Stropharia rugosoannulata mushroom benefits

Stropharia rugosoannulata 

Know in one minute about Stropharia rugosoannulata 

  • Stropharia rugosoannulata is an edible mushroom with medicinal value.
  • It has a delicate fragrance, crisp meaty texture, and mild, earthy, nutty taste.
  • This mushroom has red-wine-colored caps and a thick, long stem with a wrinkled ring on the upper stalk.
  • Rich in protein, carbohydrates, and minerals with low in toxic metals, fat, and energy.
  • Decrease the bad cholesterol level and increase the good cholesterol level in the blood. 
  • Fight against different bacteria and fungi and protect the body from diseases.
  • Manage diabetes, keep bone healthy and treat brain disease.  
  • Prevent the growth of cancer cells and effective against HIV infection.  

Introduction

Stropharia rugosoannulata is a valuable edible mushroom that belongs to the Strophariaceae family. This mushroom is one of the top ten mushrooms traded internationally. Cultivated commercially for food. Stropharia rugosoannulata gains popularity and is even recommended by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) due to its delicious taste and health benefits. It has a refreshing, slightly sweet taste with a delicate fragrance and a crisp texture. It is a grass-rotting mushroom, found in gardens, parks, and grasslands and can even grow on manure. 

The wine cap is a large mushroom and can grow up to 20 cm tall with a flattening cap up to 30 cm across. It is slightly sticky and has Burgundy red-wine to dark reddish-brown caps when young and fresh. The color fades from brown to white, becoming smooth, dry, and cracked as the mushroom matures. The gills are white or pale at first, then turning gray to dark purple-brown with maturity.  This mushroom stem is long, thick with white flesh, and contains a wrinkled ring on the upper stalk (1).

Common name

Wine-cap mushroom

Wine Cap Stropharia

King Stropharia, 

Winter mushroom

Garden giant

Wine Roundhead 

Burgundy mushroom

Godzilla mushroom

Saketsubatake (in Japanese)

Geographical distribution

This mushroom is widely found in Europe, North America, and Asia, and has now been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

Nutritional value of Stropharia rugosoannulata

Stropharia rugosoannulata has high nutritional value and medicinal properties. It contains a high amount of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and minerals, with low content of fat and sodium/potassium ratio.

The amount of protein and micronutrient minerals is higher in this mushroom than in button mushrooms, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms.

They are also rich in polysaccharides, triterpenoids, and reducing sugars, which add great medicinal value to this mushroom (2).

Health benefits

1. Rich in nutrients

Stropharia rugosoannulata has high carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, and minerals with low content of fat and sodium/potassium ratio.  Thus this mushroom is suitable for people with a low-fat healthy diet (3).

2. Antioxidant properties

Polysaccharides found in Stropharia rugosoannulata mushrooms act as potent natural antioxidants that remove harmful radicals from the body. Thus the intake of this mushroom protects the body from various diseases (4).

3. Keep bone healthy

The osteoclast is a large bone cell that breaks down or dissolves the bone. The abnormal acceleration of osteoclast may cause osteoporosis, however, Stropharia rugosoannulata contain sterols that suppress osteoclast formation and strengthen the bones (5).

4. Antifungal properties

Systemic candidiasis is a serious Candida infection that is caused by an immune deficiency and affects many organs.   However, Stropharia rugosoannulata exerts antifungal actions against Candida albicans and prevents infections. 

5. Antibacterial properties

Srophoria rugsoannulata contains biologically active substances that fight against different bacteria and prevent various infections. It inhibits bacteria like Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, and Klebsiella pneumonia.

6. Treat brain disease

The cell endoplasmic reticulum stress can cause the death of normal brain cells and further cause degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. 

The sterols found in Srophoria rugsoannulata protect the brain cells by easing the stress thus treating brain disease (6).

7. Ease cancer

A protein known as lectin in Srophoria rugosoannulata mushroom inhibits the growth of cancer cells and is effective against HIV infection. Thus, this mushroom may develop into a cancer therapy agent (7).

8. Lower cholesterol level

Stropharia rugosoannulata contain a polysaccharide that decreases the bad cholesterol and increases the good cholesterol level in the blood (8).

9. Treat diabetes

Polysaccharides from Stropharia rugosoannulata decrease the plasma glucose level in the blood. It corrects the liver function by promoting insulin synthesis thereby reducing the blood glucose level. Thus, intake of this mushroom manages diabetes (9).

Side effects

Wine cap mushroom has no side effects in moderate amounts but the person who has any mushroom allergy should avoid it. Moreover, it contains hallucinogenic compounds that may cause visual illusions, euphoria, and dizziness. Thus it is best not to eat a high amount for a longer time to avoid problems (10).

How to cook / recipes

Wine cap mushrooms can be cooked in various ways like braising, grilling, and sautéing. They can be added to soup, pasta, cakes, sauces, or risotto. After cooking, they are crisp, crunchy, meaty texture with a mild, earthy, and nutty taste that slightly potato and red wine notes.

Furthermore, like other mushroom wine cap mushroom can be easily stored in a paper bag in the refrigerator. However, they are highly fragile due to their high water content and high respiration rate thus keeping up to a week (11).