different.

White fungus is rich in vitamin D, which can prevent calcium loss and is very beneficial for growth and development. The phospholipids it contains have a brain-nourishing and calming effect, making it suitable for middle-aged and elderly people. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, white fungus is believed to have effects such as moistening the lungs and promoting body fluids, nourishing qi and blood, and nourishing the kidneys and essence, making it suitable for people with weaker respiratory systems.

The iron content in black fungus is the highest among all vegetarian foods. Regular consumption can nourish the blood and maintain a youthful complexion, and can prevent and treat iron-deficiency anemia. In addition, the gelatin in black fungus has a strong adsorption capacity, which can reduce the damage of dust to the lungs. Black fungus also contains a nucleic acid-like substance that can lower cholesterol levels in the blood, which is very beneficial for patients with coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis.

In summary, if black and white fungus are eaten together, their nutrients can complement each other. A simple example is the "Mixed Fungus Salad".

Dish Name: Mixed Fungus Salad

Cuisine and Effects: Lung-nourishing recipes, Qi and blood tonifying recipes, Intelligence and brain-nourishing recipes

Characteristics of Mixed Fungus Salad: The texture is delicate, tender and delicious, light and refreshing.

Ingredients for Mixed Fungus Salad:

Main ingredients: Dried tremella 100g, dried black fungus 100g

Seasonings: Salt 2g, monosodium glutamate 1g, white sugar 5g, pepper 1g, sesame oil 5g

How to make Mixed Fungus Salad

1. Wash the soaked tremella and soaked black fungus, blanch them in boiling water immediately, then plunge them into cold water. After cooling, remove, drain the water, and arrange on a plate.

2. Mix salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, pepper, and sesame oil with cold water, then pour over the tremella and black fungus.

Little Tips - Dietary Taboos for Fungus:

Fungus should not be eaten with river snails. In terms of food properties, the cold nature of river snails combined with the slippery nature of fungus is not conducive to digestion;

For people with hemorrhoids, fungus should not be eaten with wild pheasants. Wild pheasants are slightly toxic, and eating them together can easily trigger hemorrhoid bleeding;

Fungus should not be eaten with wild ducks. Wild ducks are sweet and cool in nature, and eating them together can easily cause indigestion.

Mixed Fungus and Flowers Salad